In some respects, today’s students are embarking on a journey to an unknown destination.
For most of us “old folks,” that would be a terrifying thought, but young people tend to view these sorts of things as an adventure.
And what an adventure it is likely to be.
For previous generations of students, the path was pretty well-defined. Students were exposed to a general studies curriculum — not too far removed from the old “readin’, writin’ and ‘rithmatic” of the early 20th century — until their interests turned to a specific, well-established job. Those who wanted to be doctors and dentists took advanced classes in those field. A kid who wanted to be a welder enrolled in vocational training.
But always, the order was the same. Find a job and tailor your studies toward acquiring the knowledge and skills it demanded.
Today, that sequence has been put on its head. Today’s students are acquiring knowledge and skills for jobs that do not yet exist, jobs that are likely to take the place of many of the jobs we currently hold. Technology is emerging faster than our understanding as the modern workplace becomes more automation and technology-driven.
This week a team of Lowndes County students will join 271 other teams from 30 countries and 48 states in an international robotics competition in Louisville, Kentucky.
These are not high school seniors, whose interest in robotics has emerged over time.
These students are from New Hope Elementary School. They are just 11 years old. That says something powerful about the dramatic shift in the education-to-occupation pathway.
Robotics is not unique to New Hope. Schools everywhere are providing that training. Likewise, elementary school students throughout the country are writing software code.
Our world is changing fast. The industrial revolution of the early 20th century seems almost plodding by comparison.
We are still discovering new uses for the micro-chip technology first implemented in the Apollo era. Advances come almost daily, it seems.
Experts say we are still in the early stages of this new era in technology.
Our world has and will continue to be profoundly altered by the times in which we live. Perhaps nowhere will the implications be more obvious than in the workplace and, by natural extension, in our schools.
Today’s students are embarking on a great adventure into the unknown.
We commend our schools for providing them with the tools they will need for that exciting journey.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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