mel jacobson on sat 14 apr 12
i have never been opposed to, or in opposition of kids
going on to college. it is really a no brainer, if you have
the talent, mental set, and desire. but, that is the
issue for me. the desire to work hard, make a mark
and learn for life. so many just fulfill mom and dad's
dream. like i say...`mom, go back to college yourself`.
don't live through your kid.
i think, and i mean i think, what we have taken from
kids in this modern era, is `ANTICIPATION AND WAITING`.
remember, i have spent my entire life as a high school educator.
i still do it. that is over 50 years of working with kids.
i have some expertise. i have seen a great deal. and i taught
waiting. give it time, wait for it...appreciate it when i comes.
savor the moment. it is like having sex at 13. what a mess.
wait for it. make it important. give it dignity. our society sells
teen age sex. disaster.
and, i do know it is 2012. and, i do keep current.
and, i truly believe that the 25 percent of kids that should
not go to college should be given dignity to something else.
but, so often they are not...`hey dummy, you going to the job market?`
and, we have created a society of those that want it free. don't have
to wait...someone else will give it to you. disaster.
the big changes, in my observation...neighbors, relatives, former
students etc....is that so many get what they want, right now, no
waiting. just spend an hour in target stores. `gimme, i want, now`.
and they get it. screaaaaaaaaam. `honey settle down, mommy will
let you have it.`
i watch the hockey and sports kids...dressed in major league uniforms
and $100 sports shoes. if you want your own bat, $100. and those
are ten year olds.
our lives as potters are all about anticipation. we are always excited
about that cooling kiln. those drying pots...what will happen next time?
we are excited every day thinking of new pots, new kilns, new glazes
and we have to wait for it. yes....`wait for it`. and we never tire of
waiting, expecting, excited for tomorrow.
my friends that sew by hand...days of anticipation for it to be done.
one stich at a time. hand work, anticipation for success.
i just loaded my big kiln. complex load, colleen has some big planters
in there. she will text me four times tomorrow...`how is it going?`
`what time can we open the kiln monday?` and, i will be thinking the same =
thing.
i still love the anticipation...and we all do the same thing....`i know thi=
s
is going to be a killer firing`.
when we take away anticipation of good things...we take away desire.
`you have to earn it. you have to wait for it, you have to deserve it.`
i heard it from wealthy neighbors....talking to my kids....`hey mark, why
don't you have expensive skis?` he said....`i get to buy my own...getting
a job next week at `ski hut`...putting on bindings/fitting skis.` and he d=
id that
at 16. learned
about skis from a pro. he could re/mount bindings for all his friends, in
our studio. he never got anything the first time he asked. i did point th=
e
way however. `it is down that road.`
just the same for me, it is down that road. i walk it every day.
never get to the end...but, man oh man, i am never bored. and it is funny
how i wake from a deep sleep at 4 a.m. `gotta get up and get that kiln sta=
rted.`
exiciting.
potters and crafts people are the most blessed people on the earth. and, we
are patient. and, our rewards are massive.
mel
from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
John Post on sat 14 apr 12
Some of the kids in my 5th and 6th grade classes have iPhones. They
have no idea how much it costs to have these phones because their
parents pay for all of it.
My son who is in his junior year in high school does not have a smart
phone.
Any tech gear he wants, he has to pay for. (We provide him with a
Virgin Mobile cell phone. $20 bucks every 3 months is what it costs
us. It is his emergency phone, only my wife and I have the number.)
If he wanted an iPhone, he could purchase his own and then pay the
monthly fees. Instead he found a free app for his iPod that lets him
send text messages to all of his friend's phones. He also figured out
how to get his iPod on the school server so he can send and receive
texts at school. At home he is on our wifi network, so he texts all
of his friends for free. We were out in Utah staying at a remote
hotel and even they had wifi that he could use to text with his iPod.
My kid knows the value of a buck because he has to earn all of his
spending money. I started making him earn his spending money when he
was in elementary school. I would purchase a Nintendo Pokemon game
for him, and then two days later, he would ask if he could get
another. He had no idea how to prioritize his spending. Whenever he
asks me for something now, I ask him if he has the money. If he has
the money he can get it. Since he is the one paying for things, he
prioritizes what he wants and has to decide if he really needs it.
You know, just like real life.
I tell him the reason he doesn't see me driving a Dodge Challenger is
because I have to prioritize what I purchase, and I can't see laying
out 45K for a car that will depreciate the second I drive it off the
lot. Wants and needs. Some folks don't have a clue, how else could
people with little or no income and no down payment be foolish enough
to believe they could afford a house that costs 300K?
John Post
Sterling Heights, Michigan
http://www.johnpost.us
Follow me on Twitter
https://twitter.com/UCSArtTeacher
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