Educators

I want to expose the next generation, the Digital Natives, to the reality that their future is up to them. I want to use the Environmental Maniac as the vehicle to illustrate what it takes to create solutions.

I am told by my mother to give up the idea. I listen to my mother. My mother ran the Mentally Gifted Minors Program for Westminster and Huntington Beach School Districts for years. Every year she watched her budget get cut to try to lift up the bottom performers. We all know that you create excellence by raising the bar, not lowering it. My dad was a high school math teacher. He “saw the light” when he was elected to the Board of the L.A. School District. My parents gave up in the mid 80’s and moved to Canada.

What I know is that there is no such thing as growth without struggle. No Pain, No Gain. But there is struggle without growth. Blame someone else for your struggles. What I know is that we’ve been blaming the schools and teachers for long enough. The government, the schools nor the teachers can force anyone into becoming successful. If the students do not put in the work, they will not get the results. Period.

What I know is that Digital Natives and dyslexics like me both have “Frontal Lobe” developmental problems. We both have attention problems. We both have complex reasoning challenges. We both have challenges with interpersonal-skills.

But what I learned long after grad school was that reading exercises the Frontal Lobe, the part of your brain used in problem solving. And problem solving, not problem identifying, is where success comes from.

What I learned is that “mental pushups” are a prerequisite to success. That leadership is mandatory – no one has ever become successful alone. That “people skills” precedes leadership. And that everyone can learn the skills.

What I know is that over the last 30 years our Society has transformed from, “Ask not what your Country can do for you…” to “share the wealth”. Our Society in now “entitled” to the results of a good education without putting in the effort required. Taking “points” from “A students” and giving them to “F Students” will not create the results required to have a good education. Nor does lowering the bar to the point where “F Students” become “C Students”.

What I know is that most students struggle to do 2 hours of homework a week. It requires even more effort, struggle, to learn how to do 2 hours of homework a night. But 2 hours of homework will create a dramatic change. It will create the internal growth required to manifest external growth, external change.

What I know is that if the majority of students did 2 hours of homework a night, we wouldn’t be blaming our poor educational system on the teachers, schools and government.

What I also know is that I will only reach 2% of the students.

What I know is that only 2% of the population fought in the Revolutionary War, only 2% are comfortable with change after the age of 30, 2% pay 98% of the taxes in this Country, less than 2% lead the other 98% and reaching 2% is an optimistic goal.

What I know is that every presentation needs to be a media event for two reasons. One is to reach the energy threshold necessary to communicate to the Digital Natives. This includes pictures on the Environmental Maniac web site. The other reason is business. Since I am “self-funding” the programs, I need to use the events as marketing for HyboFuel and EvAAC®.

Will it work? Can I impact 2% of the students? Can I create enough marketing to pay for the effort? Is it worth the effort?

Only time will tell.

Passing the Torch