tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post2487758699067552067..comments2024-02-05T05:15:04.759-08:00Comments on Wandering Scientist: Weekend Reading: The Brave New Careers EditionCloudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-42244422313056492562012-08-07T19:00:17.730-07:002012-08-07T19:00:17.730-07:00... how to use public transportation. And read a ...... how to use public transportation. And read a map!Alexicographerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06029216139568740202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-90867442228341741812012-08-06T21:17:56.804-07:002012-08-06T21:17:56.804-07:00Ha -- @Laura Vanderkam made me laugh, because, yes...Ha -- @Laura Vanderkam made me laugh, because, yes, I relish our kid's inability to operate (he can turn on) the tv ... even at 5. And it's not from lack of watching it, but he has limited understanding of/ability to use the remote, and that's fine with me (well, heck, actually the same is true of me though my skills surpass his).<br /><br />Count me among those interested in practical and/or general ("resourceful") skills, though I admit I pretty much assume my kid will graduate high school with a good command (likely not fluency, unless we do more, which will be a function of life + kid's interests) of a second language and calculus, be able to write well, and have assorted sciences. Ha -- overestimate, much (he's 5)? But really, we have good public schools and this is just sort of the trajectory I envision (it was mine and my brother's, in those same schools, though not, to be fair, exactly my stepchildren's ditto, though theirs also included subsets of the above).<br /><br />But, yes -- ability to change a tire, the oil, and jump-start a car. Drive a stick shift. Call a taxi (a skill this small-town girl didn't have when I went away to school, and just let me say: no one should ever be stuck anywhere because she's relying on someone else to give her a ride. Someone else who may, shall we say, have a different agenda -- or a lack of sobriety -- or whatever. And no, I wasn't a victim of anything horrid as a result of this lack of competence, but ... still). Swim (he's pretty much got that, if measured as a basic competence not an elegant ability). Manage money. Use a credit card (or whatever we have then) responsibly. Fix a few cheap meals. Tackle basic sewing and basic home repair tasks (and complete both adequately well). Write a thank-you letter. Enjoy quiet time that doesn't involve being entertained, both alone and with others. Plan and undertake a trip on his own (not necessarily solo, but with him responsible for his part of the planning and implementing, whatever that entails).<br /><br />I'm sure there's more, but those are skills that spring to mind.Alexicographernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-20097063560244381662012-08-06T13:26:44.418-07:002012-08-06T13:26:44.418-07:00Thanks for the link! I'd like my kids to learn...Thanks for the link! I'd like my kids to learn to think like entrepreneurs: what skills do I have, and how can I get people to pay me for those skills? Skills I don't want them to have: how to turn on the TV. I read recently that 80-plus percent of 2-3 year olds can do this. Not mine yet. Then again, given how much they love TV, perhaps I should be concerned about the lack of curiosity on how to do it themselves.Laura Vanderkamhttp://www.lauravanderkam.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-37329929233469798002012-08-06T11:02:43.813-07:002012-08-06T11:02:43.813-07:00I think the most important skill for my kids is to...I think the most important skill for my kids is to be resourceful -- an elusive mixture of optimism, practicality, independence, social skills -- that allows them to learn from mistakes, make best use of their talents and bounce back on their feet with minimal help (although I do know a lot in life depends on luck and we all definitely should not be too proud to ask for help when needed). Now giving this trait to my offsprings is another matter entirely...<br /><br />And yes, agree on swimming!oilandgarlichttp://oilandgarlic.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-50894049536904303812012-08-05T22:44:21.908-07:002012-08-05T22:44:21.908-07:00I like @n&m's list in general, but would a...I like @n&m's list in general, but would add a few childhood skills I acquired that have turned out to be really quite useful...<br /><br />Like the ability to load an airport luggage trolley efficiently, the ability to understand people with heavily accented English and the ability to remember names & faces *really* well.Zenmoonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-19020934225266155562012-08-05T19:36:20.186-07:002012-08-05T19:36:20.186-07:00How neat that your daughter will be going to a Spa...How neat that your daughter will be going to a Spanish Immersion school! My siblings and I did as well (one in northern CA), and now my brother and sister both landed jobs where they speak Spanish all day long in their work environments. In both cases their language skills have been a tremendous asset to their career, not to mention broadened their lives. (My sister, a doctor, has done several stints of working abroad in rural latin america). What a wonderful opportunity for her!<br /><br />Hush, I love your list! What a great idea to really list out all the skills you want to make sure you equip them with before they leave home. Two more I would add to the list: how to parallel park, and how to decline a (first or later) date gracefully. (Says the girl who never went on a date, and was unnecessarily rude and awkward, because I didn't know how I would say 'no' if I didn't want to go again).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-46298154087656455812012-08-05T10:11:51.784-07:002012-08-05T10:11:51.784-07:00My mother insisted that we have a second language,...My mother insisted that we have a second language, a sport, and an instrument as children/teenagers. She didn't see this as a path *to* anything, but as the foundation we required to develop as human beings. Not surprisingly, I tend to think along her lines - of human potential - rather than success. Of course, I realize that this post is about skills, which is a slightly different topic! So I'm not trying to say, Oh I think it's more important to talk about X than Y - I'm just surprised by my own tendency not to think about skills and success in quite that way. But then again, I'm a humanities professor so obviously I don't rank "marketability" that highly!<br /><br />I second @n&m's list, especially swimming, and a host of practical skills that have nothing to do with professional success necessarily and more to do with having a good skill set to apply to life - cooking, organizing, basic handyman skills (my husband is a wood worker and I'm always in awe at his ability to *make things*; he can even sew). My poor parents tried to insist that I learn how to change a tire, but it never quite took. But that's an important skill. And how to use jumper cables!Erinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-48349191252072123262012-08-04T19:39:47.367-07:002012-08-04T19:39:47.367-07:00math, writing, logical thinking, critical thinking...math, writing, logical thinking, critical thinking, the ability to learn from mistakes, the ability to seek out or at least to accept challenges, responsibility, communication<br /><br />basically, things I want to see in RAs... everything else I can teach them on the job<br /><br />(oh, and swimming... life skill)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-60340754225993015682012-08-04T08:36:03.550-07:002012-08-04T08:36:03.550-07:00"I have actually found the realization that I..."I have actually found the realization that I have no job security very liberating, since if no job is permanent, there is no reason to allow any job to make me unhappy"<br /><br />I can't resist doing some mad-libbing here and substituting the word "life" for "job" = "I have actually found the realization that I have no LIFE security very liberating, since if no LIFE is permanent, there is no reason to allow any LIFE to make me unhappy." Yep. I like that one, too. ;)<br /><br />My parents were far from perfect but I'm grateful I have very few regrets about skills I never learned as a child. The one that stands out is having missed out on seeing certain interpersonal skills in action. I would have liked to have seen my parents model a happier marriage and a more active social life. But I think they nailed the rest of the basics.<br /><br />Skills we plan to saddle our kids with before they leave our nest (many of these have to do with the tools we happen to have at hand where we live): learned optimism, how to look after their own health (including self-defense, exercise, healthful eating, & protecting their sexual health), a love of reading and writing, financial savvy which is of course predicated upon math literacy, the basic social graces and etiquette, fluency in English and Spanish, and proficiency in French and Italian, the ability to ski double black diamond runs, partner dancing skills, survival skills (including how to swim, drive defensively, and perform CPR), how to run a household including how to hire and supervise people who work in your home, musical literacy, an understanding of the basic principles of science, logic, research methods, statistics, economics, democratic government and US Constitutional rights, and last but not least how to communicate, actively listen, and have healthy relationships.<br /><br />I didn't include computer stuff. That's probably a gap they'll complain about as adults!hushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05532820460835325762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-82501585302161592012-08-04T08:34:27.064-07:002012-08-04T08:34:27.064-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.hushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05532820460835325762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-23306360150554675552012-08-04T02:40:11.531-07:002012-08-04T02:40:11.531-07:00me writing sciDAD mathme writing sciDAD mathfeMOMhisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17192104351023271207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-58788092812384283862012-08-03T23:58:57.988-07:002012-08-03T23:58:57.988-07:00I definitely want my child to develop good Maths s...I definitely want my child to develop good Maths skills, I just hope we can sustain her interest until her late teens, when school Maths gets a lot more interesting. With this in mind, I'm planning to get her knitting as soon as she's old enough. I started knitting recently and I had no idea how Maths based it was! I think it will be a great way for her to appreciate the importance of using Maths and also to learn how to understand a basic code (or not so basic depending on your pattern!).Fishscientistnoreply@blogger.com