Yesterday I took my oldest two daughters with me to a meeting at a school. I wanted to introduce them to a space, Global Impact Academy, a relatively new STEM magnet school in our community now lead by a mentee of mine. He just finished his first year as school leader and it’s remarkable to see how far he’s come (I remember when he was a struggling first year teacher, now look at him leading a world class school doing big things!). The school itself is really amazing because it offers the rare opportunity for students to actually learn about and gain experience in real world careers of bio-tech, engineering, health sciences, etc. I’m not a big STEM fan myself (I never really got into science), but even I appreciated seeing the hospital wing with a bay of rooms, cadavers, and all the EMT equipment set up for students to learn from as they use.

For the girls, their participation wasn’t mandatory, but it wasn’t really voluntary either. I wanted Riley, who is now 14 and Olivia (12 going on 30), to see something different that might spark a new interest worth exploring. One of my core responsibilities as their father involves exposing them to new ways of seeing the world. My hope is that this broadens their perspective and deepens their critical consciousness about who they are and how they move in this world.

After our tour with the principal, I asked them about what they saw. What did you think? What were you curious about? Did anything spark your interest? Jonathan (the principal), made the soft sell for them to come and check out the school (especially my rising 9th grader). But this experience wasn’t really about them switching schools (we all love their current learning community at the Forest School, a self directed learning space led by and for students). It was simply another chance to crack open the window into the future and see what they notice.

Later while debriefing on the ride home, Riley shared that she could see herself possibly exploring some apprenticeships there. She’s very committed to the path of becoming a veterinarian, so the health sciences track intrigued her. But she expressed reservations about how difficult it is to apprentice with a teacher in a more traditional learning environment. I conceded this point and appreciated her thoughtfulness. Olivia, like me, doesn’t really have any passions for STEM related fields and she was very clear that nothing at the school really interested her. I like her clarity. Knowing what you don’t like is sometimes just as important as understanding what you do like and why. The next place we’ll visit will have something for her (I already have just the place in mind).

I guess only a dad who used to be a teacher would drag his daughters to visit a school in the middle of their summer break. I’m proud to be that dad. #theeducationdad