I appreciate the need to introduce the big picture and the statement that each student brings his or her own learning objectives to the class and that most are tied to career goals. And this is the conversation absent from most public schools I have experienced. I am an avid believer that unless we start talking to students about their hopes, dreams, and plans for a big picture life no later than late elementary school, we're missing the opportunity to get them to understand the connections between schooling and thier own lives. These conversations and plans can also drive our planning and the purchase of materials required to assist them in reaching their desired destinations. However, the dialogue seems a monologue with adults perceiving they know what students should need - without affirming that assumption through conversations with students and families. Hopefully, it's more common than my experience in public schools.
