What's really important? Information Finding Championship - Season 1 : Round 19 entry
My husband died when our daughter was only 13. Everything became more difficult that year, but nothing was more difficult than school. She acted out and wasn't in the right frame of mind to learn English and Math and whatever you learn in 7th grade. It wasn't an easy year for me either and I have forgotten what she studied that year.
I had been raised to prize education. In my family, it was assumed that we would all go to college and we strived for scholarships. I missed and ended up going to tech school. I was a disappointment to my family.
My daughter had no desire to go to school, much less to do well in traditional subjects. She was far more interested in photography and socializing and networking.
Leave me alone!
She would yell. "I don't get it and I don't care."
This was outside the realm of my comprehension. It didn't fit. How could she not care about making good grades in English and Math and Science? It did not compute.
Then I took a class about human nature and getting along with people. I was desperate to get through to my daughter. But, what I learned changed my life. I discovered that:
What's important to me is not necessarily important to everyone. And What's important to others is not necessarily important to me.
And even more important than that lesson was the lesson that it was okay. It was 100% okay to have differing orders of importance.
I eased up on my daughter. I looked for what was important to her. Photography. I encouraged that. She worked on the school yearbook. She graduated High School and took a year of Community College. She studied at a local photography studio.
She eventually opened her own studio and now supports a family of 4 quite comfortably from ... photography.
She writes a blog to promote her business. She entrusts the math to a bookkeeper. But she does what she loves and gets paid well for it.
If I could teach one thing to every teacher and every parent it would be to look for what excites each individual child and let them excel at that. Teach them the basics of math and english, but find what they love and help them learn that.
The world would be such a nicer place if we could all learn this.
This was written for a contest in #informationfinding
This is a great lesson to share. Very important one to learn...
It is indeed. Thank you.
What an awesome entry!! I love your story! :) Super great advice too. Thank you for sharing this with us!
I absolutely agree!
If more people could follow their passions and do things they enjoy for a living, I think the world would be a much better place. Great entry!
PS.. Sorry about your loss I should have mentioned that first, I was deliriously tired when I responded.
I'm so glad you liked it. It seems my passion is story telling. lol
This here is what we call perks of following these contests, we learn from the experiences of other people. Thanks a lot for the lesson. :)
Thank you! :)
This is a great lesson - not everyone is meant to study the academic subjects. That would kill the creativity, which as important for our cultures. It's great that you supported her in photography and that is succeeding in that! Great parenting, not only to want your best for your children, but also to search and find out what that is.
It felt risky at the time. I didn't see it as a way to make a good living, but she did it!
Great story, I am glad that this worked out so well for her. It is sort of rare to find someone that young who knows what they are passionate about and what they want to pursue in life. Kudos to you for taking the step back and letting her flourish.
Watch for their eyes to light up when they talk about it. Watch what they would rather "die" than give up on. Watch what they spend time doing and organizing and tending to. Nurture that.
thank you so much for this! I needed to read this today! I am a couple days late on seeing your post, but I needed it at this very moment. it was always what I wanted and how I wanted it to be. I think what you wrote makes perfect sense. Again thank you, and welcome to the #informationfinding championship! Good Luck!
Thank you. I love serendipity!
This was a really difficult round to judge.. There were so many good entries that were teaching really useful and interesting things.. Though I resonated with your message the most as I highly agree with what you said in regards to the way we teach and the way we should. I personally believe they should be able to focus on what they want and not be forced to learn stuff they don't want to learn. I'm not really a fan of force, I believe highly in voluntary freedom. So.. I highly support what you're saying and if we did that, I think the world would be a much better place! Additionally your daughters story was very inspiring as well! Thanks for the awesome entry. I'm voting for you this round.