Returning home . . .

I found this short video (5:07) of Alan November giving a presentation to a group of parents in 2007 in a 21st Century Learning eBulliten. It is Titled, “3 Skills Our Kids Need to Succeed”. After viewing it I think a better title might be, “How to keep your kids from moving back after college”. He shares that in 1990 32% of young adults aged 18-29 moved back. That number jumped to 65% in 2006. From this CNN report the number rose to a staggering 85% in 2010. I am sure that at least one or two of my 53 readers has shared this experience, me included.


Why do I like the video? Once again, it affirms that our Classroom 10 vision has the right focus to place young people in positions for success in post high school learning and work. The three areas that he identifies just happen to be easily found in our Outcomes and Indicators.

• Information Processing (Effective Communicator and Complex Thinker)
• Global Communication (Community Contributor and Effective Communicator)
• Self Directed (Self-Directed Learner)

From his work in the corporate and education world, he believes that young people need to know how to acquire knowledge from the massive amounts of information available and know what to do with it. Employers will be looking for young people who do not need to be told what to do, who do not need a boss. This allows for less management and saves the employer money.

In his closing he states that the American education system is not designed to prepare young people with these three skills. I know that we are one of many that are attempting to do so. Absent the vision, it is not possible. Our task is to make the vision a reality in every classroom, every day, for every child.

You might want to watch the video to learn the new definition of boomerang.