FOCUS
VOLUME SIX........OCTOBER 2014......NUMBER THREE
"WHAT IS YOUR DREAM?"
If you are a normal 8th grader (Is there such a thing?) you probably do not spend much time thinking about the future, unless by “the future” you mean what you might be doing this weekend. The future I am talking about is THE future, when you are out of high school and moving into a job or college. THAT future. You know, the one your parents mention to you every now and then or the one your teachers keep saying they are preparing you for or the one we talk about sometimes in classroom guidance sessions. THAT is the future you should be thinking about. Now, I know there are more important issues to worry about as far as you are concerned, like how to pass the next Social Studies test or the next football game or what the latest rumors are....but I promise you that the time to make plans for the long range future is NOW!!!
Even though you are not likely to talk about it, you know, and I know, that you DO have a dream buried somewhere in the back of your brain. There IS something you would like to do or be when you get out of high school. There IS some job, some career, some goal that you would like to achieve. I am almost certain that you have something you are passionate about, something that really excites you when you think about being involved with it. I also believe that you have a clearer idea than most people realize about what your interests and skills really are. I am also just as certain that you will not accomplish what you want to accomplish unless you have some sort of a plan.
With that in mind, we will be working with two computer based programs: CAREER CRUISING and GACOLLEGE 411 to give you the chance to think about your dream and what YOU can do to make it a reality. Please take these activities seriously. They really can help you make your dream come true.
The BRIDGE BILL: What is it?
After completing these "career interest inventories" as they are called, you will be able to see which jobs might be a good match for you. You will also be able to see what our high school schedule might look like and what electives you might choose. Lowndes High School offers well over a dozen "Career Pathways" for you to choose from. Our work in the computer lab will give you a chance to examine those more closely so you can make a better decision. Hopefully, this will also help you make the connection between what you will do in school and what you do in life.
And now....More Useless Information!!!!!!
- The tip of a 1/3 inch long hour-hand on a wrist watch travels at .00000275 mph.
- “The microwave was discovered after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
- “The name of the mythical land of OZ came from the label on Frank Baum’s filing cabinet: O-Z.”
- “The symbol on the ‘pound’ key (#) is called an octothorpe.
- ”The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.
- The average garden variety caterpillar has 248 muscles in its head.
- The average human blinks their eyes 6,205,000 times each year.
- Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.
- At birth a panda is smaller than a mouse and weighs about four ounces.
- Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
- A snail takes 33 hours to crawl one mile.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Figuring Out What To Do In LIfe Is A Tough Decision
To make a good decision about a career, you need to consider these points:
- IT MUST BE SOMETHING YOU GENUINELY LIKE TO DO.
- IT MUST BE SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO.
- IT MUST BE SOMETHING YOU CAN EARN A LIVING BY DOING.
- IT MUST BE SOMETHING YOU ARE PERMITTED TO DO.
- IT MUST BE SOMETHING THAT BRINGS YOU CULTURAL AFFIRMATION.
- FOR THOSE WITH A FAITH, IT MUST BE SOMETHING YOU FEEL YOU SHOULD BE DOING WITH YOUR LIFE.
Just some things to be thinking about as we begin to explore your career interests over the next few weeks and months.
THE LAST WORD
To get to the career you might have in mind you will need to do some things in a certain sequence. #1: You have to get out of the 8th grade. #2: You have to get to high school with some sort of plan in mind. #3: You have to stay focused on the plan the entire time you are in high school. Just three little things to do, right? They all take some energy and direction.
#1. Getting out of the 8th grade. That sounds simple…but it takes work, as some of you are realizing. It requires that you pay attention in class, stay organized, do your work, ALL of your work, develop good study habits, learn how to take tests…Get the idea???? You have to work at it. Your teachers are constantly reminding you of the importance of all of these qualities. Your parents keep asking you about how things are going in school. All of these people have one goal in mind…your academic success. But, the funny thing is that even with all of this encouragement NOTHING is more powerful than your decision to be successful.
#2. Getting to high school with a plan. If you take care of item #1 you are setting yourself up to accomplish item #2. Going to high school is a wonderful accomplishment, but you still need a plan. When we go on the tour of LHS sometime in February, you will see what choices you can make about “career pathways” and academic classes. If you go on any of the field trips to Wiregrass Tech you will hear them talk about such things as “Dual Enrollment” programs for high school students and programs that you can complete in as little as two years after high school. If you are thinking of attending a four-year college you will need to work with your high school counselor on a plan to make the grades to get there.
#3. Staying focused on the plan. Try this…go ask your parents or grandparents if they ever got “sidetracked” when they were younger. Then, listen to them talk about decisions they wish they could change. As you move into high school you will find tons of new opportunities AND tons of new distractions. You have to learn when to say “No” to those distractions and stay focused.
ALL of us will try to help you with these three small things as the year moves on….but nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, is as important as what YOU decide.
‘Til next month….that’s the last word.
Later,
CHICK