As our country battles it’s darkest days since the end of Apartheid – I look around me and I know that the solution to our problems lies within these walls. As teachers, parents and children we have the collective power to change the future. We have a responsibility to raise these young minds to be better leaders and citizens than we have been.
But South Africa is not alone. It is clear that the world is in a state of change. Sometimes this change is incredibly positive. Yet at the same time, some of these changes pose a challenge to the way we have always taught and parented. And this can make it scary and unpredictable.
Let’s start with the idea that in 20 years time, 50% of the jobs that we know, will no longer exist. Half of the jobs that are being done in this room tonight will no longer be done. Even jobs as age old and predictable as the GP will become less and less in demand.
A few years ago an outbreak of serious flu in the UK resulted in an understaffed NHS using computers to screen patients coming to the hospital. The computer used a list of screening questions, which resulted in a either script for medication being printed, or the patients been referred for specialist screening.
Technology has already become the greatest asset and threat to modern parenting and teaching. It will become the defining feature of our children’s careers. Foremost, technology has changed our access information and skills. I don’t need a degree in astrophysics to quickly get the answer to complicated questions or equations. I can Google it.
I don’t need to be an mechanic to fix my car. I can YouTube how to change my own oil. I don’t need to know how to knit. I can use a 3D printer to print me a blanket.
I don’t need an office or to live in the country where I work. I can use Skype from my hotel room in Bangkok. If our children have access to all this information – what is there left for us to teach and parent?
I’m here to remind you that even in an information and technology age – children will need more than their technology and information to make it in this world. But I’ll come back to this in a second.
Here’s the relief – technology has the power to create new jobs. And increasingly we will see hundreds of new jobs emerging. The school counselor will have to work hard to stay up to date with all of these new jobs – it’s no longer just Nurse, Engineer and Lawyer.
10 Years ago, the job title Social Media Manager didn’t exist. Today, most businesses task someone with the job of managing their social media. It has become a natural part of business.
Here’s a list of some of the jobs for the future:
- Atmospheric Water Harvester
- Fear Containment Managers
- Drone Traffic Optimizers
- Cryptocurrency Banker
- Productivity Counsellors
- Privacy Consultant
- Meme Managers
- Bacterial Specialists
- 3D Printing Handyman
- Digital Death Manager
- Digital Detox Therapist
- Skype Stager
- Hack School Counselors
The list will grow. And the bottom line is that we are raising kids for jobs that don’t yet exist.
And so if that is true – again, our children will need more than technology and information to survive in this kind of rapidly changing world. The values and human skills we instill in them is what will set them apart. We need to instill values like –
- Resilience and Adaptability
- Empathy
- Creativity
- Curiosity
- Cultural Sensitivity
- Accountability
I’m going to give you some practical ideas on how you can instill these values in your children. Feel free to take out your phones and record or video what I’m saying. You can also find them listed on my Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts – PBPsychologist.
Research shows that resilient children in South Africa do 3 things:
- Dream
- Do
- Connect
Get your children to draw a triangle. At the top of the triangle get them to write or draw a dream or goal that they have. This is the top of the mountain. They should then divide the triangle into 4 parts. Starting at the bottom, they should write the things they have to do – starting where they are – to achieve this dream. They can then make a list of people who they can connect with to help them achieve these goals.
People often ask how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time? Rubbish – it’s by getting as many hungry animals into the room with you. Teach your children to connect. And connect with the right people. Train your children to be empathetic.
Sit around the dinner table and get everyone to share a story from the day. After each story, get everyone to comment on what they think the storyteller must have felt in their story. Teach them to feel what other people feel. If you want to sell something to your customer – you have to know what they feel, need, and worry about. The best apps are the ones that solve consumer needs. If your children are going to design those apps – they will need to empathize with people.
Sit with your children in malls and make them observe what people are doing. Ask them what they see. Ask them what the people around them are thinking and feeling. Get their eyes off the screens for just a second. Teach your children to listen more than they speak. Always remember, the best way children learn is by watching what you do.
Our children will need to think out the box and be creative. The best way to learn creativity is to be bored. We over-schedule our children’s lives with school, extra mural activities, homework, TV and technology. We never let them sit with an old box, some string and mud – and just invent. Make sure your child has at least one afternoon a week where they have nothing to entertain them other than themselves.
Give your children chances to write, draw, invent, read, make fantasy games. And this doesn’t mean stick a tablet in front of them. You need to limit the amount of time your children spend with technology. More and more, jobs will be required to find solutions to a world in crisis. The world is slowly running out of space, water, food, security and direction. Teach your children to be curious problem solvers.
Never ever stop a child from asking why or asking any question for that matter. They should be questioning everything. and if they’re not, you better start asking them questions. You need to role model the behavior you want your children to display. Don’t only buy your children sweets and airtime. Buy them crosswords and building games. In a diverse and small world, teach your children to be tolerant and culturally sensitive. Give your children chances to mix with different people. Teach them that it’s okay to ask if you don’t understand why people do things differently to you. Encourage them to celebrate diversity, and not see it as a threat. The solutions to our problems and business lie in people – and that means all sorts of people.
And finally, teach your children to be accountable for their actions.
People often use the word discipline in a negative sense. I think that discipline is a healthy, loving part of parenting. It’s the way that you do it that makes the difference. When your child does something wrong or naughty use it as a chance to teach them something about the world. They will copy the way you discipline, though. So be sure if you hit and scream, when they are faced by adversity they’re going to hit and scream, too. Bullies are people who have been bullied.
Rather – try and explain to your children why what they have done is wrong. And always be consistent in what and the way that you discipline them. Make a chart if it helps. No matter the situation, all of us always have a choice.