"You need not see what someone is doing to know if it is his vocation, you only have to watch his eyes: a cook mixing a sauce, a surgeon making a primary incision, a clerk completing a bill of lading, wear that same rapt expression, forgetting themselves in a function. How beautiful is it, that eye-on-the-object look." - W.H. Auden
"Kids today" (especially middle schoolers) are often misunderstood and underestimated. They've gotten a bad rap by those unwilling to take the time to know and understand them. Getting it right with adolescents is like catching lightning in a bottle. Disregarding (and trying to) ignore adolescent development, and your days will be long and frustrating. Society's done adolescents no favors. But there's amazing potential to shift our approach.
For example, these days, adolescents are maybe best known for the following:
Impulsivity in the face of peer pressure and issued "challenges"
Excessive device screen time and imbalanced use of social media
An inability to manage time, prioritize tasks, and get and stay organized
There is much more to "kids today". It's our responsibility to create and reveal opportunities to unveil and scale this.
We've gotten it wrong, for far too long.
Opportunities result, when "kids today" are among trusted adults who value the importance of purpose. Dr. Anthony Burrow, on The Hidden Brain podcast episode, Cultivating Your Purpose, spoke about being a member of the 4-H community in his youth. In his adult life, he promotes GripTape, which, according to the Cornell University Purpose and Identity Processes Lab is "a youth-driven learning program that invites adolescents to design, lead, and pursue a learning topic of their own choosing". This kind of investment make a difference, so adults may help cultivate adolescents' discovery of their purpose. These seeds of purpose may also be sown in middle school, to promote physical and cognitive health and well-being, higher levels of financial success and lower levels of impulsivity.
How can we promote purpose with adolescents, in middle school?
"If a teen is doing music or sports or academics, those are the cells and connections that will be hardwired. If they're lying on the couch or playing video games or MTV, those are the cells and connections that are going to survive."
Focus on meaningful engagement.
A trusted adult can hone in on 3 priorities, when interacting with one or more adolescents.
According to Diane Tavenner, Co-Founder and CEO of Summit Public Schools, these are: exposure, exploration, and expertise. When we focus on these elements, adolescent purpose is revealed and may be cultivated. While this will evolve throughout adolescence, through young adulthood, into adulthood, this practice can become a lifelong commitment.
Focus on interests and passions, and connect them to life outside of school.
According to Stanford University Professor William (Bill) Damon, "Purpose gives you a long-term compass that keeps you on track". When we focus on adolescents' identity and connect it with developing their purpose, the result will be deeper levels of self-understanding. Being intentional about connecting adolescents with topics they find interesting and about which they're passionate helps learning transcend the school walls.
This is an obligation of each trusted adult in a school. More importantly, it's our purpose.
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