5 tips for Education in the 21st Century | A need for a growth mindset

“Shouldn’t you be in school?”

ehhh… what do you mean by school? A 4-year full-time school of learning or everyday life school?

What is the definition of “school” in the 21st century!

I write this post being motivated by a recent experience and conversation my daughter, aged 20, went through and is going through she sharing this experience of a conversation opens conversation upon conversation for many other topics!

Bit of background to the story:

My daughter completed her Year 12 in 1999 – the year, I also got news of being awarded an NZ Scholarship for postgrad studies (2023 NZ Scholarships open on the 1st of February!Apply!)

A bit of even further background to the story:

The online selection tool had already been used and I think they were the 2nd batch of Year 12s to put in their selections. I personally think the online selection tool can be improved but is a great start

Anyways – the dilemma for us was: Should she be selected for tertiary in 2000, that would mean, she would have to take up the course and not travel with me to NZ.

I was going to take my 3 kids with me to NZ! ( side note – at the time, we lived in our family home with my mum and dad and had been living there for the past 10 years – I have a son aged 8 about to turn 9 at the time and a 2nd daughter who was just completed Year 8 Exams too!)

It was an ideal time for all of us to move and change of scenery.

My daughter, the Year 12 one – which this blog post is mostly about – will tell you of her mother’s prayer –

“Please Lord, don’t let my daughter get selected for Uni or college, I don’t want her to stay behind, I want for all of us to go to NZ!) “

She always asks the question:
“Have you had a parent pray a prayer that speaks of you not going to uni? Well, my mother did! LOL!”

So off to NZ, we went. My daughter didn’t get selected for any further studies. ( And mind you she did well in her subjects! Well enough to get into a course but not well enough to pass the online system selection – BUT it’s not the end of the world! Really it isn’t!) Especially not in the 21st century!! – but really it was because of my special prayer =)

So a bit about me: In terms of education and learning: I loved school! I was always at the top of the class all throughout primary to secondary! I had the privilege of going to a private learning institution (and I am thankful for my late father figure/dad) who had chosen to put me there! I loved school, and had a great circle of friends who have become family! and we always did well academically!

Fast forward to Uni – being top of my Year, getting into Computer Science and enjoying much of my independence and freedom, I also divided my time between study and social – social taking more of it! LOL! Gave birth to my daughter in the middle of 3rd year and graduated the year after as the only female in that class year of graduands!
I was 21 then!

Fast forward – my daughter will be 21 this year!! and her path has been nothing close to mine or even to mine! Except maybe my sarcasm and ‘can do’ attitude! LOL!

Tip 1: Allow our children to develop their own path of passion – It may not always be in line with us as parents.

Our children as much as we would like them to follow our paths – are unique individuals, that have their own dreams and aspirations and they may not be the same as ours!

So in NZ, my daughter took more a less a ‘gap year’ and while I was going to and fro classes, she was at home online looking for opportunities that were avail in Auckland!

Took up Volunteering at a Red Cross Op Shop! no pay but lots of learning – how to use the cash register, how to work in the shop, being on time, customer service, sales, and networking with others.

Tip 2: Volunteering is a great opportunity for learning!

Those still in high school or Uni, take up volunteering at NGOs or places that offer to volunteer! One way of getting your foot through the door in an organization that you WISH to work for but can not employ you…yet!

Enquire about volunteering opportunities! – for that learning and networking experience. It may not pay, but you never know – you still get some kind of payment! and who knows where the volunteering will lead to!

Through my part-time work with a cleaning company and cleaning restaurants, my supervisor learned of my daughter at home, and got us in touch with his ‘wantok’ who runs a cafe! and he was happy to take on my daughter for a couple of hours to help around in the cafe – selling donuts!

Oh, but these were not just any donuts! Southern Maid Donuts! and because he was an outlet to the donut company, my daughter got to also assist with the main company selling donuts at the night markets!

Tip 3. Find opportunities for Networking! You never know where it may take you!

And whatever opportunity for work comes – take it! even if it’s something out of your league! I was a bit embarrassed at first, taking up a cleaning role – me? one who sits in the office, works with computers – now cleaning toilets? LOL! But it was the most humbling experience ever! (Shout out to all the cleaners! Thank you!) AND it led to the opportunity of networking for my daughter to take on this role at the cafe!

Through our search online – we found a school that offered short courses in her interest – trust me it wasn’t the first school we found – she had gone for a fashion tailoring session, photography.. but the school offered Barista Courses.

and so she learned the art of Barista! It came with a certificate. The real training was back in the Cafe with our good friend who taught her how to make the best coffee (though we kept telling him he had to try out PNG Coffee! )

Postgrad studies for me ended, Time in NZ came to an end and we find ourselves in Hagen!

and 5 days after moving to Hagen, sending out 1 job application for her and this local company tells us – they’ve been looking for a barista! and someone who can train other girls to do barista-ing!

And so daughter becomes supervisor for the cafe, at age 19, training female staff 8 – 10 years older than she is and doing a great job with bringing up sales figures and all that. Another job stint got her moving out of the nest and away from us!

2023! and she’s registered her own business name! Pretty Gal Kitchen! and at the age of 20! and doing extremely well for a start-up sole -entrepreneur!

Can you feel how proud I am? As a parent seeing your children excel in their passion? I mean how many PNG at age 20 have their own registered business? At age 20 – I was in Uni about to have a baby! LOL! waiting for my parents to send me money! ( so lame! – for one who is academically high up the ladder)

NOTE: To register a business name go to IPA Website, register a free account, have a visa card, and it costs K150 for a business name valid/renewable for 1 year, if you need help – send a message!

So back to this recent experience – my daughter encountered a conversation that was nothing but taken in as discouragement.

“Why aren’t you in school?”

“You should be studying”,

“You can’t just be at home – that’s how girls end up getting married and having babies!” (side note – I was at school and had my baby)

“You can’t be dependent on your grandparents! or your parents” (side note – she was there doing a delivery from her PRETTY GAL KITCHEN)

My daughter told me later, that that day – much of her baking went all wrong – coz she had received these ‘negative’ vibes that completely threw her off! I think also because these ‘words of advice’ came from people who you expect to be more encouraging!

TIP 4. Never ever make assumptions about someone from the first conversation or view!

Assumptions are the mother of all F’Ups! (I was told that by someone! Lol!) People assume things! Just by the outward sights! They assumed she was not in school – thus not learning, sitting idly, and not doing anything.

LOL!

Oh by the way – when people give that kind of advice – shouldn’t they also follow through with: Here’s K20,000 for you to go to college!

So brings me to “Being educated in the 21st Century” –

FACT! Education is not only in full-time college and university!

Education today comes in all forms of learning! We are now in a technological, creative mess of a world! Which breeds ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES OF BEING EDUCATED!

The only pathway of success in this world is not WHITE COLLAR and BLUE COLLAR work!

The pathway now is a whole lot more COLOURFUL! and it’s awesome!

TIP 5. GROWTH Mindset needed for the 21st Century!

As adults and parents (and grandparents) – we need to let go of the notion and the fixed mindset that success is only through a college degree, achieving academically! Times are changing people! and thus we all need to adapt to the change!

ESPECIALLY OUR ANCIENT EDUCATION SYSTEM!

To encourage innovative, creative, technology-oriented, entrepreneurial-minded young people who will be able to turn nothing into something because the opportunities are endless!

Anyways thank you for that conversation – of course, we have grown thick skin because it is not the first, but one of many to come and one that has already occurred!

Imagine – someone also suggested my daughter take up a bank teller role just to pass the time – Tsk! No offense to bank tellers but today – but one should not settle for something to just pass the time!

Today you have the opportunity to turn your PASSION into PROFITS! and social media gives you the upper edge in reaching out directly to your customers and potential customers!

and if you do choose to through the pathway of Uni for 4 years – do that too!! But don’t spend time on love relationships, spend it on upskilling yourself with online tools, learning, networking and volunteering and what-ever legal micro-selling you can do!

So to the 10,000 or so young people who don’t beat the online selection system – DON”T STRESS!! There are other online selection systems waiting to give you the opportunities of a lifetime!

Find it! Develop your passion and fly!

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