I Want to Be an Astronaut When I Grow Up by Evelyn

I Want to Be an Astronaut When I Grow Up by Evelyn - March 2018 Scholarship Essay

In second grade, most kids do not fully grasp the hard work that goes into school and how long they will be in school for. Trying to describe high school to a second grader is hard enough, but college is a whole other story. The best approach at telling kids how important post secondary education is would be to describe it in terms they easily understand and relate it to their limited world view. This approach would not only lead to understanding, but would stick with them for years later.
Most kids have pretty high career aims, when I ask my 8 year old brother what he would want to be when he grows up it’s either veterinarian, astronaut, or archeologist. His friends say things like doctor, police officer, and teacher. These all require education after high school, so the best way to relate continued learning to them is to tell them to be those things they will go to college for them. This gives them a personal connection to the topic. However, some kids want to be rock stars, or athletes, or even moms. These careers require continued learning but in a different way. I would remind the kids to be the best musician or athlete they must practice and learn as much as they can about the field. Even if someone wants to be a competitive eater they must learn as much as they can to be the best at it. Guiding kids down this path is incredibly important so they will continue these habits into adolescence and adulthood. By encouraging children to explore and research in their own ways provides a learning environment they genuinely enjoy. For example, my younger brother reads National Geographic or watches PBS Kids specials on many types of animals. To further reinforce this behavior, my family frequently asks him about nature and different species to make him feel good about the information he’s gathering. As important as it is to describe continued learning to second graders, it is equally important to provide them with a positive learning space and encouraging them to pursue their passions. Although they are young, they are the next generation of leaders, writers, scientists, and entertainers.