SXSW 2012

Besides the Great Depression, we are living in what I believe is the hardest time to be a student. The reason for this is that we are going through a revolution. For the last 150 years we have lived in an industrial economy, which was sparked by the Industrial Revolution. But now we are coming into the information stage and what some people call the Social Revolution. In this revolutionary change, the people who succeed are those who live their passion, invest in relationships, and start movements that matter. The “one-size fits all” track to educating our kids is no longer relevant in the new economy. Public schools were created in the industrial age to train people to work for the companies. The more education you got, the better corporate job you received. But now, jobs are declining so there are a lot of qualified candidates who remain unemployed. In fact, college was never created for the majority. Over 62 percent of America high school graduates went to college this year. This number sounds great but a scarier number is that nearly 81 percent of college graduates this year are moving back home with their parents. I went to public school and I remember how my school functioned: assembly lines, long hallways with rows of lockers, and loud bells to tell us to change shifts. This system had many benefits for students whose strengths were conventional academics but even now those students are falling face first in the new economy. I look back at my high school days and say, “If only there was a class in school called Success—who knows where I would be today.” I believe that there is a difference between being educated and being successful. I think school gives us the subjects and basic skills to think for ourselves. But we are not taught how to succeed with the skills given to us. In this session, I will explain the importance of teaching our students the subject of success. I will also talk about how online learning can allow all students to have their own personal life consultant that allows them to personalize their curriculum. As adults, we can teach students to be indispensible no matter the state of the economy.