Day 327: Specialization

Daily Blog Challenge Day 327/365

I am often told that I am techy because I am young. I took one computer class in middle school and another in high school and even since I was in school the amount have technology has changed dramatically.

I am a firm believer that I am successful now because I was taught a firm foundation of skills as a kid. This foundation has allowed me to adapt and learn new skills.

In youth athletics they often talk about how children who specialize in one sport from a young age have a higher risk for injury. Different sports train your body in different ways. Playing different sports allows your body to train on different planes of movement and in different ways.

I believe the same is true in school. We are specializing so young (getting rid of handwritting, no typing, etc) that some of our students do not have a solid foundation that allows them to adapt to new skills.

There is no way to know what our world will look like in a few years and what skills our children will need to be succesful, but I firmly believe that if they have a strong foundation of skills they will be able to adapt to new skills.  Specialization risks creating adults who can only do a specific task. In my opinion, truly successful adults are those who can learn new skills and can adapt to their conditions.

Thank you for reading.