When my oldest child was entering the early grades, I went to hear a local speaker discuss the future for his generation. At the time, the forecaster predicted that this group of young children would one day hold jobs that we could not even fathom, so he argued, to box our children into a certain field or direct them to a particular career path would be futile. Of course, his prediction was correct: My children and most of my friends’ children, who are now adults, hold fairly specialized jobs, jobs that their parents likely would not have fully anticipated. In short, we cannot predict the future.
Today, the future for our children is even more unpredictable. We all know that significant change is afoot, whether it takes two years, five years, ten years, or thirty years. Indeed, companies are currently tapping the brakes on hiring policies and engaging in a wait-and-see approach to evaluate how quickly artificial intelligence changes the face of their industries. We should be considering what AI means for today’s children, and we can agree that, at a minimum, our children need to be as adaptable as possible. How can we, as parents, help to foster that adaptability?
For now, we can predict that AI will likely struggle in hands-on fields involving complex problem solving. AI will also likely falter when human interaction and connection are essential. It therefore stands to reason that we should steer our children accordingly – not to any particular job – but to strengthen and optimize their abilities in these areas. In other words, logic would indicate that students with good dexterity, students who are warm and emotionally intelligent, students who have a broad range of proficiencies, students who are strong problem solvers and understand mechanics, and students who optimize networking may have more options in the future. I would also contend that students need to gain exposure to AI’s capabilities and to learn to work alongside AI, recognizing that AI will ultimately either be our competitor or our coworker, and we should strive for the latter.
As I look around, though, I do not sense that we are collectively trying to address the immediacy of these needs. Parents are still targeting careers early for their children, students are more focused on earning college credit through AP scores and dual enrollment than on developing skills, and local schools are largely not redesigning the curricula to address these transformations but are distracted by other issues. What changes can we, as parents, effect now?
1. Prioritize school attendance. Interacting with other students, seeking out mentors, and gaining a broad understanding of our world should provide critical foundational social and networking skills our future leaders need. Consistent attendance breeds responsibility and reflects dependability. Too many students miss class regularly.
2. Promote sports. Our children live in a competitive and increasingly global world. Do not shy away from competition. Embrace it. The physical skills gained through sports will help our children develop confidence, and the interactions gained on the field will translate to the working environment.
3. Have your child develop a trade skill. Your child will never regret learning how to cut hair, fix a plumbing issue, farm, or build a piece of furniture.
4. Pursue life balance and community involvement. Mental and physical stability are foundational to success, and, generally speaking, the more meaningful social involvement, the better.
5. Ban excessive screen time, which is directly linked to depression and anxiety. Excessive engagement with video games, social media, and TikTok is replacing more productive activities and creating a host of mental issues.
6. Create structure at home, and promote screen-free family time. Take charge and set rules. Our children need to understand that they will not begin a career above the bottom rung. Set that tone now by regaining control over children.
7. Discuss artificial intelligence as a family - its pros, cons, and capabilities.
We cannot wait for our schools to address the immediacy of these issues. The schools are currently mired in budget shortfalls and in launching a new strategic plan, the very existence of which reflects our need for less discussion and more action. We need our public school system, though. It is critical to ensuring that our children develop needed skills, but it is not a one-stop shop. We bear the responsibility to raise our children and to anticipate the radical changes ahead.