Planning ahead

Based on my own experiences in getting a job, I decided to try a little exercise today. I asked my classes to put down some career they'd like to have, then what they thought they had to do to accomplish their goals — and I told them that just saying "Go to college" wasn't enough, they needed to figure out what they were going to study there. I realize this is all pretty far-out stuff for eighth graders, but I figured I'd better get them thinking about their goals and how to accomplish them now, rather than wait around for over a decade like I ended up doing. To make it more immediate, I also asked them to give a goal for the class and what they needed to do for that. I've asked them to share what they've written with their parents or other adults in their lives, have them signed, and turn them in tomorrow. It should be interesting to see what's there.