One of the great joys in my week is sitting down with a funny, interesting 2nd-grade boy almost every Monday morning at 9 to read together. I am on the board of an amazing tutoring program called Ready.Set.Read! (thanks, United Way of Reading/Berks!), and I also have been a volunteer tutor for 8 or 9 years. The children are chosen because they need help with reading, and that one-on-one, 45 minutes a week does wonders for them (you might consider doing it if you have the time). Yesterday, he told me how much he loves reading, and I commented that he was so good at it, and that reading was necessary for all kinds of things. Then I asked him what he loved to do, and he said, “Fix things.” He also likes cars, so I told him that being a car mechanic or plumber or electrician was really cool work, to which he agreed. We also talked about being a teacher or scientist, because every 7-year-old wants to be everything all at once. The world is wide open and full of possibilities.
Too often, our conversations with children tell them that their dreams can only be found by going to college. For decades I have fought against this saying (with no offense taken, I hope), that we have lots of lawyers, but if we had fewer electricians, plumbers, or sanitation workers, we would be in serious trouble. Community College and Vocational training should be free for two years, because they are fantastic (and inexpensive) ways to prepare for a multitude of jobs. Recent events have shown us just how serious this concern is; did you know that the transportation industry has been suffering for at least 10 years in our country? Everywhere we turn, we see job openings waiting for the right person to say yes. From agriculture to the culinary arts to teaching, there are so many ways to make a good living. All work is blessed by God.
I think we do a disservice to our children when we focus on vocations that call for insurmountable debt because we erroneously believe they are of greater worth. As parents, our children should grow up to something that brings them joy, or at least, something that uses their gifts. What they do to make a living should not be about our parental bragging rights; it should be about their happiness. And yes, there are lots of vocations that need a lot of education (I’m looking in the mirror now), but I also know that there’s more to success than higher education. There are too many unhappy adults fulfilling their parent’s dreams. We might be better off – and happier, as a nation – if we let future generations find their own joy. Because happiness matters.
Prayer – We thank You God, for work. All that we do, when it contributes to the greater good, is blessed by You. May each one of us find our joy. Amen.
Today’s art is “Happiness” by Regina Atwood.