Preparing Kids for the Future

Shoshana Zuboff's column in the July issue of Fast Company raises good points for our future.

Already we're seeing signs that the workplace of the future will bear little resemblance to today's centrally administered hierarchies. Work will be more ad hoc, on the fly, and responsive. Successful employees won't be afraid of new situations without rules. They'll be expected to use their knowledge, imagination, independent judgment, and critical thinking, while leveraging disparate resources -- from information to communities -- to construct the best solution that's aligned with core principles. The rapid and dynamic demands of problem anticipation, identification, and solution will put a premium on continuous learning.

So what does this mean for our kids? It means they should be self-managing independent thinkers as well as good empathizers and collaborators. Rather than constant external stimulation or structured activities, they need uncluttered time in which to let their imaginations unfurl. Kids well armed for this new world will benefit from immersion in the rights and obligations of teamwork and community endeavors, balanced with the self-expression that comes from learning how to write. Above all, this vision of the future calls for kids who are deeply literate, with all the sense-making capabilities that attend passionate reading.

For those of you with children, are you fostering their reading habits?

For those of you without kids, are you helping any child you can with reading?

Our future will depend on the kids we all raise today.