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A scheme connected to my work gave me the opportunity to visit a local primary school today to do some voluntary activities with children in the final year of their primary education.
What a fascinating yet humbling experience. They were nervous about meeting us volunteers and we were nervous meeting them and talking to them.
I am in my 40s now. Talking seriously to a 10 year old child about school, learning, the benefits of education, their skills and their hopes for the future is a powerful thing. Knowing what words to use was difficult as it is hard to work out their level of understanding of the English language.
Some said English was their least favourite subject. I must admit this left me somewhat deflated. After all they were all born in England, English is by their own admission their first language and yet the stimulus of the subject of English seemed to have so dismally failed . Some showed signs of grasping how to speak and write better than others but in all cases the ones who seemed more capable also enjoyed the subject of English.
There was mixed ability to articulate hopes and dreams, why they felt they wanted to do certain things over others and how they might go about it.
Most powerful of all though was when I said to each and every pupil it is important they make the most of every school day because such meaningful educational opportunity only comes around once at a time when in relative terms these kids are are at an age where they are accountable to virtually nobody and do not have a whole lot of responsibilities on their plate to compromise anything or indeed everything else.
I realize now just how I wasted my formative years. I didn't try hard enough at school and therefore did not make the most of it all.
Ok so I still ended up going to uni and still have a decent CV and job.
But I have made too many mistakes in life. Avoidable mistakes. Daft, foolish mistakes. And yet there I was telling these kids to do everything I so abjectly failed to do. Well done snookered. Hypocrisy is all .
I did my utmost to be positive in my feedback for all the exercises done today.
They learnt a lot and so did I but in my case it was learning what a silly fool I have been for most of my life. Sobering indeed .
I hope all the kids I met today go on to have bright futures. I have varying levels of confidence in each of them that they can go on and achieve their dreams but urged them to never stop trying and cherish every day and every opportunity to learn that comes their way. Oh how I wish I had done the same .
Good luck kids .

I've been surprised by how much I've realised about my own growing up from talking to teenagers. The things I could have learned from talking at their age to the equivalent grown-ups (such as sentence construction apparently, oops).

I wonder how much advice one can pass on (besides one's hopes and good wishes). Though they will face some similar challenges, their solutions may well be quite different, because they are different people (thank goodness, for their sakes).

But I daresay it won't stop me trying, whether they want to hear it, or make sense of it.

(07-09-2018 17:56 )snookered Wrote: [ -> ]I am in my 40s now.

Ah-ha!

Thought provoking stuff mate. No higher calling than to attempt to be an inspiration to others. Especially youngsters at such an important time in their lives - one primed for influence, resting as they do, on the cusp of the move to higher education.

There is only so much one can do in a time limited like you had, but your thougtfulness and conscientious actions shine through your post and speak volumes. I'm sure you will have reached some of these kids in your little chat. I still find it amazing what little things stick, and come back when least expected, from those formative years...

We have gotten to know each other of old snookered, over many exchanges on forum and via pm. Some people can't but help but expose their character by their words. You are one of those people mate. Once again you have shown what a top bloke you are here and so I thought I needed to correct something...

(07-09-2018 17:56 )snookered Wrote: [ -> ]... I have made too many mistakes in life. Avoidable mistakes. Daft, foolish mistakes. And yet there I was telling these kids to do everything I so abjectly failed to do. Well done snookered. Hypocrisy is all . ...

^This is the section that prompted this reply mate. I just wanted to say, cast off any doubts you have over this. Your tale is in no way one of hypocrisy. What you relate IS life. And your experiences, mistakes and learning from them, will have forged into the words that you spoke that day I have no doubt. As such, the act of motivating these kids is, for me, a microcosm of one way in which we should attempt to live our lives correctly. We should learn from our mistakes, be of informed and humble character; and we should share our experiences and lessons learnt with others as we go - particularly those that we think will benenfit from them most.

Just consider: If you've had one or more snookereds come into your life at the right moments mate - with a friendly correct word in your shell-like..? Then, just maybe, the odd one of those mistakes you now lay claim to, would've been averted as a result...

So, if anything positive of the sort happened as a result of your volunteers' visit, or merely if any child revised their thinking in the right way because of same...it'll have been a job very well done indeed mate. Never fear on that one.

Plus, it sounds as if the kids had a positive effect on you at any rate... A great benefit of any volunteering of the sort of course.

^

Well done Snookered for trying to help others with your experience of life.
Don't feel ashamed whatever of the mistakes you have made, I'm 65 and still making mistakes, but not as bad as when I was a teen.
Thankfully as an athlete I never got into drugs or smoked, but who knows what I may have turned out like if I hadn't got a sporting outlet.

I have a friend who works in recruiting apprentices down south way, and he tells me that some of these kid's parents are not interested in their child's future, 'cos they (the parents that is) are stoned and oblivious to their kids needs.

So Snookered give yourself a pat on the back, because your talking to 'em, may at least change one of them's life.
Take care mate.

There's so much that's changed since many of us were kids.
From the humble mobile phone to laptops and technological gadgets.
There are so many ways that kids get influenced by social media and negative aspects of life in general. I myself have three lads aged from 17 to 26.
Luckily they've managed to stand on their own two feet.
It's a pretty worrying time at the moment with guns on our streets and the lack of social morality.
I'd imagine your wisdom and life experiences pointed those kids in the right direction.
Non of us are graced with hindsight and we'll always make mistakes however hard we try to avert them... It's human nature Snook... Like we say.. "shit happens"