As our 8th graders are contemplating what high school will be the best fit for the next part of their educational journey, I often find myself asking them what they would like to do with their life. If that isn’t a heavy question, one that often has students looking at me with a blank look on their face, then I don’t know what is. How many of you knew at 14 years old exactly what you wanted to do when you “grew up”? I’ve come to realize that I am asking the wrong question. I should be asking, “What are you passionate about?”

The answers to this question could shed light on what would spark curiosity and sustain engagement in our children. While characteristics such as strong values, talent, ambition, intellect, discipline, and perseverance all contribute to career success, following your passion can often make the biggest difference of all.

In order to fully understand why discovering one's passion is so important we must first define success. Some individuals define success as it relates to wealth and/or fame but true success that satisfies isn't really about either of those things. Success is better defined as an achievement of a purpose. For many individuals, success means being proud of their achievements and being part of something that matters. This is particularly true when it comes to meaningful work. If an individual decides to follow their passion, they are more likely to have traditional successes, such as money, due to the enthusiasm they have for their work.

If passion is present, people tend to be more resilient when they are faced with conflicts. When people are truly passionate about their work, and not just in it for the money, they tend to have a positive outlook and have the ability to effectively problem solve. We also see that the more passionate someone is about their job, the more inclined they are to work on self-improvement, which increases their chances of success.

Many of our kids may find that they don’t know how to answer this question (what are you passionate about?). In order to get them to think about what ignites passion within them, here are some questions to push their thinking…

• What excites you?

• What is something you love doing so much you can’t wait to do it again tomorrow?

• What’s something that brings you joy?

Together we can support and encourage our children to lead a life that is full of passion so that they are truly successful. Moving forward, I will be asking students, “How can I best support you as you discover what you are truly passionate about in life”?

Below are a few more great examples of engaging lessons taking place in our middle school:

Students in the computer science pathway are working on building circuits and programming Arduino Microcomputers to power their components!