My son's kindergarten graduation is today and they are conferring on him the title of Masters of Kindergarten. Such a lavish ceremony is planned (which in my opinion is a waste of money) and cute children adorn a cap, a tassel, a gown and a kindergarten diploma.
My son argues that he does not want to hold the diploma roll rather he wants to hold a helicopter. He is a shy guy and he asks, why he must dress up as a clown and let everyone stare him down.
A famous stand-up comedian whose name I don't remember said, "We, south Indians are so obsessed about degrees that even our coffee is called degree coffee."
I reflect on my own life today. I longed to be a surgeon and spent my school life working hard, I learned to be an engineer and also got a degree in business. Then, I worked with software products.
And today, I am a church worker, and an educator and use the rest of the time learning technology, and writing.
Do my degrees help me constantly reinvent myself to adapt to the changing world? I don't know. I am a perpetual learner but I am not sure if my degrees helped me get there.
I believe in the power of education to make rational decisions and improve the quality of life. However, I have also seen uneducated people making excellent life decisions and triple degree folks wasting away their life. But I also understand that those are complex problems that cannot be solved by education alone.
My dream for my children (the ones I birthed and the ones I teach) is that they will solve the problems in the world. With or without a degree. As an educator, that is the kind of tools that I want to give them. Problem solvers, change-makers - that is the kind of title I want to confer on them.
All the best da Seeshan.
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