For each of the final two chapters ("For Love or Money" and "Making the Grade"), leave one response. These might be main ideas you took away, quotes you find interesting, concepts related to other things you have read, personal insights, or things with which you disagree. Just be sure to fully support your response.
Then find two responses from your classmates and comment on them.
I will be taking part in this assignment too, so you can see my responses. When your responses are up, I'll comment on them too.
Thanks
One take away I have from chapter 10 "For Love or Money" is the importance of having passions. If you don't find a passion that can sustain a career, that's fine. The key, though, is to develop passions that can then work to enhance your life.
ReplyDeleteWhen Robinson talks about the corporate rock band, this is an example. These musicians have no hope of every making it big. They will not be the next Rolling Stones or Pearl Jam. Rather, they enjoy playing music simply because it offers a diversion from their careers. This is far more fulfilling than what has befallen the rock bad, Anvil, whose award winning documentary is a fascinating view. These guys, now in the fifties, work dead end jobs (by their accounts, not mine, to just pay the bills) while hoping against hope that they can still make it big, despite playing shows in small bars with a handful of people.
When a show is over and the four people in attendance leave, the members of Anvil trudge back to their lives wishing they would have made it big back in the 1980's when their contemporaries did.
Contrast that with the members of a corporate rock band, who after a show, can still return to lucrative careers. They see their concerts as enhancing their lives.
In the final chapter, "Making the Grade," one line stood out to me the most: "In fact, in January 2004, the number of unemployed American college graduates actually exceeded the number of unemployed high school dropouts."
ReplyDeleteSomething is very wrong with that statistic. First, we are sending too many students to college without a clear understanding of what they want to do with their lives. Thus, they earn degrees without either being qualified for their professions or they lack the passion needed to excel in them.
It believe if we were to do a better job - as Mr. Zutz talked about in class - personalizing education to students and their passions and skills - we would have students going off to colleges - or entering the workforce - with a clearer idea of not only what they want to do with their lives, but also the skill and work ethic to excel.
I agree with you that there are a lot of people that are going to college with no clear understanding of what they want to do with their lives. I am one of those people. I have no clue what I want to go to college for but i'm still going anyway. I just hope I find something I love before my third year in college.
DeleteThe main thing I took away from For Love or Money, was that sometimes you can't choose what you love to do and have a deep passion for(your element) for a career. Instead you can develop that passion on the side. I kind of disagree with this in the fact that you should always choose something you love to do as a career. I don't believe you should settle.. if you have a passion for something and a deep drive, you can make a career out of that. I guess if you don't have enough confidence that you can make a career out of your passion then you just work on that passion on the side. But I believe you may end up regretting the career path that you don't love.
ReplyDeleteI agree that you should find something that you love to do and find a way to turn it into a career. You shouldn't have to settle for something that you don't want to do as a career. Instead you should find a passion and channel it into a job that you would want to do.
DeleteI agree with that you should develop a passion on the side because there might not always be a career out there for your passion.
DeleteIn chapter ten, “For Love or Money”, the author says that it is possible to have a career, and still be able to do your passion on the side. I believe this is the best way to follow a passion that isn’t as lucrative as needed. Many things people like to do don’t make very much money, and people fail all the time when trying to find their passion. While I agree that it would be best to have a career that is your passion, it’s not always possible, and your passion needs to be a secondary thought.
ReplyDeleteI don't really agree with the thought that your passion should come secondarily. I do understand what your saying in that their is a possibility to fail.. there is always a possibility to fail. But you have to be that person that won't allow failure.
DeleteI don't know, I would much rather be a happy poor guy that makes art than a depressed corporate slave. I mean, having a stable job and making money would be great, but whats the point if you spend your life doing stuff you hate doing?
DeleteI think that although you make a good argument, your passion shouldn't just be something you do on the side. Instead, maybe try something that you are good at and turn that into a passion and eventually a career.
DeleteI think this is completely correct. People think that just because someone made it they will. If we all did exceed at a passion how many people will there be in that field. Like the amount of singers, dancers, actors, etc. are so tremendous that wiggling into that area that all the others declare as their passion is so slim its a risky business to jump into.
DeleteRobinson in “Making the Grade” talks about goals for education reform, and I do agree with many of them. I think that while college is a good goal to shoot for, not everybody should go to college. Many people just aren’t cut out for college, but are encouraged, and even shoved towards it. Many more jobs these days do require some form of higher education but there are still many jobs that don’t. We are still reliant on factory and construction workers. Without any blue collar jobs/workers, many higher jobs would not be possible. Education needs to be more personalized to the student, because forcing a large group of people who don’t want the same thing, and aren’t interested in the class, doesn’t work well.
ReplyDeletePersonalized education has its problems as well though. People's interests change, and most of the time don't really lead anywhere.
DeleteIn "For Love Or Money", I learned about how there are things you love to do, like hobbies, and there are things that you need to do In order to make a living and provide yourself. I believe that you should always do something you love no matter what because life Is't all about money and If you don't love what you are doing then you are basically wasting your life away. I'd rather not have a lot of money and love my job then hate my job and be rich. Even better I think you should do both what you love and what pays the bills that way at least some time In the day you have something to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteI agree that they're things you need to do in order to provide for yourself, and that they're other things that you can do on the side that you love to do. I think that you shouldn't be in a job for the money if your heart isn't in it, but I also think that if your element isn't helping you provide for yourself then it should be put for a side passion.
DeleteI also agree that there are things you may need to do to provide for yourself, but there are also things that you can do that you absolutely love doing. If you are doing what you love on the side, it can help you become happier in what you are doing for a full-time job. It can make you enjoy the job more because you want to do it, not just because you might need the money.
DeleteIn "Making The Grade", I learned mostly about how most great minds or talented famous people were not very good In school because It really didn't capture their attention or help them to express their creativity. I personally believe that school Is a competition and really doesn't focus on personality;helping you find who you are or preparing you for the future. In some cases schools do prepare you but their way of doing so Is what bothers me. There Is no teacher In any school who says to kids that you should dream. We were always taught that dreams are only a figment of our imagination and you should always learn to be realistic and just be a lawyer or a doctor. The thing Is not everyone Is capable of that, dreams aren't dead most of them do come true, when nurtured. I think school should broaden more on the teaching of learning to dream and making It happen rather than doing something you probably don't take an interest In. Not every kid In this world Is going to be a genius some of us might be visual artists and we shouldn't be looked down on for that reason.
ReplyDeleteI like your opinion of the schools not encouraging your dreams. It's sad that a kid isn't allowed to express himself at school or in front of peers let alone teachers. Kids need to be encouraged to believe that their dreams are possible. It just depends on their mindset.
DeleteI agree. We are told we will most likely never have a future in the arts, that business is the way to go. People still haven't realized that we are capable of more than just four basic subjects of schooling.
DeleteI agree with that people have turned school into a competition. Soem people are more worried about getting an A in the class than what they actually learn. They just make sure they can pass the test. Also, I think it is sad how sometimes schools don't encourage kids to follow their dreams.
DeleteMaking the Grade has many good points about how education these days is all about conforming individuals in the school system. I believe that many of what they teach is just for the tests and just getting into college. Who says that going to college will make you successful? This chapter explains this a little. I think this chapter has too many statistics in it, it lost my interest with all of the comparisons. Learning really should be reevaluated and reinvented to teach based on different kids different learning styles.
ReplyDeleteI agree that school systems should find different ways to teach so that kids that learn differently can succeed in doing so. Also, I agree that education given to students is just so they can pass a test. Test scores and determining how 'smart' someone is by some number isn't what will make them successful. GPA's aren't important out of college, experience is what people are looking for.
DeleteI kind of got lost too with the comparisons and statistics. But I agree 100% with what you said. There are many test that just revolve around college and the criteria. Teachers need to step our of their comfort zone and be creative teachers. Many teachers, I feel, teach a new lesson everyday and test on it at the end of the week. How are we supposed to become better learners and students when we only go over a lesson for an hour?
DeleteThe main concept that I got from chapter 10 was that sometimes you can have that passion on the side of your career. I agree that you can have a career that you are passionate about, but can also have another recreational passion on the side as well. If you have a passion for something, but it isn't really what a career outlook looks like for you, then you can just do it as a hobby and find something else you are passionate about that the work field has in store. If you don't know that you can make a career out of your passion that you have on the side then you can do that passion on the side and find a career passion. But I also think that you don't choose what you really want to do as your career and aren't passionate about it, then you will end up dreading to go to work everyday and it won't be a good successful life ahead of you.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 11, I learned talented or famous people were not very good in school because they didn't find it exciting or they thought they weren't good at it. But they didn't have to be good in school to be the successful person they turned out to be. I think that school in academics are wrong in saying you have to get a certain score to be known as 'smart'. They don't let kids be who they are and express themselves in arts or music or dance. They crush their uniqueness by not letting them express their personality. They mainly focus on academics. They don't really help you find who you are or preparing you for the future. In some cases schools do prepare you, but they don't always find the right ways to do so. We were always taught that dreams are in our head or that you will never succeed in that. You need to be something that the world actually is looking for like a doctor or teacher. No one says 'Of course you will go far in dancing or in arts' and I think that's what teachers or authorities should be doing. They should be encouraging students to pursue in whatever they think they want to do and give them support.
ReplyDeleteI have the same opinion. We are put in schools and forced to learn certain subjects without letting us explore much of our potential. We are treated as if we will all turn out the same; great at science and economics and protected against creativity.
DeleteI agree with you. Schools should let us explore our interests. I liked some of the examples he gave with the elementary schools. I think those kids will have a greater chance at finding their true passion in life. Our school systems limit what we can be good at. All of the core subjects are forced into our brains year after year, with no creativity on the side. We need to find another way to engage students other than lecture after lecture. We are burning kids out.
DeleteI agree, a score shouldn`t represent a persons 'intellegence' but instead show the students understanding of the topic. Once the understanding level of the student is presented, teachers should make an effort to help them with the areas that are cloudy, instead of trucking into the next topic.
DeleteThe concept I got from chapter ten is that being an amateur is not a bad thing. It is having a passion for something without marketing it. For example, someone could be an artist and have some really amazing artwork, but if they do it for passion instead of money, it is called being an amateur rather than a professional at it.
ReplyDeleteThe idea I got from chapter 11 was that just because you don't excel at school doesn't mean that you can't excel at your passion. We all are different in every way of the word, meaning that we all learn different, have different passions to follow, and think differently.Paul McCartney wasn't good at school and still became successful, though Paul Samuelson was very goodt at economics and math, becoming successful as well
I agree, I thought that chapter 11 was kind of eye opening with the idea that you don't need to have tons of school to be successful and enjoy what you do.
DeleteThe chapter "Love or Money" is not as interesting to me as the previous chapters; it does talk a lot about being an 'amateur' at something and this did capture my attention. "Amateurs do what they do because they have a passion for it, not because it pays the bills" this quote inspires me because when you have that strong of a passion for something you don't worry about how much it pays, you are just devoted to your passion.
ReplyDeleteA majority of the world expects everyone to go to school, graduate, and get a successful job, and if this doesn't happen those specific individuals are almost looked down upon from society. What most don't get is that some of the most successful people today dropped out of school. They sat it didn't entertain them and also that no one saw their talents. Schools put so much pressure on kids now-a-days. We take an enormous amount of tests such as standardized tests, ACT, and NWEA. I don't understand how kids are expected to be smart off of these tests. We all learn at different paces and in different ways, but we are only taught one way in schools.
I agree with everything that Sylvia said about the schools putting pressure on us and how we are expected to go to college after high school. Sometimes students don't even remember what they learned in a class that they took after 6 months, well at least I usually don't and then we are expected to take the ACTs and standardized tests. It doesn't make much sense to me because everyone has different learning techniques but we can't use those techniques because we have to go by what the teacher does and what learning technique the teacher uses.
DeleteI agree with Sylvia when she talks about pressure being put on us by the schools. While Haley says that some people don't even remembered what they learned after six months, well taking that even further, some people don't even remember what they learned a week ago. Schools and teachers don't realize that we all learn in different ways and in a different pace. They expect us all to understand things a the same speed as everyone else, which isn't really fair to us.
DeleteI agree that that quote is inspiring. We shouldn't do things for the money, but we also can't do things that don't pay money. Our passions can be things on the side that we love to do, and not just jobs. I think that you should consider yourself lucky if you just so happen to have your passion as your job.
DeleteWhat i got from chapter 10 was that we have to focus on the true meaning of passion. Passion is not something you do because you make a lot of money doing it. Passion is something you do because it brings out the best in you and you are at you're best when you are in your element. I agree with the entire chapter, we need to focus more on our passion rather then the money. I like how some people in this chapter had a full-time job that didn't necessarily include their passion but they still made time for their passion by doing it in their free time. I like the last sentence of the chapter. "I believe if we begin with ourselves and do the things that we need to do and become the best person we can be, we have a much better chance of changing the world for the better." I agree with this 100 percent. Sometimes we do need to focus on ourselves before others.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we are best when we are in our element. I also believe that it is great to have a job that you love and also have a passion on the side. That would be ideal.
DeleteI also agree. When you find your element and have time to pursue it, you will be overall much happier in life and in everything you do.
DeleteI agree that we need to be willing to work on improving ourselves before we try and improve others. Now, I`m not suggesting that we just all become self centered hermits who hiss at the sight of anyone else, but I do agree that the best way to make the world a better place is to make yourself a better you.
DeleteWhat I got from "For Love or Money" is that you can do the things that you love to do, but you may also need to do things that you don't love as much in order to pay the bills. I believe that we can have a full-time job that we aren't fully passionate about, but also make time to do something we love to do on the side. In the end I would rather do something that I love doing and not make a lot of money, rather than doing something I absolutely despise and have more money than I know what to do with. But, if we take time to do both we will have the chance to do what we love but also have the chance to make money, so it could be a win-win situation.
ReplyDeleteWhat I learned from "Making the Grade" is that the most successful people didn't do well in school or they found in uninteresting. Many of them even dropped out of school, yet the succeeded in life. Today a lot of "Ivy League" college graduates are having a hard time finding a job in the profession they studied for, yet people who dropped out of school seem to be finding jobs just fine. Schools teach us to focus mainly on academics, such as math, literature, and science. A lot of schools take the arts, dance, or music out of the curriculum. They think that in order for us to be successful we need to get a high score on standardized tests, the ACT, the SAT, etc. But the honest truth is, that we can succeed in the arts true, most educators these days don't believe that though. I believe that schools should give us a chance to be unique, let us do what we love doing. They shouldn't force us to focus on academics if we don't have a passion in that. They shouldn't say that because we didn't score well on a standardized test we aren't "smart," they need to realize we learn in different ways and in different paces.
ReplyDeleteIn the chapter "For Love or Money" I thought it was kind of cool that these people put so much time into getting a good career and then just quit to follow what they wanted to do. Granted in these examples they usually became well off, but the thing that amused me was that they had the guts to do the unknown.
ReplyDeleteIn Making the grade I thought that some peoples success without going through tons of education was troubling. I say troubling because some people may read this and think that quitting school to start a business would be a great idea. Just look at all of the people that were really successful! The problem with that is that those people were either really lucky or smart. For every one of them there is probably 100 that didn't go as far.
I agree with your point on the last chapter, it's impractical for people to attempt to be unsuccessful in school, simply because others where successful doing that.
DeleteI agree with Max in the second paragraph about how you have to be lucky to drop out of school and still get a successful career.
DeleteI agree with the second part Max. The people that dropped and were successful somewhat got lucky with their opportunities and made a great living. But then there are others that work hard through school just to make a decent living.
DeleteI like what Maxs says, the odds of this happing to you are very very small. You just have to be in the right place at the right time for some things. Those people that become successful by dropping out are what I call freaks. They are naturally good at what they do. Phelps was found in a pool just swimming around and someone thought, hey he has got talent. Then he turned him into an Olympian. Phelps did not think he was going to be an Olympian, he was just in the right place at the right time.
DeleteThe thing is, in the book, we are only hearing about the good things that happen. Most of the time when people quit their job to follow their passions, they end up failing, either going broke, or giving up and starting in a job that isn't their passion
DeleteI agree that it is very risky to just quit something and just hope for something better. You could either loose it all or become a millionaire.
DeleteChapter 10, " For Love or Money." was about having a passion or passions, beyond the bounds of just a career. Having what can be called a hobby, (although for some it's more then that.), can be an important to live a fulfilling life, especially of your career is not your passion. For some people, it's no longer practical for them to drop there jobs, and there livelihoods, and commit to a career in there passion, this is invaluable advice, as it lets them be happy, active human beings, and still keep there family live secure, and fulfill other personal commitments.
ReplyDeleteThe final chapter of the book deals with the issue of conforming to the norm. Specifically it drew special attention to the number of people who were either inattentive and unsuccessful in school, and went on to have great successful. Although people of this nature do indeed exist, they are defiantly the exemption, and no one should intentionally try to mirror there childhood, or school patterns, partially because chances are, you aren't as naturally equipped as they are. Don't get me wrong challenging the social norms of society, and trying not to conform are generally good things, but keep in mind that social norm exists for a reason. Some people will be more successful, (although not a overwhelmingly successful as others who went against it.) conforming to the patterns that have been already established.
ReplyDeleteWhat i got from making the grade was that some people don't need to go to school to be successful. I agree with this and don't at the same time. I couldn't imagine not graduating even if i got lucky and was fortunate enough to get a successful job. I think you just have to be lucky enough to not make it through school but still earn a good career which brings us back to the previous chapter about luck. I agree with people not finishing school though because i think that school doesn't really help finding our passion. Schools want to leave with a plan to go somewhere but how do we do that when what we focus on is getting homework done and studying on tests? We are getting better at focusing on students leaving a plan now with Linc but there is still room for improvement.
ReplyDeleteWhat I got from "For Love or Money" is that you should do your passion on the side. I agree with this because many people these days wouldn't be able to make enough money to make a living if they did just their passion. As long as you do what you love in some sort of way, you should be happy. Your passion should be your get away from everything else. Like the author says, it should be more of a recreational vacation where it isn't completely relaxing, but still takes your mind away from everything else. I think that most people use their passion as more of a side activity and if you have your passion as a career, you are a lucky one.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with that many people aren't going to be able to make enough money if they just did their passion. Also as long as you do what you love in some sort of way you will be happy. Doing your passion on the side would be a good idea if you cant make enough money doing it as a career.
DeleteIn "For Love or Money" you learn that you don't have to have a job in the field that you love to do. You can have a career that doesn't really excite or "ignites" you passion. A person just needs a hobby or maybe a side job that they love to do. It doesn't need to be something that you can make money from. It just has to be something that gets your mind off the things around you.
ReplyDeleteIn the chapter " For Love or Money" I learned that there is a big difference between amateur and professional. People often think that they are second rate and below professional levels. Also that some people may earn their living doing one thing and then they create space and time to do the things they love. Your passion doesn't have to be your job you can still do it on the side.
ReplyDeleteIn " Making the Grade" I got that many people in this book didn't do well in school but they still found what they loved to do. " Public schools put relentless pressure on its students it conform." I believe this because they are putting pressure on us to do better in math and science classes rather then taking the art and drama classes. Schools need to let the students be more creative about who they are. Also many people who were successful didn't have much schooling or did very poor in school to begining with. I got that just because something might not be going well for you don't give up because you cans till have a good outcome on your future.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I wish there wasn't so much pressure on doing good in your 'cores'. It seems kind of dumb that someone who aspires to be a dancer has to take , what is it, 3 years of math? (Not saying I want to be a dancer what so ever) They should try to balance the arts, sciences, maths, and so on.
DeleteIn the chapter "For Love or Money" Robinson made many good points on your passion and your career. I learned that you do not have to get a career that is also your passion. Instead, you could develop that passion on the side. I don't think that I agree with this completely because I think that you should do a job that you love to do. I also think that even though you have a passion, sometimes that just can't be turned into a career.
ReplyDeleteIn the last chapter, "Making the Grade", the author points out the flaws of the education system. He gives us many examples of how different elementary schools went about trying to reform the education system. The new reforms offered students more freedom of being able to express their interests in certain subjects. We need to find a new way of teaching students other than just shoving lecture after lecture into students brains. We are discouraging students from finding their passions by not letting them explore things other than core subjects. When they cut out many of the arts in schools, they also cut the chance of many kids finding their passion. Schools bore kids, and we need to make learning more fun and involved.
ReplyDeleteIn the chapter "Making the Grade" I learned that schools don't do a very good job at teaching the individual students and that their are many reform options to choose from. I don't really agree with a lot of the reform options however, because they don't really cater to the individual needs of students. Instead, they all look at it as if its black or white, but in all reality its much more gray than that.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that teaching to the individual needs of students is very important.
DeleteChapter 10, "For Love or Money," really spoke to me. I have thought this whole time that you either need to find you element in your career, or you won't be happy in life. I fall into the category where what I'm passionate about something that doesn't lead to a very lucrative career. One thing I believe is extremely important to stress to younger generations is that you don't have to be completely in love and passionate about your career. Sure, it may help make your day to day easier, but some of those professional careers just aren't attainable. If you find something that you are passionate about, and your career allows you to have time for it, the happiness you gain from your element will transfer into all areas of your day to day life.
ReplyDeleteI agree that throughout the book he makes it seem that you must find your passion in your career to enjoy your life. A lot of people like you find their passion in a hobby and canot make that hobby into a career.
DeleteIn chapter 10, "For Love or Money", he said that you don't need to find your passion in your career. It is possible to do your passion on the side, whether it be side job or a hobby. I think that is a good idea because you can't always live off of a paycheck from your passion. As long as doing your passion on the side makes you happy you should have a happy life.
ReplyDeleteIn the chapter "For Love or Money", I really like the idea of having your passion out side of your job. I think that would almost be nicer then having your job be your passion in some cases. Lets say your passion is pro football and you know every thing there is to know about the teams and game. You can share your passion with others or even loved ones. But if you work you cant share your passion with your loved ones. This also depends on your job. For me I can't wait to come home everyday from school jump on my laptop and talk to my tribe cause they can take my bad day and end it with a bang.
ReplyDeleteWhen Mr. Reynolds gave the example of the lady who worked on the line at Arctic Cat for 20 years or however long, because she wanted to leave work and enjoy life with no stress, that wouldn't be at all bad. If you can have your fun on the side and have a stable job at something else why not do it rather than struggle working to make a living from your "fun".
DeleteIn the last chapter, "Making the Grade”, I learned that many great minds on the world didn’t do well in school. Schools focus more on test scores and grades than creativity. Children aren’t allowed to express themselves in any way, shape or form. It is very sad to see this because kids don’t reach their full potential. Schools need to start encouraging more creativity so children can see if they enjoy it and even maybe they will find their passions in the arts.
ReplyDeleteI agree, schools need to encourage creativity and discovery. Perhaps they will find their niche in the arts, sciences, or literature. What disappoints me most is the fact that children aren't really given the chance for discovery, and that most will finish schooling and not know what the next big step is.
DeleteIn chapter 11, "Making the Grade," Robinson ties all of his points together into one big conclusion. The way kids are being taught in schools today may have been fine in the past, but we can and need to do a much better job here in the present. Instead of teaching from what we know from the past, we need to prepare kids for jobs that do not exist yet. My favorite quote was, "And thus they tell the child, that the hundred is not there. The child says: No way. The hundred is there." It perfectly describes how the children of today think, and I believe we need to build on that innovation and creativity when teaching. Most schools tell children there is and will only be one correct way, but out in the world there are millions of ways, most often times they are neither right or wrong.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think it was really hard to agree with Robinson throughout the whole book, but the poem he quoted in the final chapter tied his thoughts together and helped me agree/relate with him more.
DeleteIn chapter 11, Robinson describes a style of teaching that uses the morning to teach math, science, reading, and anything of the sort, while they use the afternoon to teach the teacher's favorite subject. They collaborate together to make an interactive learning experience for the kids. I can say without a doubt that I would have been so much more excited to go to school if I had been taught this way. I don't doubt that they get so much more out of the kids. I think it's great that they do this because kids at that age need to get up and move.
ReplyDeleteI agree. If kids woke up in the morning and thought "I wonder what fun things we'll get to learn in school today?" rather than knowing already that they'll go along with the same mundane things they've been doing for months, kids would be more engaged in their education.
DeleteIn chapter 10, they bring up the idea of having a passion outside of you career. I think this is great. For practically the whole book, I found it hard to agree with Robinson, but when he recognized that passions don't always get you the income that is sometimes needed, I gained a little more respect for him. This is probably what I will end up with my life, not only because my 'hobbies' won't get me the income that I hope to, but also because I have more than one hobby and they would be very hard to combine into a career.
ReplyDeleteI agree I think this is the only realistic chapter in the entire book. He has the worst examples and doesn't have anyone but famous people in the book.
DeleteIn Chapter 10 "For Love Or Money", I like that is has a more realistic then actually becoming famous. All the examples are people that are musicians, actors, or artists and I don't think the chances of that happening are as big as he says. In this chapter though he takes about being an amateur and not being professional. I think this is the most realistic chapter in finding a passion. It's more stable and actually reachable.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 11 "Making the Grade", he talks about grades and schooling. Which I think is really important. Although grades don't really matter I think learning as much as you can so you don't sound stupid or uneducated is important. Yes a lot of successful people didn't finish school but that an exception to the rule. I think those people got lucky and a lot of us won't.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 11 he talks about how doing something you love can come as a hobby and doesn't necessarily have to be what you do to make a living. An example of this was "Pro-Am" which means people who make little to nothing doing something, but do it just as well as professionals. This brought to mind Bobby Jones, who is one of the greatest golfers ever to have lived. He played his whole life as an "amateur" by the truest definition of the word, he said that if he started to do it for money that it would ruin the game for him. If you truly love something, you will find a way to do it regardless of whether it is for money or not. In chapter 11 Robinson presents some interesting points on reforming education and what needs to be done in that regard. He makes a lot of good points, but also has some that are flawed. He talks about some alternate ways of educating kids that seem very interesting, the only way things are going to get better is if people experiment and test new ways of teaching/learning to see what works.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the last two chapters it made me realize that there is more to your element than just doing it because you love it and are passionate about it. In your career you need to be able to make a living as well as be passionate about it. I think it would be difficult to have passions outside of your career because you wouldn't be as focused on your job. I believe that if you are creative enough you can make a career out of your passion.
ReplyDeleteIn "For Love or Money" I took away that to be truly happy, the main motive behind why you do what you do for a living should not be money. I believe it demonstrated how money is important but not a nescessity. If you want your life to be worth while you should spend it doing something you love, no matter what it pays.
ReplyDeleteIn "Making The Grade" I agree that some teachers do teach too much to the test, and make little effort in making a class engaging. Now, some may argue its impossible to make a particular class or topic engaging for the students, but I believe that these people are simply too lazy to put in the effort to give the students, and enriching experience, because even the dullest world geography lesson can be made intresting and engaging if you just put a little thought and effort into it.