I'd do it if you paid me...

I have recently been helping Russell with a report he has been writing on a new program we are trying to get off the ground to promote the value of learning in Greenville. Tagging along to meetings involving careful planning and brainstorming, I have grown to develop a lot of faith in the program's potential and am excited to see it come to fruition in the coming months.

One of my favorite things so far has been the focus groups of students Russell has gathered to figure out how to create a learning campaign, what concerns they have about education in Greenville and what would be "cool" to them. Russell always records the sessions to keep things casual and so that he doesn't have to take notes.

As I have been listening to the recordings and transcribing quotes and ideas that we are using in our report, I was struck today by a saddening thought. Some of the students we talked to said the best way to motivate them to want to learn would be money. Pay them to learn things and they will gleefully do so, they said.

This notion struck me as a common struggle we have with our youth today. Everything seems to be for an instant purpose that has concrete results. Kids today are volunteering because they want to look good for colleges. Good grades and leadership aren't enough these days...you also have to have an animal shelter named after you in recognition of your countless hours of dedication to be competitive. Sure, little Johnny would love to cut the elderly widow's grass...but for a small fee of $20. He is saving up for an I-pod.

Perhaps I am just being cynical, but I fear that today's kids do not understand the value of learning and experiences beyond what they can get out of it. It is with this information in mind that we are creating this learning campaign. We want to make learning fun again...and not because it yields something immediate, but because the enrichment of the mind and body are invaluable and inexchangeable.