OPINIONS
FRY COOKS AND BILLIONAIRES
by Lisa B. Wilkinson
When I began teaching, I believed every child's goal should be--to earn a college degree. "Do you want to flip burgers the rest of your life?" I'd ask my students when I thought they weren't working to their full potential. "Do you want a low-paying menial job?" My heart was in the right place. I wanted them all to be able to make a good living, to become productive members of society, and to be happy. It was unfathomable that they could accomplish those things without a college degree, so the Curse-of-a-Lifetime-of-Burger-Flipping was held over their heads for an entire school year.
Now that I'm older and hopefully wiser, I've come to realize that we need people who want to flip burgers. But more than that, we need people who find fulfillment in making a great burger. After all, when we're in the mood for a hamburger, do we ask our friends, where can I get a lousy tasting burger? Of course not. We ask, "Where can I get a good hamburger?"
Who would you rather be talking to? Bernice, the fry cook at Dairy Treat or Bill Gates? If it's three o'clock in the afternoon, and you haven't eaten since 6:00 AM, you might rather be ordering a burger from Bernice at the Dairy Treat counter than standing in a posh board room shaking hands with ol' Bill .
As Einstein once said, "It's all relative, isn't it?" Well, he said something like that. The point is, when I need a doctor, I need a good doctor. When I need someone to mow my lawn, I don't need a doctor. I need someone who takes pride in mowing my lawn--who is fulfilled by mowing my lawn. Because when someone has a fulfilling job, they perform it better. I don't want to hire a lawn man who doesn't like his job, anymore than I want a doctor who doesn't like her job.
Every child should have the opportunity to make a good living. Every child should have the opportunity to become productive members of society. Every child should have the opportunity to live up to his or her potential. Every child should be able to find fulfillment in school and in life.
If you're ready to lift the Curse-of-a-Lifetime-of-Burger-Flipping from your children, start with SUBJECT SPARKLER SPIN-OFFS: Ideas for Educators .
