Sharif
Well-known member
I've written here before about quality time with the kids - this weekend provided another opportunity, as our family traveled to visit family in the Columbus, Ohio area. There were multiple reasons for the visit - partially to revel in being together and getting some quality cousin time, partially as a staging ground for exploring the Fall Home School Day at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton.
My fall work/teaching/grading schedule inhibit me from joining the rest of the family at the museum on Monday. Being the amazing wife that she is, Allison encouraged me to have one last long ride for the season. As appealing as riding is, I decided to drive instead. The same opportunity presented itself a couple years ago, and making the drive decision was a very good one. I was confident that would prove true again, as we split the kids between two vehicles, with my son riding with me.
The drive usually comes in somewhere between 4 and 5 hours, depending on fueling and biological needs. With 4 wheels, it is an easy non-stop hop. Two wheels usually means a fuel stop. Kids are the wildcard - sometimes a bathroom stop is needed, sometimes a food stop is needed, and more often than not, none of the above is needed.
So, 4+ hours with my oldest. What a gift! He had a chapter of physics to read, and an essay to write. I thought it would be a better idea to get the essay out of the way first, so we talked about it. The assignment was to "define your life goal, link it to the higher purpose of human existence, and identify three ways in which you are working towards that goal." Heady stuff for a 10 year old. Heck, heady stuff for a 41 year old!
What a wonderful assignment! It spawned over an hour of really interesting, introspective, and reflective conversation. We hummed along, miles drifting into the mirrors, rain occasionally spitter-spattering, with the rich midwest harvest landscape all around us. What a wonderful opportunity to spend time really investing in the relationship I have and want to grow and nurture with my son.
To help guide the many ways this assignment could go, we spent some time talking about the themes Dan Pink identified in Drive: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. With those three concepts as guidelines for motivation, the framing of the essay was in place. This helped my son structure his thoughts and get through the creative process, figuring out what he wanted to say. Once the what has been determined, the how flows very naturally.
It was fascinating to watch him just get started. He was struggling with how specific the goal had to be, and the possibilities of how broad it could be. I told him the story of a conversation I had while serving as a sensei/judge at the fall hackathon at Notre Dame. Over the weekend, I struck up a conversation with Maribeth, a motivated and talented senior computer science student. We talked about her first experience with C, and how it was intimidating. The very first program starts as a blank screen. She knew the parameters of the assignment, but just the sheer emptiness of the screen unnerved her.
Relying on what she had learned in class, she started with her first #include <stdio.h>, and the rest of the program made its way out of her brain, through her fingers, to the keyboard, and onto the screen. That first step can be big and scary. Seeing as she interned at Google this past summer, it's safe to say that it was also successful.
Anyway, my son was agonizing over his life goal. I really liked his first idea around "saving the planet, because it is the only one we know of that can support 7+ billion people." Through conversation, we agreed to a slightly more specific goal. I told him not to worry - it is not something set in stone, but something that can evolve over time.
After finally deciding on the what, the how came quickly. He got the first draft of his essay done, I enjoyed the delight that is operating a vehicle, and we shared an experience that neither of us will soon forget. Physics can wait until tomorrow.
Life is, indeed, very good.
My fall work/teaching/grading schedule inhibit me from joining the rest of the family at the museum on Monday. Being the amazing wife that she is, Allison encouraged me to have one last long ride for the season. As appealing as riding is, I decided to drive instead. The same opportunity presented itself a couple years ago, and making the drive decision was a very good one. I was confident that would prove true again, as we split the kids between two vehicles, with my son riding with me.
The drive usually comes in somewhere between 4 and 5 hours, depending on fueling and biological needs. With 4 wheels, it is an easy non-stop hop. Two wheels usually means a fuel stop. Kids are the wildcard - sometimes a bathroom stop is needed, sometimes a food stop is needed, and more often than not, none of the above is needed.
So, 4+ hours with my oldest. What a gift! He had a chapter of physics to read, and an essay to write. I thought it would be a better idea to get the essay out of the way first, so we talked about it. The assignment was to "define your life goal, link it to the higher purpose of human existence, and identify three ways in which you are working towards that goal." Heady stuff for a 10 year old. Heck, heady stuff for a 41 year old!
What a wonderful assignment! It spawned over an hour of really interesting, introspective, and reflective conversation. We hummed along, miles drifting into the mirrors, rain occasionally spitter-spattering, with the rich midwest harvest landscape all around us. What a wonderful opportunity to spend time really investing in the relationship I have and want to grow and nurture with my son.
To help guide the many ways this assignment could go, we spent some time talking about the themes Dan Pink identified in Drive: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. With those three concepts as guidelines for motivation, the framing of the essay was in place. This helped my son structure his thoughts and get through the creative process, figuring out what he wanted to say. Once the what has been determined, the how flows very naturally.
It was fascinating to watch him just get started. He was struggling with how specific the goal had to be, and the possibilities of how broad it could be. I told him the story of a conversation I had while serving as a sensei/judge at the fall hackathon at Notre Dame. Over the weekend, I struck up a conversation with Maribeth, a motivated and talented senior computer science student. We talked about her first experience with C, and how it was intimidating. The very first program starts as a blank screen. She knew the parameters of the assignment, but just the sheer emptiness of the screen unnerved her.
Relying on what she had learned in class, she started with her first #include <stdio.h>, and the rest of the program made its way out of her brain, through her fingers, to the keyboard, and onto the screen. That first step can be big and scary. Seeing as she interned at Google this past summer, it's safe to say that it was also successful.
Anyway, my son was agonizing over his life goal. I really liked his first idea around "saving the planet, because it is the only one we know of that can support 7+ billion people." Through conversation, we agreed to a slightly more specific goal. I told him not to worry - it is not something set in stone, but something that can evolve over time.
After finally deciding on the what, the how came quickly. He got the first draft of his essay done, I enjoyed the delight that is operating a vehicle, and we shared an experience that neither of us will soon forget. Physics can wait until tomorrow.
Life is, indeed, very good.
Last edited by a moderator:
