Just Started a 12-year-old on his Fastlane Journey

[amp0193]

I've been a teacher for 5 years and this has been a my toughest year, with many kids that lack respect for each other and for authority, and every class having a couple of students that are major behavior problems.

One of my most frustrating students never does what he I ask him to do, he always has to ask "why". And if you answer the "why", he'll find another question to ask. He's been incredibly irritating to me all year.


On Thursday, he came into my room crying... other kids had been bullying him, and he had had just a terrible day. On top of that, I had been pretty rude to him in the morning, as my frustration with him had come to a head. I had said to him "I'm sick of your crap Chris, just do what I ask".

As I talked him through his emotions, I came to realize suddenly that this 12-year-old, that has been a thorn in my side all year, was ME. I too, question everything and don't follow rules that I don't think make sense. (I've been in the principal's office 4 times this year for not following policies and procedures that I thought were dumb). He's no different.

We started talking about business, which he thinks about constantly. I told him about my business and how I leverage systems and how it operates independent of my time input. I educated him on CENTS, and the fundamentals of what makes a business successful. He just came back with question after question, and there were several times where his jaw was just hanging open as he attempted to process the things I was saying.

This kid thinks on a different level than all of his peers. For an hour, we were no longer teacher & student, but equals, and he was absorbing everything I had to say. I got him to realize, that he doesn't have to wait until he's 18, or out of college, to get started. He can start now, at 12, and be that much further ahead. On his last day of school, he's getting a copy of The Millionaire Fastlane to read over the summer.


This year of teaching is my last, as I exit to run my business full-time. It's been a frustrating year, and definitely the low point of my teaching career. I am sick of the students, and never want to see most of them again. However, at the end, I was able to significantly impact one student's life, and just jump-started him on to the Fastlane, which he might never have entered on his own.


Is there anyone here that is in the Fastlane because of the impact of one person or mentor in your life?


@Runum

 

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[nradam123]

A single conversation with my teacher impacted me to study for the hardest entrance exam in India and crack it, although I was just an average student before that. The exam is called IIT-JEE for admission to Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). IIT's are the only reason why Indian's are the most earning ethnic group in USA.

Obviously, college does not matter but the power of a person OR book to impact once life cannot be argued. I got into entrepreneurship because I read the 4-Hour-Work-Week. I started bboying because of a single dance video I saw in early 2005.

An event cant transform your life, only process can do that. But an event can definitely point you to the correct direction and give you a really strong momentum.

 

[Vigilante]

I still say MJ should try and write a book for parents to give to their struggling teens. Perhaps an alternative to college road map. I tried it once, and it became a worst selling book but I don't have the linguistic skills that @MJ DeMarco has.

 

[Runum]

I've been a teacher for 5 years and this has been a my toughest year, with many kids that lack respect for each other and for authority, and every class having a couple of students that are major behavior problems.

One of my most frustrating students never does what he I ask him to do, he always has to ask "why". And if you answer the "why", he'll find another question to ask. He's been incredibly irritating to me all year.


On Thursday, he came into my room crying... other kids had been bullying him, and he had had just a terrible day. On top of that, I had been pretty rude to him in the morning, as my frustration with him had come to a head. I had said to him "I'm sick of your crap Chris, just do what I ask".

As I talked him through his emotions, I came to realize suddenly that this 12-year-old, that has been a thorn in my side all year, was ME. I too, question everything and don't follow rules that I don't think make sense. (I've been in the principal's office 4 times this year for not following policies and procedures that I thought were dumb). He's no different.

We started talking about business, which he thinks about constantly. I told him about my business and how I leverage systems and how it operates independent of my time input. I educated him on CENTS, and the fundamentals of what makes a business successful. He just came back with question after question, and there were several times where his jaw was just hanging open as he attempted to process the things I was saying.

This kid thinks on a different level than all of his peers. For an hour, we were no longer teacher & student, but equals, and he was absorbing everything I had to say. I got him to realize, that he doesn't have to wait until he's 18, or out of college, to get started. He can start now, at 12, and be that much further ahead. On his last day of school, he's getting a copy of The Millionaire Fastlane to read over the summer.


This year of teaching is my last, as I exit to run my business full-time. It's been a frustrating year, and definitely the low point of my teaching career. I am sick of the students, and never want to see most of them again. However, at the end, I was able to significantly impact one student's life, and just jump-started him on to the Fastlane, which he might never have entered on his own.


Is there anyone here that is in the Fastlane because of the impact of one person or mentor in your life?


@Runum

All of this is the life of teaching. All the frustrations and just when you are about to literally break and give up, a transformation sometimes takes place. I never hold illusions of reaching all the students, but it is awesome to be the person that kid needs at that moment in time. Glad you had it in you to try one more time.

You may miss working with kids next year after school restarts, I did the year I quit teaching. You may try working with an after school group like Junior Achievement to get your teaching fix.

https://www.juniorachievement.org/web/ja-usa/home

Good luck on your ventures.

 

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[Guest34764]

I still say MJ should try and write a book for parents to give to their struggling teens. Perhaps an alternative to college road map. I tried it once, and it became a worst selling book but I don't have the linguistic skills that @MJ DeMarco has.

Do you still have it?

Even if others think it's bad I'm sure there is useful information in there, and I would love to read it.

 

[PTP]

Do you still have it?

Even if others think it's bad I'm sure there is useful information in there, and I would love to read it.

I think there are a few copies circulating around Amazon.

 

[Runum]

As I talked him through his emotions, I came to realize suddenly that this 12-year-old, that has been a thorn in my side all year, was ME. I too, question everything and don't follow rules that I don't think make sense. (I've been in the principal's office 4 times this year for not following policies and procedures that I thought were dumb). He's no different.@Runum

Forgot to say, I hear you about this. I visit the office several times each year. It's like a second home to me. After you develop a reputation of getting stuff done and having proven success, and developing a report with the admin's, you get away with more. I usually beg for forgiveness rather than ask for permission, depends on the situation. I also make it a point to never put my admin on the hook for my antics.

It's part of risk taking that the education system is supposed to endorse and foster(but they really don't like).

 

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[amp0193]

All of this is the life of teaching. All the frustrations and just when you are about to literally break and give up, a transformation sometimes takes place. I never hold illusions of reaching all the students, but it is awesome to be the person that kid needs at that moment in time. Glad you had it in you to try one more time.

You may miss working with kids next year after school restarts, I did the year I quit teaching. You may try working with an after school group like Junior Achievement to get your teaching fix.

https://www.juniorachievement.org/web/ja-usa/home

Good luck on your ventures.

You know, when I was writing the OP, I was reminded of Junior Achievement. I participated in it in elementary school, but don't remember what it was all about.

I think I could definitely see myself doing some sort of teaching, in a more limited capacity, without all the shitty discipline problems through something like JA, or sponsoring a club or something. I'm done with music, for now, but I'd love to do some business-related education that our public schools do nothing to teach.

I always enjoyed teaching private music lessons over doing a whole class. There's more of a personal connection, and you don't have to deal with classroom management.


I spent 99% of this year trying to control the kids I didn't like, and re-mediate them because they missed what I said the first 5 times, and 1% teaching the kids that I actually wanted to teach.

 

[amp0193]

I still say MJ should try and write a book for parents to give to their struggling teens. Perhaps an alternative to college road map. I tried it once, and it became a worst selling book but I don't have the linguistic skills that @MJ DeMarco has.

Frustration with college and rising loan debts aren't going away. Now seems like the perfect time for that book. Seems to answer a question that lots of teens/parents have... "If not college, what else?"