BY JOELLEN COLLINS
When my first daughter was born, I took an extended leave of absence from my teaching job at Santa Monica High School. By the time I returned, the classroom atmosphere had changed.
No longer was my enthusiasm for my subject and my students enough. Now I felt pressured to convince my students (newly vocal in their demands) that, for example, studying Hamlet was “relevant” to their lives. Eventually, I revised my traditional methods of teaching and learned to minimize my time lecturing for more student participation in discovering and sharing the joys of literature and language skills. It wasn’t easy, and even now I find myself slipping into my entertainment mode at the podium. Thinking about this sea change in instructional methodology, I know I adapted in ways I never expected and thus discovered an underlying theme I hope I communicated to students: “adaptability” is the most important skill to acquire when navigating through today’s rapidly changing world.
On Sept. 5, CBS News featured Yuval Harari, an Israeli expert who discussed his studies concerning changes that will be brought about by artificial intelligence, AI. While many feel that AI could result in the demise of humanity, Harari says, “That is not necessarily inevitable… You can use AI and biotechnology to create paradise or hell. It’s up to us.”
He theorizes that emotional intelligence and mental acuity are essential qualities for our future workforce. Workers will need to reinvent themselves, as what we know now may be obsolete in 20-30 years. The big question is whether people can retrain and reinvent themselves probably again and again in a 50-60 year career. Do we have the emotional strength to do that?
When I started teaching, I didn’t foresee a time when I would consider doing anything else. However, an opportunity arose when I thought I might be able to break into the brand-new cable television movement, perhaps in writing or programming. I had already written several pieces—one a screenplay that was actually making the rounds. I set up some interviews, but at all I was told that I had ONLY been a teacher: how could I handle the complexities of a position in this emerging field? Dealing with about 150 teenagers a day, creating vital curricula and thinking on my feet weren’t enough. During this process, I was offered a teaching position at Beverly Hills High School, and grabbed it, with gratitude. I have taught in some places ever since, but, as life has thrown me its curves, I have also tested a variety of other jobs, including stints at a bookstore and toy store, as a part-time instructor for CSI, on-air in an exciting but low-paying job at KSKI eons ago as assistant to Gary Stivers, in a long-term job as an elementary school administrative assistant, creating fabric artist, as a library clerk, being part-owner of an art gallery, and as a freelance writer.
People in this town have already learned to reinvent themselves in order to survive. Maybe we don’t need to be reminded.