My husband who teaches at a community college ran into a former student this week.
When my husband first encountered this student 8 years ago, he was a new Canadian having come from Nigeria with nothing. This week, when my husband met him again, the student was thrilled to announce that he is now a PdD candidate in electrical engineering and has registered his first patent. This student will be building his own company and hiring Canadians before long.
This student began his journey in Canada the way many of my husbands students do. They enroll in a community college and wait for permanent residency. As soon as this is granted, they are eligible for domestic tuition fees and they transfer into university. These students are driven and fully understand the opportunity that Canada and its education system present. These are students with nothing. They work more than one job to fund their educations, they don't frequent restaurants, movies nor invest in stylish wardrobes. These students are here to claim a future and understand the sacrifice and dedication required to accomplish this.
How do you teach that?
What is currently in our culture and education system that creates this kind of a citizen?
"What will you invent? When do you plan to register your first patent? What kind of business are you going to open? What are you willing to sacrifice to get there?" Where is that in our education system?
When my husband first encountered this student 8 years ago, he was a new Canadian having come from Nigeria with nothing. This week, when my husband met him again, the student was thrilled to announce that he is now a PdD candidate in electrical engineering and has registered his first patent. This student will be building his own company and hiring Canadians before long.
This student began his journey in Canada the way many of my husbands students do. They enroll in a community college and wait for permanent residency. As soon as this is granted, they are eligible for domestic tuition fees and they transfer into university. These students are driven and fully understand the opportunity that Canada and its education system present. These are students with nothing. They work more than one job to fund their educations, they don't frequent restaurants, movies nor invest in stylish wardrobes. These students are here to claim a future and understand the sacrifice and dedication required to accomplish this.
How do you teach that?
What is currently in our culture and education system that creates this kind of a citizen?
"What will you invent? When do you plan to register your first patent? What kind of business are you going to open? What are you willing to sacrifice to get there?" Where is that in our education system?
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