I think as a child, we are growing up with the expectations of what we want to become in the future. Many attimes we talk of becoming a doctor, nurse and engineers and some people talk about becoming astronaut. All these are shaped by our society anyway as we really can't become what we don't have around us or what people have done or the trends and paths people have go through.
I remember when I was younger, I also thought life would somehow work itself out, that if I just did the right things, everything would fall into place. But growing up taught me that life doesn’t always follow our expectations. I could relate to what you said about facing challenges and having to “handle” things even when the conditions aren’t favourable. Sometimes, it feels like resilience has become another word for just enduring pain instead of creating change. I like how you challenged that idea — it made me think about my own life and how I often settle instead of embracing real transformation. Most times, challenges and conditions are what make our expectations scattered, and we are not left to go on with life as we see it. Many of us find ourselves where we are today, not because it is what we want but what is available for us.
What do your students say about it? What do they want to be now?
And I think that these are two different animals, aren't they?