StoryTime Amongst Generations

Essential Question: How can what older generations connected to the LREI community have experienced help younger generations navigate such trying times full of teen angst and growing up in the world?

Assignment: As Confucius said “True wisdom is knowing what you don’t know” and Socrates said, “Wisdom is knowing what you don’t know.” This assignment is asking for the story of your personal search for information, as well as what you are learning about the topic in terms of what do you know vs what don’t you know.

1. 1. What do you know?
      • Explain what you already know about your essential question. Explain why the topic is important to you, and what is motivating your inquiry.
        • There are many things that we, as teenagers, are told (by whomever) that we ignore, whether on purpose or not. I believe that, especially as we grow up and take on new responsibilities, we should all take advantage of the insightful pieces of advice and wisdom that older generations have. This will help those of us who are planners plan their life in a strategic way while also allowing for room to grow and change what they want to do. Advice and wisdom will also help those of us who are lost find comfort in the unknown as well as narrow our focus or broaden our scope of things so we don’t feel as lost as others around us start figuring out what they want out of life. How do we, as people who are growing up and moving into adulthood, plan for success? AND –> do we need to? If so, how? These are the questions I believe our community can help us with.
      • What understandings and experiences are you bringing with you as you start this research process?
        • Not much. I talk to my grandparents occasionally and have always enjoyed dissecting the tidbits of wisdom that are strung throughout each story told and memory recalled.
      • How have any outside sources informed your understanding of your essential question?
        • My father, John, my mother, Mary, and many others have helped me decide what exactly I want to focus on. They have helped me narrow down what I am aiming to learn from all of my interviews as well as how to conduct them.
   2. What don’t you know?
      • Why is it important for you to find out more about this question? What do you want to know about your essential question?
        • Just as I assume most kids my age are, I am scared of growing up, but I know that I can’t be scared forever. I also know that I have an amazing network of people who have more wisdom than I could ever imagine to help me through this immense process of growth and change. I haven’t utilized these “resources” all around me to the best of my ability in the past, but now I have that opportunity.
      • What are the areas of inquiry that you think need to be explored?
        • What can we learn? Are we paranoid about thinking so much about our future or is that normal? Is it normal to not care so much about planning and just wanting to focus on the next big step rather than the whole rest of life? Why am I thinking so much about my future? What can I do to make sure I regret as much as possible when I’m older? How can I get the most out of life?