"Can you Spell co-champions?" the Metro page of the Washington Post read; both Vanya Shivashankar and Gokul Venkatachalum were named co-winners of the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee​.  A slew of what we call "haters" attacked them because they are of Indian descent; the fact is, Indian Americans have been winning the Scripps Spelling Bee for the past eight years, including two out of the five instances in the history of the contest in which co-champions were named.  Impressive!

Well, apparently, not to everyone.  Several people took to Twitter to vent their disapproval, stating that the next winner needed to be "American", and not of Indian descent, which prompted analysis and discussion about why the trend has been Indian winners of the spelling bee.  While many people talk about how Indian Americans have an "extraordinary work ethic" or how education is valued more by Asians in general more than those born on this continent, I propose a different theory.  I would say that Indians value spelling in their homeland- it is integrated into their instruction/schools.    

Part of my goal with TCM and behind etymological studies is to increase our understanding of language in general, to help people learn other languages as well.  Grammar shows the structure of a language, and although the structure may differ, the components never change.  Meaning, a noun is a person, place, thing, or idea in English, Spanish, or Chinese.  A noun can be described by an adjective in Arabic and French alike.  I would like to travel internationally to spread my views on this concept- and India seemed a fertile ground for this effort.  Why?

Check out India Trust, a non-government, public agency with nation wide operations dedicated to Human Resource Development, advanced training and policy advocacy in the areas of EDUCATION, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT in the sectors of CAREER MANAGEMENT, EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT. This organization sponsors an India-based contest called "Spelling Bee International".  In addition, teachers are eligible to participate in a training, and workbooks are developed and provided to participating schools.  

In other words, etymology is held in high regard in Indian culture; thus, it is natural that they continue to dominate in an area of study that we ignore or barely touch in our schools.  Yes, we may learn some prefixes, roots, and suffixes; but think about when was the last time you (as a student) or your child (as a parent) really got a thorough etymology lesson?  How deep does your/their word study go?  What is your/their relationship with the English language?  If we came up learning English as our first language ,then we generally think first in English- for clarity of thought, shouldn't this be a part of every class in our schools?

It seems Indian educators, policymakers, and stakeholders are aware of this: 

http://logophilia.in/
http://www.spellbeeinternational.com/
http://indiaspellbee.in/
http://www.classmatespellbee.in/

​I hope my message is clear; we need to take a serious look at integrating etymology into our curriculum; not just in language arts and English, but in our approach to curriculum and instruction overall.  

Vocation: a person's calling in life.
Note: vocation's root, voc/vok, comes from the Latin word vocare, meaning "to call"














That is a very grave and profound concept, especially when we talk about preparing youth for adult life. A child in high school is four years or less from adulthood, so the instruction must be particularly relevant to present-day life, as it should be able to guide them to some means of livelihood, as well as show how they can make contributions to their communities and the world at large. The commencement of high school should be a less authoritarian version of the the Ceremony of 12 in The Giver, where each student "graduated" into adult life with a clear purpose and direction, being assigned roles in their community. While I am not advocating we become like that dystopia and produce a society of robots, I am suggesting that we stop sending young people into the world with no skills.  We need to be teaching our youth how to have the knowledge, skill, and confidence in particularly a specific profession/industry/career field.  I have had two women tell me they want to either be an OBGYN or a neonatal nurse. To help women bring life into this world is a calling, and I desperately want to nurture this so that they have some knowledge, experience, and perhaps some technical skill prior to them matriculating.  But between English, Algebra, Biology, World History, an elective, a language, and gym, these students have little to no time to explore where their heart naturally leads them (unless a teacher takes it upon themselves to integrate this into the curriculum, which I have done in my resource/self-contained classes, where we have flexibility to do so).  And that is sad, considering that many students do not know what they want to do outside of sports, entertainment, or fashion.  Being four years away from adulthood, you should have an idea of the industry you'd like to pursue.  Maybe even have a couple to choose from, but to walk out into the world without a calling is akin to being naked in the world, as we are all vested with purpose and mission and as an educator, it is my duty to guide students towards their light.  

According to Rick Newman, author of Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success and USNEWs.com's Money section, the following ten industries will be in high demand by 2020:

• Data Crunching: this involves gathering information about everything from work productivity to customer profiles and everything in between.  The purpose is often to tap into new markets and databases, as this field is most useful in market research.

: 

• Counseling and Therapy: we are finally recognizing that mental health is a problem that has long been swept under the rug.  There is plenty of room for growth in this field. 

• Scientific Research: particularly in the areas medicine, manufacturing, and manufacturing; also see the emergence of biomedicine, biotechnology, nanotechnology, robotics, 
  • side note: notice that the names of these categories are comprised of word parts or morphemes, such as bio + techno + ology  or nano + techno + ology.  Morphology and word study will be required for students to excel in ANY field in the future. 

• Computer Engineering: yes, software is most developed overseas, but creating and maintaining secure networks is a growing demand
• Veterinarians: this makes sense to me- with the upsurge in dog and cat lovers (particularly dogs- DC seems to have a doggy daycare or dog park on every corner), expect the demand for vets to increase by 36% in the next  four years.
• Some Healthcare fields: specialists, such as optometrists, audiologists, dentists, physical therapists, etc...
  
• Management: human benefits, benefits administration, and event planning are areas of management to focus upon- you must be able to oversee operations from many locations both in this country and around the world, as well as have some level of technical skill. career not for the faint of heart indeed.
• Finance: finance is everything, and those who best comprehend its inner workings will be much sought after; after all, it is finance that keeps every company or operation running.
• Environment/Conservation Scientists: a high emphasis is now being placed on sustainability, with "going green" projects and funding popping up in every industry sector. The Cultivated Mind wholeheartedly believes in sustaining the planet's resources, and encourages young people to learn about more efficient means to live upon this Earth so that we may preserve nature.  
• Entrepreneurship: my favorite!  I always encourage young people to have their own business in some capacity, whether it be side gig or a full-time career...we must all have skills and the capacity to work for self- that is a true measure of security.  Traditional businesses, such as used car dealerships, hair and nail salons, pet grooming, and office services are expect to grow in demand; but stand out amongst the herd by offering a new and unique product, a better service, or cheaper ways to serve the customer.  Tech start ups are consistently growing businesses as well.  However, you could come up with a business, brand, idea, etc... that will both shock and genuinely help improve the world.  And that is what a cultivated mind aims to do- use its mission, purpose, and vocation to inspire change within Self, and throughout its community and the world at large.