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A week ago we did the unthinkable; we moved my daughter into college. It was a bittersweet moment. Her childhood officially ended with a prolonged goodbye hug and a detour to the cardboard dumpster en route to the family car. She was ready to launch.
No lie. It felt kinda good to find out afterwards that she likes my jasmine rice better than the rice at college. Dad: 1. College: 0.
A few days later we sent our youngest for another first day as a Bobcat, and it got me thinking about next generations. We have a lot to be excited about.
While the young adults and professionals amongst the ranks of Gen Z may be terrified to call and order a pizza, according to LinkedIn, Gen Z-ers are especially gifted with a desire for meaningful work, an entrepreneurial spirit, and adaptability. Considering that since 2007 technology has advanced faster than Sonic the Hedgehog on an open stretch of road, this makes a lot of sense. We live in an era where we are confronted regularly with questions about who we are, who we aspire to be, and to what we will devote our attention. Taking those things into consideration, the compilation of Gen Z's strengths puts them in a unique position to kick butt and take names.
My youngest hails from Generation Alpha, and the name fits. This summer he earned money by mowing and purchased a 3D printer with his hard-earned cash. When I was his age, I was scraping together money from summer projects to buy water balloons and a pack of baseball cards (always hoping for a Ken Griffey Jr. card). Little does my son know just how accomplished he already is.
But, even though the outlook for next generations is encouraging, that doesn't mean they have it all figured out.
Potential and opportunity are wonderful starting points, but, as fire purifies gold, potential and opportunity need help toward becoming something that is truly meaningful.
This is where community enters the picture. Every student, from kindergarten through twelfth grade and beyond, needs a community of support to grow into their potential. I thought about that as my daughter received her diploma last spring, and it was obvious as my son reminisced about his past teachers before the first day of school.
Our kids and young people need world-class educators to challenge them to grow their minds and encourage them to persevere beyond their own expectations. They need parents to put away the phones and carve time out to talk and listen. They need coaches to propel them through adversity and teach the value of discipline. They need neighbors to love them enough to ensure they are protected. They need school custodians and food service workers to show them the value and nobility of meeting the essential needs of others. And, most importantly, they need the church to cover them and their community in prayer.
The beautiful thing is that we already live in this kind of community. As a community member and parent, I've observed it firsthand. And I'm darn proud of it. Marshall County is a great place to raise a family and earn an incredible education.
But no community should rest on its laurels. With a fresh school year underway, we have new opportunities as a community. It's up to us to refine those opportunities from being raw potential into golden moments of growth and development. Sign up to volunteer at school or with Heart of Iowa Big Brothers Big Sisters. Coach and mold a group of players into becoming a team. Lead a scout pack on a hike. Teach a kid how to change their oil. Model kindness and empathy; demonstrate the immense value in putting others first and watch the magic when you hand a young person the reins. Pray over our schools, the students, the staff, and all those impacted by what happens at school.
Then wait in expectation for these next generations to blow your mind with all they accomplish. I'm confident they'll pull it off. Even more, I'm looking forward to it...even if that means their jasmine rice is better than mine.
Jordan Gaffney is the Marshall County Attorney.