How can you change the world?

I know many have already gone back to school, but my family is enjoying the last weekend of our summer break.

Come Monday morning, my kids go back to preschool and I go back to teaching English at Columbus State University. The wealth of potential on the first day of a new academic year always inspires me.

What is the point of it, though? I think on some level we’ve decided that the point of school is not merely to learn but also to pave the way to success when the classroom eventually becomes the real world. My generation is learning that there is no promise of financial success in the real world, even if you have performed well academically. Many researchers have predicted that Millennials will be the first generation to earn less than their parents. We’re also on track to be the most educated generation in American history. So what is the point of school, then, if it isn’t the guarantee of a comfortable life?

I’m starting to wonder if the answer is more existential than a paycheck. “Why am I here?” is one of the great human questions. We all attempt to answer that question in many outlets in our life. But education allows us to answer it with confidence, knowing that we have the knowledge and experience to make a meaningful impact.

At a recent CSU faculty and staff event, we were challenged to avoid asking students, “What’s your major?” but instead to ask “How do you want to change the world?” It might sound a little heady for a freshman comp icebreaker, but I’m going to use it. Rather than putting the emphasis on the standards that society puts on today’s student, it asks the student what standard s/he is setting for her/himself. It shifts their classroom time from obligation to preparation. It asks them to be aware of how the things they are absorbing in school can turn into tools for creating the world they want to live in.

When a student in English 1101 says “I’m not sure about my major yet,” they dodge the question behind the question — “Who are you?” When they answer the question, “How do you want to change the world?” they may say “I don’t know,” but the question will linger and over time beg for a thoughtful reply.

I want students to be strong writers and communicators. I want them to love the process of revision. And yes, I want them all to succeed academically and beyond, to have a great, lucrative career and a comfortable life. But I also really want them to know themselves and to decide what they’re impact in this world should be. So as we embark on a new school year, let’s challenge ourselves to ask the students among us who they are, why they matter, and how the things they learn can make their dreams realities.

This story was originally published August 13, 2016 at 1:45 AM with the headline "How can you change the world?."