Does Future Ready Really Prepare Students?

Seamus Feldman, staff

 As seniors near graduation, the efforts of the Future Ready Initiative will be put to the test through them. As more students enter the high school and are put through the Future Ready program, the question must be asked: does the Future Ready program really prepare students to face the real world.

The Future Ready Initiative at Tahoma is run with a very big impact on everyday life for students and teachers alike. This might lead people to believe that this program would be an unquestionable success, but it actually creates mixed results. As senior Allie Orozco said, she didn’t “really use Future Ready stuff before senior year,”. This is scary, because Future Ready is all about planning for your future before the last minute using 4 year plans and job shadows to help prepare kids. If Future Ready doesn’t actually complete its goals, then why does it exist?

On Friday May 23rd, Future Ready day took place at Tahoma High School, however this event did not fulfill its goals in the eyes of many students. Most students  see the day as a break from schoolwork rather than a day to gain information for their future. Mrs Lindersmith, the leader of the Future Ready program, says this is because of a lack of STEM presenters. While students might listen to whole presentations on things they don’t want to do, she believes that that is just as valuable to your selection process. Even though there are some bad sides, senior Katie Zielinski said that Future Ready day was “very useful”, and the job shadow gave her an idea of what to do later in life.

Lindersmith is very aware of the shortcomings of the Future Ready programs. She realizes that some kids will be more prepared than others, so most of the Future Ready lessons will feel like review. She says that she tries to create a minimum number of things that will be useful to everyone. This is why the tabletop discussions are so important, because while some people might talk about it all the time, their are just as many people who almost never talk about their future with their parents.

So, as seniors leave the high school for the final time, some may be more prepared than others. But just like always, those who care and put in effort are more likely to succeed than those that don’t. The Future Ready program is a bit flawed, so if you have ideas to improve it, go to the Future Ready Center and talk to Mrs Lindersmith.