Be Proud of Your Name, Young One.

“Eyes up.”

“Chin up.”

“Shoulders back.”

He gawks his shoulders back, lurches his chest forward, careens his neck forward with his chin and eyes pointed to the sky, like a goofball vulture, making the class laugh.

“Alright, alright. Straighten up.”

He does.

“Bring some life to your face and smile.”

He takes a breath and says:

“C’mon Chevalier.” 

The kids laugh again. I give him a pressuring stare to get back to it, in a way only teachers and parents truly understand.

He obliges.

“Now shake my hand.”

He does. It’s a loose, unintentional and his eyes leave mine again. Back to kid mode. 

“Hi.” I say.

“Hi.” He says.

The class laughs. After a beat, I ask:

“Who the fuck are you?”

The class laughs louder.

“I”m Shareef.”
Class laughs again.

“OK.”

The class giggles.

“Well, what do you want, Shareef? I’m busy here writing an important email before my meeting with China.

“Uhh, well, I think I could really help your company.”

“Ok, how so?”

“You know, a little this, a little that.” 

“Alright well, feel free to apply online, I’m sure our team will take a look and get back to you if they think you’re a good fit. But I gotta go now, it was nice to meet you.”

“Okay, thanks, Jeff Bezos.”

Annnnd scene. The class cracks up, Shareef walks back to his seat with a funny smile and swagger.

Not exactly what we were getting at.

I told the students never to watch the show because it’s not entertaining and boring (not true) but here’s the clip I showed them to inspire our little exercise:

Everyone took a turn, introducing themselves in front of the class as I, or another student, played someone that could grant them an opportunity that would change their lives. This was not a primetime exemplar of what we were trying to accomplish but it was the funniest one for sure. It was a fun exercise that hopefully opened their brains a smidge to the idea of taking the bull by the horns and creating an opportunity for themselves. We talked about putting themselves in a position to reach the kind of person who could hire them and set their dreams on fire.

We talked about the steps of approach: research the person (if you have the time), try to break the ice, say something well-intentioned that stands out and be prepared to make your ask. Close with a thank you and a request for contact information and then get out of their way. The V.I.P. they’re engaging probably has some things to do.

Something that’s been noticeably jarring since I got into education, is the way the kids hide from their “government” name.  They prefer their nickname, their IG handle, or really anything besides their last name. 

Like the old man I’m becoming, I initially ridiculed the younger generation. 

YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF YOUR NAME, YOUNG ONE.

Then I considered the environment they were brought up in. For starters, there’s unfortunately a few kids in each school who really don’t want their names getting out there, which is so sad, unfortunate, and very likely unnecessary. There’s the kids with parents, siblings, friends and relatives who may have tarnished the name. Then there’s the social media community they grew up in.

Instagram handles are nicknames. Some of their favorite celebrities are known for their aim usernames — Mr. Beast, iShowSpeed, Neon, etc.  This validates the nickname usage. 

I once witnessed one student approach another by saying, “Yooo…. Uhhh… on the gram….dread head3?… right?”

Then top that all off with the differentiation of last names within one family, which reveal themselves in the student information section of our grade books. It’s more common than not for mom, dad, stepmom, stepdad, grandparent, aunt, uncle, child #1, child #2, child #3 to have a 4-5 last names listed. Seldom do you see, Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith, Smith child 1, Smith child 2. 

So safety + stardom + culture + environment + family is the equation here that leads to a young person finding their identity in an online moniker.

I believe we need to preach to these young kids that they should be proud of their name. They should want to make something of it. They should want the world to know they are at this high school, doing this type of work, pursuing this type of dream, and working a job at this company, while taking these kinds of classes, all in pursuit of something greater.  

We grew up with Facebook. You couldn’t hide on Facebook in 2008. You were getting tagged in posts. People had to message you on your wall for all to see. Your full name, school, job, birthday, and everything else was associated with your profile.

Did Zuckerberg sell that information for a fortune. Of course.

But that’s not what we’re talking about.

This is about not hiding from the world, putting yourself out there.

In an internet age, online accountability is important. 

At times, I think kids care more about that online persona then they do about their in-person interactions. An embarrassment in person might last a few days, maybe even a few weeks or months if it’s memorable, but an online embarrassment could live forever. 

That is the world in which they were raised.