Lessons for February

So, for all the new readers who are just joining us (a girl can dream, right?), I am currently student teaching in West Philadelphia. I majored in History as an undergrad, but they deemed me a "Social Studies" teacher, so I ended up teaching Civics and Economics this year... admittedly not my forte, but it has been an interesting challenge. Last week, I was discussing the concept of opportunity cost with my students when it dawned on me, as usual, that there may be more to learn there than simply high school vocabulary.

If you're unfamiliar with the meaning of opportunity cost it is, most basically, the loss experienced when you choose one thing instead of the alternative. In other words, if you have five dollars and you go to the corner market and buy milk, you have essentially "lost" the opportunity of buying eggs or a magazine or something else that could have been of value to you. For the purpose of the lesson, the children simply had to familiarize themselves with the term and its application to economics, but I started to think about all the lost opportunities in my own life. I try very hard not to live with regret, but every so often I wonder what would have happened if I had made different choices or done things differently. What have been the opportunity costs of my life? What would I be now if I hadn't chosen this particular path? What sort of education did I give up when I chose to stay in public school instead of going away to that gifted program? How many loves did I miss out on because I chose to stay in your arms? I suppose the possibilities are endless.

That being said, there is nothing we can do to edit the past or rectify our mistakes so I believe it is pointless to rue. However, I think that the lesson comes in realizing that we make choices every moment we are here on this earth. Every minute is filled with decisions that alter the very courses of our lives. If you use your money to buy magazines or alcohol or the latest gadget, you cannot use it to travel or to donate toward a good cause. If you spend your time watching television, you cannot spend it on good conversation or literature or meditation. Our worlds are riddled with choices and the lost opportunities that come as a result. What will you do with the next five years? What will you do with the next five minutes? I hope you make the right choice.