A Rubric For Life

Rubrics are a way of evaluating and assessing tasks. Teachers use them all the time, especially in middle schools where the kids need definite guidelines and goals. Here's my thinking: wouldn't it be nice to have some sort of general life rubric? Specific things that need to be done by certain times? You could even break it down- an education rubric, a dating rubric, a circle of friends rubric, a career rubric.

Of course, someone else would have to do the layout of these plans for you. So I'd also propose that everyone be assigned a sort of life mentor, or coach, who can set you up with goals. Then, eventually, you'd have to write goals for someone else. For example:

Career Rubric for S.C., Age 27
Year Goals include:
*Becoming friends with as many other teachers as possible.
*Avoid the Gossip Queens/people who smell like moth balls.
*Clean out ungodly AV room of 60's memorabilia.
*Fix book barcodes so they actually scan.
*Do not get eaten by sea life.

And so on. Your coach would also provide evaluation and feedback, once completed. Maybe they could even grade you, like an A for effort, D- for results.

The grade-grubbing, organized librarian part of me really likes this idea.

The normal side realizes that life is not about laying everything out in a one-page summary of definitive goals. A Life Rubric might even take some of the fun and surprise out of just doing what you want to do. Hell, if I followed a Life Rubric I'd probably be married and miserable. I probably wouldn't have sucked it up and went back to grad school. I probably wouldn't have met all these fantastic new people. I wouldn't be writing this blog. In fact, I probably wouldn't even be who I am today.

And I'm pretty happy with me right now. Weird.



*****Crab Update: They were feasting on brine shrimp when I left on Friday. God only knows what they'll be like come Tuesday morning. I only hope one of the kids walks by the tank before I do.