The third human need is autonomy or, in other words, agency or ownership over your life. We need to feel like we can make important choices about our lives and that our choices matter. 

We'll admit it. Kids can be rowdy, disorganized, and distracted. They make choices that make us scratch our heads and question their sanity. It's true. However, it is also true that kids want their lives to go well. They want to feel capable of operating in the adult world and making meaningful contributions to their communities. 

Sometimes, as adults, we forget this second truth and act as if kids are incapable of learning to manage their lives well. This causes us to try to control and compel them towards goals that we have set for them and methods of "management" that are convenient for us, and not necessarily best for students. Naturally, kids resist our efforts, and we end up fighting them instead of supporting them. 

In contrast, when we embrace the fact that we can't force anyone to learn and instead aim to help them assume responsibility for their own progress and outcomes, they step up to the plate and learn to lead themselves with our support and encouragement.

At Prenda, we consistently invite students to own more and more of their learning over time. We don't abandon them, but we also don't rescue them. 

Later, in your guide training, we'll show you how to share power with kids, help them set personal goals, discover their purpose for learning, and develop a vision for their future that they are excited about. 

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