(Educating Youth) Show them the money

As an urban middle school/high school teacher, I have become alternately discouraged and inspired by the interactions I have had with students. The order of the day with the current generation is the veneration of the gangster image. Anything that is about making fast money with a swaggering disrespect for any authority or tradition, is what a good portion of trend - setters in this age group are about. Since it is all too obvious, I will spare any pontification on the demise of popular rap music (which is no longer hip-hop) and the responsibility of high profile celebrities to engage their village (to raise a child) responsibility in addressing this issue.
I will say that I am endorsing Obama for president, in large part, because of his holistic vision and understanding of how our society functions best when we nurture growth and opportunity from the bottom up. I am not particularly averse to McCain but as far as I can tell, he offers more of the same trickle down pimpology I alluded to in another post. Obama, on the other hand, offers a new philosophy wherein the economic opportunity that opens up for middle income careers is prioritized and works hand in hand with a teacher like myself encouraging students to study science because (for example) of the imminent explosion of the green economy. Obama has spoken with more force and clarity on this issue, promising to create 5 million jobs. McCain on the other hand seems to still be tethered to the GOP's oil industry-albatross as he assertively and stubbornly demands more offshore drilling. This distinction highlights the differences in their visions for the future.
I can say, although I am still relatively new in this career field, that students respond to realistic projections about where they can go with their future, not worn out cliches and abstractions about the "value of an education". If you show them the money, and work dilligently to build their vision and the substance to sustain them on their journey, then they have a chance to get fired up and ready to work in the new economy.