5
GETTING STARTED
“What are you going to do after graduation?” Ava
asked her friend Molly.
Molly’s response was eager and excited. “I plan to
go to the state university next fall and get a degree in
teaching. I’ve been working in an after-school child care
center and love to work with kids. I think I can keep
working there part-time while I go to college. I’m sure
the experience will help me get a teaching job when I
graduate. Then, I’d really like to stay in the Miami area
when I begin my career,” Molly said.
Molly sure has her life together, Ava thought as
she listened to all of Molly’s plans. Molly was known
for setting goals and accomplishing them. Ava had no
doubt she would achieve her dreams for the future.
“I’m still trying to fi gure out who I am,” Ava said
to herself. “Where am I going? Will I be a success at
what I do someday?”
Have you ever questioned yourself about your
future? Almost all young people ask questions like
the ones Ava asked as they try to learn more about
themselves. They want to know how they will
fi t into the world beyond school. They want to plan
for the future and set directions for their lives.
Planning for the future requires gaining the
knowledge and skills related to human growth
and development for reaching your maximum
potential. As you grow to maturity, this knowledge
and these skills can help you make choices that
enable you to reach your goals in life. Other
knowledge and skills can help you relate more
confi dently to people. By knowing how to develop
positive relationships, you can have success in
family and community life and in school and
career interactions. Good relationship skills will
benefi t all areas of your life.
The future may seem frightening because it
is unknown. For example, will you know when
you are really in love? Will you have a happy
family life? Will you fi nd a job you like, and will
you succeed at it? Unfortunately, life does not
come with a set of answers or directions, but this
book provides information that can help you as
you make decisions in the future related to these
important life events.
People who succeed in life know how to fi nd
the information they need and use it wisely.
They develop certain skills that help them in
their personal relationships. This book uses their
experiences to identify the knowledge and skills
that will be useful to you.
Lesson 1.1 Your Life Path
Lesson 1.2 Heredity and Your Identity
Lesson 1.3 Environment and Your Identity
AFTER
STUDYING THIS
CHAPTER,
YOU WILL
KNOW:
• Key terms related to personal
identity, heredity, and
environment.
• The major developmental tasks
of the teen years.
• Hereditary and environmental
factors impacting development
and personal identity.
UNDERSTAND:
• How studying this text can help
prepare you for life changes.
• How life paths are unique and
interdependent with others.
• How the major developmental
tasks of the teen years relate to
future changes over the course
of life.
• How heredity and environment
influence growth and
development.
BE ABLE
TO
DO:
• Evaluate the influence of heredity
on personal characteristics.
• Analyze global environmental
influences for their impact on
growth and development.
• Project ways to respond to
hereditary and environmental
factors with resilience.
• Demonstrate skills for preparing
for change.
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.