Challenge is a challenging word. We in education most often use the singular noun to mean a task that demands special effort or dedication, but which is within the ability of the person who accepts the challenge. We like kids who accept a challenge. By contrast, we typically use the plural form, challenges, to mean things that require more ability than an individual has, as in "that kid has serious challenges." We prefer kids with challenges be in another teacher's classroom. I ran across two items today on Twitter that made me think about those two opposing usages.

Challenged workers

The first is a National Skills Coalition report showing roughly 20 million Americans employed in key service-sector industries lack basic ...

People often roll their eyes when I suggest that teens could do other than flip burgers and mow lawns. Here are some examples of teens who have looked around them and found problems they wanted to solve.

The underwear problem

Megan Grassel, 17, went bra shopping with her younger sister. She noticed the selections were “padded, push-up, and sexual,” neither comfortable or appropriate for a young girls. Megan started the Yellowberry Bra Company to fill that niche. She funded her start-up with a Kickstarter campaign.

The spilled beverage problem

At 9 years old, Lily Born invented a three-legged ceramic cup to help her grandfather, who has Parkinsons's, drink without spilling. A Kickstarter campaign furnished money to manufacture it. At 1...