Remember when “21st Century Skills” was the buzzword plastered across every professional development session? Teachers were told we had to prepare kids for jobs that didn’t even exist yet, for industries so futuristic they might as well have been ripped from a sci-fi novel. The message was clear: teach differently or risk leaving students unprepared for the brave new world ahead.

And we bought in. Many of us were mesmerized by those “Did You Know” videos—glossy, fast-cut reels showing how technology would reshape life as we knew it. We imagined our students stepping into careers filled with wonder, solving humanity’s greatest challenges with cutting-edge innovations.

But here we are, a decade later, watching universities launch degree programs in—wait for it—the cannabis industry. Northern Michigan University now offers cannabis studies. Cannabis! Is this what all that futuristic hype was for? Is this the grand payoff of years spent reinventing classrooms, revamping standards, and retraining teachers?

Let’s be honest. This isn’t just about marijuana. This is about whether education has lost sight of its true North Star: the family. Have we become so enamored with “innovation” that we’ve stopped asking the most basic question: Will this strengthen families—or weaken them?

Because families, not industries, are the bedrock of society. Strong families create strong communities. And when families crumble? Communities crumble. Nations crumble. That’s not ideology—it’s reality.

Just look around. Addiction isn’t just a crisis; it’s practically a cultural identity. We toss around words like smartphone addiction, porn addiction, food addiction, opioid addiction. Some days it feels like Americans are addicted to being addicted. Even our politics runs on addiction—to outrage, to emotion, to attacking anyone who dares to disagree.

Where does self-control—the antidote to addiction—come from? Families. Where do children first learn resilience, restraint, responsibility? Families. Yet our education system, in its blind pursuit of “the next big thing,” often undermines the very institution that teaches those foundational skills.

So yes, whether or not you support cannabis legalization is beside the point. The real question is: when universities embrace controversial industries, do they consider the ripple effects on the family? Do K-12 schools stop to ask how their policies, practices, and trendy new programs affect the home lives of the students they claim to serve? Or are families just an afterthought in the race to be relevant?

Education should be more than a conveyor belt to industry. It should be a partnership with families to raise healthy, grounded citizens who can think clearly, choose wisely, and lead responsibly. Otherwise, we’re just fueling cycles of indulgence and addiction while patting ourselves on the back for being “innovative.”

So, let’s ask the question few seem brave enough to ask: what will the next decade’s “Did You Know” videos glorify? More industries that exploit our weaknesses? Or educational choices that finally honor and strengthen the institution most critical to our collective future—the family?