Thank you for your understanding! ~ Tobe

Secret #250: Many top liberal arts colleges have classics departments, but students are rare.

Really?  That statement really surprises me.  Maybe because the field is so small.  But I feel like there are many interested students, but the colleges are very selective.

Secret #265: Open a book by a European author to stand out.

Thank goodness!  I did this.  I may not have a read many European authors, but I have at least read some.  I am a firm believer of being well read.  Students who are entering the humanities need to be well rounded.  Although I must say that Charles Dickens is definitely not my favorite.  But that’s okay, there’s a whole continent of authors to choose from.

Secret #266: Harvard option — list every book read in the last year.

I love this idea.  Students interested in the humanities need to be well read (wait didn’t I just say that?).  To make a record shows a college that you mean business.  You are committed to the rigors of college reading.  And you are an interesting person.  A list of books read can be a real insight into a student’s personality.  (It also works in dating.)  I think I’m actually going to start this now.  I’ll put it on my personal blog.  Feel free to comment and heckle my choices if you feel it’s necessary.

Secret #88: Be esepcially respectful of the teacher and administration time and labor.

THANK YOU!!!!!  I love these secrets!

I see education as a team effort with students, teachers, administrators, and parents as the players.  We should all work together to encourage, correct, guide, and generally love the students.  Unfortunately, many parents have a strange perspective when it comes to teachers.  We are not here to attend to parents’ and students’ every request and demand.  Most teachers are trying to look out for the student’s best interests, but many times that’s not how it’s viewed.  The choices we have to make are sometimes hard to swallow.  We need to work together to make those hard choices easy to accept.

With respect to the other secret, teachers are not superhuman.  We do have responsibilities other than teaching.  We often have our own families.  Sometimes we even have spouses.  On rare occasions, we even have outside commitments (you know like church, volunteering, helping other family members).  And once in a blue moon, we do like to have a little time to relax.  But you wouldn’t know it by the way some parents and students (and even some administrators) treat us.  Our time is valuable, just like every one else.  I don’t mind being asked to help a student or support my school.  I do mind having my time wasted or monopolized by one family.

Education is a journey with many travelers.  The only way to be successful is to work together.

This is another “secret” that I see both sides.  Really I think it comes down to individual students.

For some students, early college classes are a great idea–a way to get through some of the required classes and/or advance subjects.  I took a college psych class my senior of high school that counted as college credit.  It was great. I was beyond high school psych and needed something to fill out my schedule.  I loved the challenge.  A real college class, but with the support of my high school teachers if I needed it.  I learned a lot in that class.

On the other hand, college classes can be quite a shock to many high school students.  Most are not courses that cater to high school students, but real college classes.  Unless students are prepped on the procedures, atmosphere, and subject matter, college courses may not be the best idea.  I am just wary of advocating early college courses for all students.  If the student’s high school offers extra classes, AP courses, advanced courses, internships, etc, I would say take advantage of those first.

One point of caution: I have seen many high school students try to get ahead with their college classes by taking online college classes.  Unless the student is a self-starter, these are a very bad idea.  I have seen many a student fall flat on their face by not truly committing to these classes.

On one level I agree with this statement.  With all the recent budget cuts, schools have been cutting their “extras” such as music and art.  Public schools have been pressured to standardize and regulate instead of experiment.  The federal government has pushed uniformity in schools.  All this does stifle creativity.  I lament the standardization of the schools to the detriment of finding the best system for each group of kids.  This is a serious problem.  One that needs to be addressed on national, state, and local levels.

However, I am sick of everyone placing a failing grade on all public schools.  There are systems and individual schools out there that embrace creativity and experimentation.  I have been a few schools that value change and new ideas.  I have seen teachers embrace the “new” even if it endangers their job in that system.  I have seen it.  If I’ve seen a few in my limited travels, I am sure there are many out there.

Instead of staying away from public schools, I think parents should take a look at what is offered in their area.  You might have a great public school right next door or the best choice might be a private school.  On a larger scale, we all need to put pressure on law makers to not take away the good from the public schools–retain the programs, hire the interesting teachers, embrace the new.  A combination effort is the only thing that will save our public school systems.  Don’t write them off as a parent, but definitely do your research.

Now this is a secret that I can get behind.  Extracurriculars are very important.  Every student should choose at least one or two things to do through the school.

That was my mom’s rule when I started high school.  She wanted me to join the marching band, but that was just not me.  Instead I joined the drama department.  I built sets, organized props, helped with costuming all four years and every summer.  I loved it!  I was also a part of Key Club (through Kiwanis) and VIP Club; both of which were service clubs.  I was always busy.  Plus I worked at the local grocery store and went out to have fun with my friends.  I had enough extracurriculars to round out my college applications.  I didn’t over extend myself nor did I do nothing.  I had a healthy level of commitments.

Students should show their interests through the extracurriculars.  And if they don’t find something in the club catalog, ask if you can start one.  Usually all a club needs is a written proposal (something short, but with the relevant information) and a sponsor.  Pick an interest, ask students if they would be interested, and then find a teacher willing.  The student then gets a club they can really latch onto.  As an added bonus, starting a club shows initiative.  Colleges love self starters.

I like this secret.  It’s simple but to the point.

Secret #39-44: Take summer courses.

Secret #48: Summer Vacations should reinforce your child’s summer learning.

Wissner-Gross has a whole section about what to do with summers.  I must say I was slightly taken aback.  However after a little more thought, I can see what she’s getting at.  It may just take some rearranging of my thought process to get there.  So here goes…

I agree –

Summers can be a great opportunity to further a child’s education.  I thoroughly enjoyed going to summer camps and special events.  I loved that every time my family and I went on vacation, we visited museums or historical sites.  I read constantly, even developing a reading list for my yourself during the high school years.  I spent a lot of time at the library learning about new and some beloved topics.  I used my summers to further my education without me ever really thinking about it.  Even if a family cannot afford to send a child to summer camp, there are plenty of free opportunities out there to engage the student throughout the break.  Summer is a great time to explore new areas of study or interest.  I agree Wissner-Gross that summers need to be taken advantage of… but…

I disagree –

Summers do not need to be completely structured.  There is something to be said for the serendipitous nature of discovery.  I don’t think I would have gotten hooked onto many topics without the “discovery” of them in the stacks at the library.  Wissner-Gross takes five secrets to explain why taking summer enrichment classes and keeping a weekly schedule is important.  I am a bit more flexible when it comes to schedules.  I don’t want to stifle creativity or relaxation by having a constant schedule.  Planning out every week, even every day, is a bit much.  I worry that we may push students to far.  What about their childhood?  What about their unstructured play with friends?  What about going on vacation and laying on the beach?  Those are all things that I don’t want to lose in planning out an entire summer focused on furthering education goals.

I am wary of following her secrets to the tee, but will definitely keep that in mind.

And so I start my new series with Secret #1: Interacting with kids by developing a solid strategy for success will almost guarantee college admissions.

Wow!  It’s such a new idea!  I can’t believe no one’s has every mentioned this before… Oh wait!  Everyone has, but I think it’s a good reminder.  Parents need to be involved in their child’s life.  They need to be there to help suggest, guide, correct.

I have seen first hand what can happen to kids when their parents help them and when they don’t.  I had many students who were self-starters.  They did everything asked of them.  They were responsible with their time and work.  But that’s not the majority of the students out there.  Most need a little prodding.  Many have never really thought about what they want to be when they grow up.  Sure, if you ask them, they’ll say something like “doctor” or “astronaut,” but most have not really thought about all the steps they need to take to get there.

That’s where parents can help.  Just the simple act of looking over class schedules and discussing which class to choose and why can make a huge impact.  I remember getting ready to enter high school.  The guidance counselors cam to my 8th grade English class to present the class offerings and suggest which ones to sign up for.  I knew I was expected to go to college.  I even knew what I wanted to be: a teacher.  So I listened to the counselors suggestions and then took the paper home with me.  When I got home, I showed it to my mom.  We sat down after dinner and went through all the offerings.  We decided what the best schedule was to get all my required classes, but also some interesting electives.  And there it was… a completed schedule for my freshman year.  But that’s not all, we also looked at the offerings for all four years.  We mapped out a tentative 4-year plan.  I choose what I wanted to focus on in high school while still in middle school.  We had a plan and we mostly stuck to it.  When February of my senior year rolled around, I was accepted to the two colleges I applied to.  I knew my plan, I followed through with my plan, and I got into college.

And I would have never done it without the guidance and support of my parents.  I think we need to remind parents of their duties.  It’s not just up to the student.  Parent effort goes a long way for the future success of a student.  I just wish every parent realized this…

“Mrs. Jones once cried in front of her class.  A girl came running up to me in the hall after I had dismissed my class, saying ‘Come comfort Mrs. Jones.’ I didn’t know what she meant, but it sounded bad. When I got there, Mrs. Jones was at her desk sobbing, mascara running Tammy Faye Baker-style, weeping, ‘I’ve lost my craft, I’ve lost my craft.’ I dismissed her class and tried to comfort her because she felt so embarrassed. I told her it would be good for them to see that teachers have feelings, too. She cried because some kid gave her the finger.” (159)

Some days I feel just like Mrs. Jones.  The littlest thing sets me off.  I feel like a failure.  No matter what I do,  I can’t reach these students.  I will never be able to wade through the crap to get to the inner learner.

Some days I cry for the future of my students.  I worry that I am not doing enough to help them learn the skills they’ll need for the future.  I cry for their future stumbles.  I worry constantly that they will run into a skill or fact that I somehow glossed over.  I wonder if their future professors will wonder what crap teacher taght them in high school because the student couldn’t remember who we fought in the War of 1812.

And then other days, I feel like the most awesome teacher ever.  Those are the days that I love.  Unfortunately those days don’t come around every often.  Then again, maybe it’s a good thing they don’t.  The bad days usually encourage me to do better next time.  And isn’t that the point of growth?  I hope so, because otherwise I am the grown woman crying in the corner because a 15 year old told me that they can’t remember that Abe Lincoln was the 16th President.