My hope for our students

Two weeks ago, my blogpost focused on how the critical thinking skills honed by reading and other forms of media are crucial for student–and human–development. I am quoting below from a college president who shares my views about the point of education. College is not, and has never been, merely vocational in nature.

“The rhetoric emanating from political and corporate sectors is that we should be more about jobs and less about ideas — that we need fewer great thinkers and more skilled technicians. PayScale cannot measure the worth of those who mount barricades to demand equity and justice; the College Scorecard ignores the ROI in the common good of our graduates who choose public service over private corporate gain.”

While I don’t discourage students going to work in the private sector, I emphatically agree with this. While some fear the day that “AI takes over,” I’d like to encourage our students to be less mechanical and to embrace what makes them human as well as develop technical expertise. The ability to think, reason and consider the well-being of others (not merely for personal gain) in our actions is what truly holds society together.

Let’s help students become both technically competent as well as prepared to discuss and question the meaning of what they read, view, or comment on. Real issues impact real lives and demand thoughtful discourse. I hope that all of my students’ lives are enriched by more than their careers–after all, they’ll be in charge soon. (Maxwell Frost just became the first Gen Z member of Congress at age 25.)

What’s fair?

Angel Pérez, President of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, supports affirmative action:

“Admission officers are often criticized for not doing more to admit low-income, first-generation students of color. And now, they face the possibility that the Court will remove their ability to use race in the holistic review of a candidate. To do so would be a leap backward. It threatens to impose blinders on American colleges and universities to the abundant racial injustices in our society and in our educational systems.”

He refers to the first part of the Affirmative Action question (explained by Columbia law professor Johnson in the podcast below). While I heard the Supreme Court argument, I remembered this MIT case study I shared last year.

•Valedictorian, private high school in suburban Colorado • Perfect testing-18 AP courses, all scores of 5, AP Spanish 4 • Took AP Calculus BC as a freshman (score of 5) • Chemistry teacher wrote glowing rec: “Best student in 25 years.” • Conducted research in Finland over the summer • Received additional evaluation from the Finland professor• Applying to major in chemistry, electrical engineering or energy technology • Conducted energy research at a local university • Co-founded an app development company; received some venture funding • Academic all-state in tennis in Colorado • ISEF – made it to the finalist level. Received grand award in Chemical Energy (21 categories—got the top award in his category) • MIT alumni interviewer raved about him.

There were so many extracurriculars that I omitted several. Some of my colleagues were angry, saying, “What more can a student do?”

What’s fair?

Another student, equally academically impressive, was a first-generation, inner-city resident who attended a public school that offered few AP courses. He did not have access to opportunities like conducting research in Finland, but exhibited academic curiosity by asking his physics teacher to help him conduct research. Along with “inquisitiveness,” he exhibited “compassion.” For elite colleges, that means creating/participating in projects that better the lives of others at the non-profit or professional level. He did this in his neighborhood.

Admissions reps say it best: don’t expect the admissions process to be fair. Colleges with single digit admit rates deny nearly all students, regardless of family income or legacy. Most admitted applicants with economic privilege (the MIT-denied student above was admitted to three Ivy League colleges, among others) will go on to enjoy great success. Applicants who are academically-gifted, but economically-challenged, have fewer chances. They know, like we all do, that life is not always “fair.”

https://the1a.org/segments/the-supreme-court-defining-diversity-and-the-future-of-affirmative-action/

“No, she doesn’t read at all.”

Parents generally respond this way to my intake-form question, “Does your student read, and if so, what kind of material?”

We know that many of today’s high school students often prefer media featuring snippets of image-based content and often, no words. It’s easy to consume and requires less thought.

It’s the “thought” part that matters to me.

While I wish that students would read books to derive the pleasure and knowledge from them that I always have, the form of media they choose matters less to me than the process, the ability to connect ideas and abstract concepts to develop viewpoints, to get context, simply to get from A to B to C.

When I was a young English teacher, a freshman business major challenged me, “What’s the value of reading a novel?”

I responded that in addition to “understanding what motivates people and why they behave as they do” that we can get from any book, fiction or nonfiction, there was more for the reader who was motivated to dig deeper. From Oliver Twist, and Dickens in general, I learned about laissez-faire capitalism, utilitarianism, and the deepening division of classes during the Industrial Revolution. Yes, there is a love story too. The Great Gatsby, still a mainstay of the high school syllabus, illustrates how the growth of American economics in the Gilded Age led to the excesses of the 1920’s. Its story of materialism, racism, classism defines the times–and our own. And yes, students also enjoy musing about Nick’s sexuality.

Through engaging with books, articles, podcasts, manga and other graphic novels, students become more nimble thinkers, able to go beyond the obvious and discover meaning. They will graduate into a world that requires constant adaptability. Honing this skill will help them become problem solvers as students and adults, at school, at work, and most importantly, thoughtful and compassionate children, friends, and parents.