Comments on: Year’s-End Retrospective no. 2 - I’m Nobody. Goodbye to All of That. http://beyond-school.org/2007/12/12/re-post-im-nobody/ . . . and beyond "schooliness" - notes of an uncensored teacher Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:56:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Clay Burell http://beyond-school.org/2007/12/12/re-post-im-nobody/#comment-1132 Clay Burell Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:27:34 +0000 http://beyond-school.org/2007/12/12/years-end-retrospectivefavorite-post-2-i%e2%80%99m-nobody-goodbye-to-all-of-that/#comment-1132 Hi Shelley, Gosh, what a tough one. The whole college application process is the epitome of schooliness at its worst for me. It's wonderful to hear from a counselor who wants to make it less so. I just wrote a college rec letter for a senior I adore for her refusal to play the "resume bullets whore" game (pardon the language, but you know the idiom and reality, I'm sure). It was wonderful to be able to praise her maturity and mental health in choosing her intrinsic values over extrinsic carrots. I also referenced several online samples of her work - her class blog, a webcam embed of a brilliant and relaxed booktalk she gave, and a website she's managing for Project Global Cooling. I wonder how many college admissions officers will follow those links, and how many will be able to think outside the ridiculous "National Honor Society"etc box. So much of what we hawk as honors is actually fool's gold. Hi Shelley,
Gosh, what a tough one. The whole college application process is the epitome of schooliness at its worst for me. It’s wonderful to hear from a counselor who wants to make it less so.

I just wrote a college rec letter for a senior I adore for her refusal to play the “resume bullets whore” game (pardon the language, but you know the idiom and reality, I’m sure).

It was wonderful to be able to praise her maturity and mental health in choosing her intrinsic values over extrinsic carrots.

I also referenced several online samples of her work - her class blog, a webcam embed of a brilliant and relaxed booktalk she gave, and a website she’s managing for Project Global Cooling.

I wonder how many college admissions officers will follow those links, and how many will be able to think outside the ridiculous “National Honor Society”etc box.

So much of what we hawk as honors is actually fool’s gold.

]]> By: Shelley http://beyond-school.org/2007/12/12/re-post-im-nobody/#comment-1130 Shelley Wed, 12 Dec 2007 23:20:31 +0000 http://beyond-school.org/2007/12/12/years-end-retrospectivefavorite-post-2-i%e2%80%99m-nobody-goodbye-to-all-of-that/#comment-1130 In my school, I am mostly a college counselor. I spend one period each school day with a sixth of the junior class in the spring, and with the senior class in the fall. They're all at different places in their search for a school that suits their needs and dreams. (Some of them aren't sure they have needs and dreams.) I like the idea of getting beyond "schooliness," and am inspired by your ability to be constructively critical of your own practices. There are some other geek-positive folks in my school, but we're only just recently starting to really seek each other out. (A series of in-house Tech Talks helped.) I haven't figured out how I want to help soup up my mini-course for juniors with a higher reality quotient, but your thinking has got me thinking. What would a non-world-ignoring perspective on the college search process look like? Thank you for sharing your explorations. In my school, I am mostly a college counselor. I spend one period each school day with a sixth of the junior class in the spring, and with the senior class in the fall. They’re all at different places in their search for a school that suits their needs and dreams. (Some of them aren’t sure they have needs and dreams.)

I like the idea of getting beyond “schooliness,” and am inspired by your ability to be constructively critical of your own practices.

There are some other geek-positive folks in my school, but we’re only just recently starting to really seek each other out. (A series of in-house Tech Talks helped.)

I haven’t figured out how I want to help soup up my mini-course for juniors with a higher reality quotient, but your thinking has got me thinking. What would a non-world-ignoring perspective on the college search process look like?

Thank you for sharing your explorations.

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