I decided to start this blog with the hopes that I could speak about education while wearing both of my hats – that of a professional working in education and that of a mother. The funny thing is, I make a concerted effort at work to not think like a mother, and a concerted effort at home to not think like a higher ed wonk.
So, this blog is either going to be a nice relief for me, or it will negate all of the work I put into trying to separate my two worlds.
Anyhow, as you probably know, October is College Application Month (CAM). My seven-year-old son, Harlan, heard an ad for CAM when we were listening to the Broncos game last Sunday and he asked me what it meant.
So, I started explaining to him about applying to college. I didn’t have to explain why kids need to go to college – my husband and I have been talking to the boys about it since they were infants – but I told him about the process. The letters of recommendation, the essays, and everything else that goes along with it, and how we help students to do this on the computer – everything from filling out the applications to sending them to the appropriate schools.
His response was, “Do you think, if Star Wars characters were real they would dress up as other Star Wars characters for Halloween?”
Perfect. It always amazes me how I can have a five-minute conversation with any of my three boys (I am including my husband) and at the end, they look at me with a blank stare, pause for a few seconds, and say “Ummm … what?”
If there is a game on TV – pretty much any game – they won’t even look at me, they simply grumble that phrase. Of all the wonderful things that the boys could inherit from my husband, that had to be among them? Although, many other women have assured me that it isn’t just my boys – it is innate in all males.
Anyhow, I laughed and proceeded to have a conversation with Harlan about how Darth Maul couldn’t dress up as Yoda because he is too tall, and how all of the villains would have to be double-dog dared to dress up as Princess Leia or Queen Amidala.
Then after a few minutes of quiet, Harlan said, “Mom, how did you do College Application Month a long, long time ago when you were a kid, if you didn’t have computers?”
Well look at that – he did listen. Not only to this conversation, but to one a few days ago when I was convincing him and his brother that there is more to life than their computers, iTouches, DS’s, Leapsters and Wii.
“When I was your age, we didn’t even have computers. We had to make our own fun”
Mirror, mirror on the wall, I have become my mother after all.
So, I really morphed into my mother – exasperated tone of voice and all – and told him that in the olden days, when I was in high school, I had to thumb through a book that was as thick as five Captain Underpants books put together. Then, I had to fill out every single application BY HAND and then walk them to the mail box. He was not impressed. In fact, his only comment was, “You read Captain Underpants when you were a kid too?”
Totally missed the point, kid. Anyhow, it got me to thinking about how many advantages kids now have over those of us who were totally stoked to grow up in the rad 80’s. They can find out anything they need to find out about college and careers on CollegeInColorado.org.
But, just as I didn’t give two flips about my parents’ unfortunate childhoods, growing up without color TV, I wonder if they realize how good they have it.
So, as we creep up on the last week of College Application Month, if you need any help explaining to your students how good they have it, please don’t hesitate to call on us. I really do believe, on some level, they do listen!
