Damn coddled kids who got participation trophies can’t even get over the bar set by the soft bigotry of low expectations and god only knows how they will ever survive when they get into the REAL world!
Yes to all this, especially this line: "Any dilettante psychologist knows that extrinsic motivators are less effective and less-enduring than intrinsic motivators - curiosity, self-realization, competence, purpose."
My child is homeschooling and said recently of the comments section of a homeschool class he's in, "You gotta love homeschoolers. They don't "like" things they LOVE things." (The students were invited, not required, to share their interests in the comments section of the class the first day, and he was amused by how very INTO various hobbies, interests, etc. people were.) These are the students who, from grades k-8, have had the great good fortune to learn without tests or grades (or if homeschoolers have them, they are most likely low stakes and infrequent.)
As a Princeton alum, I appreciated and identified w/ your student's story. Must add: the homeschooling parent part of me sees the the stamp of approval/well-established history of a high-cost place like Calhoun freeing her from the need to jump on the hamster wheel of APs in a way a public school or homeschool student doesn't quite feel free/able, without a bit of brazen "so be it" on the college admissions front, but I appreciated the spirit of the story nonetheless.
I always appreciate your thoughtful comments. Throughout my 19 years at Calhoun I struggled with the tension between our progressive mission and our undeniable privilege. I rationalized/justified my work by noting our commitment to financial assistance and enrollment of lots of kids, especially of color, who were not in some "pipeline" program tha cherrypicks a handful of talented stars - whatever "talented" means. But that never eased my ambivalence. I yapped endlessly about the hamster wheel and the need to drastically change public education, but that was - continues to be - a privileged white male opining from comfort. I can't discard my privilege, but at least I recognize it! That's better than nothing. I'm grateful that you read my yaps and respond in good spirit.
Yes to all this, especially this line: "Any dilettante psychologist knows that extrinsic motivators are less effective and less-enduring than intrinsic motivators - curiosity, self-realization, competence, purpose."
My child is homeschooling and said recently of the comments section of a homeschool class he's in, "You gotta love homeschoolers. They don't "like" things they LOVE things." (The students were invited, not required, to share their interests in the comments section of the class the first day, and he was amused by how very INTO various hobbies, interests, etc. people were.) These are the students who, from grades k-8, have had the great good fortune to learn without tests or grades (or if homeschoolers have them, they are most likely low stakes and infrequent.)
As a Princeton alum, I appreciated and identified w/ your student's story. Must add: the homeschooling parent part of me sees the the stamp of approval/well-established history of a high-cost place like Calhoun freeing her from the need to jump on the hamster wheel of APs in a way a public school or homeschool student doesn't quite feel free/able, without a bit of brazen "so be it" on the college admissions front, but I appreciated the spirit of the story nonetheless.
Thank you, as always, for writing.
I always appreciate your thoughtful comments. Throughout my 19 years at Calhoun I struggled with the tension between our progressive mission and our undeniable privilege. I rationalized/justified my work by noting our commitment to financial assistance and enrollment of lots of kids, especially of color, who were not in some "pipeline" program tha cherrypicks a handful of talented stars - whatever "talented" means. But that never eased my ambivalence. I yapped endlessly about the hamster wheel and the need to drastically change public education, but that was - continues to be - a privileged white male opining from comfort. I can't discard my privilege, but at least I recognize it! That's better than nothing. I'm grateful that you read my yaps and respond in good spirit.