This article first appeared on LinkedIn on October 22, 2018.
How was your weekend? College essay reviews, a trip to the veterinarian and laundry filled my weekend, but this little thing also happened. Interviewed by a reporter from The NY Times about the lawsuit against Harvard, I had a small quote in this article. Haven’t heard about this lawsuit? Google it!
For more than 30 years, the kids in the East Providence Public Schools (Rhode Island) were my kids, first as a middle and high school Social Studies teacher, then as a professional school counselor. During those school counseling years, I encouraged my seniors to cast a wide net when applying to colleges. We have wonderful colleges in New England, ranging from two-year community colleges to the Ivy League. My mission then and now, in North Carolina and nationally, focuses on helping students create a list of colleges meeting their needs academically, socially and increasingly, financially, which brings me back to the aforementioned article.
So, here’s where I don’t want it to get twisted. All of my kids (including some young adults who might not appreciate the label kid) receive encouragement and recommendations from me to look beyond the schools whose names come readily to the tips of their tongues. There are too many fine institutions in our country and abroad for students to be stuck on a few. In our discussions, if there is a piece of information I feel adds to the value of our conversations, we will chat about it. In this case, I’d have to be living under a rock in the mantle of the Earth (knowledge left over from teaching Geography to 7th graders) to not know about this current lawsuit. My opinion about the pros and cons aren’t at issue here; what is at issue is making sure I’m doing right by my kids and sometimes, that means having difficult conversations about perceptions.
One by-product of my foray into speaking with a reporter is an increase in invitations to connect on LinkedIn. If you don’t know me and we haven’t met, you have to give me a little more than an impersonal invitation. And please remember, my kids apply to an array of post-secondary institutions.
Like the rest of my colleagues, I am following this court case because it affects my kids now and may very well affect their futures. “Helping families eliminate random acts of college planning” is my purpose. Like to connect on LinkedIn? Tell me why.