We were working on the computers and one student had finished her assignment and asked if she could work on her scholarship applications. I told her she could and she got started. After a few minutes she asked me "What does it mean when it asks for your contributions to your school and community?" I tried to explain it to her and gave her examples. "Have you been in any clubs, done Adopt-A-Highway, volunteered at a blood drive, etc?" She hasn't been in any clubs in high school and pretty much has spent her time hanging with her boyfriend. I tried to explain that the scholarship was based on community service and she shouldn't waste her time on that one. She told me I think it is crap the way all these scholarships are based on your grades and what you have done in high school! Hello, what are we supposed to base the scholarships on? You want some money? Here take this. Keep in mind this came from a student with about 80% attendance and around a 2.2 GPA. It just seems like more and more of these kids expect something for nothing. Like our society.
There is a scholarship that involves make a prom dress out of duct tape... That might be a good option for, if she is willing to wear duct tape to the prom???
I would have been hard pressed not to laugh when the student said that. It amazes me how these kids expect things to be handed to them.
I find that sometimes seniors realize too late (when they are seniors) that they have 'wasted' their 4 years of high school, that they could have really done some cool things and got much more out of it. The frustration/regret with themselves shows up as comments like the OP reports.
I hear something like that almost every year. It used to really bother my activist side, but now I shrug my shoulders and just remind the senior that gives me that kind of remark that the world doesn't owe you a living or a scholarship and that each fund they apply to has standards. I laugh later when no one else can see me. Sometimes derisively, depending on the student.
Honestly, the world at large didn't occu to me til just around my senior year. They aren't adults yet but we still figure they should be adult enough to think and plan ahead. A lucky few are fully capable of doing so. Most are still discovering the trials and tribulations of just being a teenager.
There are many students who shudder at the thought of doing anything "extra" at school. My son most likely would have been the kid to only go to class and then go home, but I made him join 1 club as a freshman. As a senior, he is now involved with 5 different groups and 2 community service activities at school, and has pushed his best friend into a couple of them. Hopefully he will become an involved member of any community.
I agree. I also think we sound like old people. I also think adults (not you) think a lot like kids in this regard.
I think it's unfair to judge. There could be so many reasons why a student isn't very active in community activities. For example some high school students are stuck being caretakers for a disabled relative, sometimes high schoolers are going through a rough time and don't feel like they have the extra energy or motivation for clubs. A student might be introverted by nature so joining clubs just isn't their "thing." And yes, there are some high school students that let the four years waste away, but I certainly don't think it's fair to assume that of every student who isn't fully engaged in extracurricular activities.
I feel like I was a naive COLLEGE student. I did pretty well in high school, but both of my parents were first generation college graduates, and did enough to get the degree and get out. They really didn't offer a lot of guidance in regards to organizations, internships, degree choice or even the Greek society (I kind of think a sorority would have been really fun...). I basically went to class and worked as many hours as possible, like they did. Now that I'm out, I can see many places I kind of fell down on the job. No one was there to give me advice, though. So I can easily see how a high school student without guidance wouldn't realize until too late all the opportunities that were there that they didn't know about.
This student does not have these issues. She spends her time with her boyfriend. She frequently doesn't come to school - 81+/-% attendance. She puts forth very little effort in her classes. She is taking a few classes this year that she doesn't need to graduate, so she just isn't doing anything and thinks they shouldn't count for anything. We have a program here that a student can get all tuition at a community college paid for if they tutor for one semester and have 90% attendance. She said that was too much work. I told her that they are called scholarships for a reason and that your past performance is a good indication of future performance. It would be foolish of a club to give a scholarship to someone who doesn't come to school now. Who will be there to make sure they make it to their college classes where they don't take attendance? This isn't just about extra curricular. This student stays home frequently - usually because her boyfriend is home and has less than average grades.
I can understand what you're saying midwestteacher. From what you know about that individual student, your conclusion makes sense. My post was more in regards to when we're talking about students in general.
Given what you know about the student, I'm impressed that the student is both looking into college an a way to pay for it. That's a step in the right direction even if her attitude in life is less than stellar.
I was thinking the same thing that at least sheis looking into scholarships now. She only asked you if she could work on her college application and she took the initiative to look into scholarships. Try to encourage her to pursure scholarships. Maybe mention her name to your guidance counselor nd see what resources there are for her. There might just be something out there she does qualify for. I'd hate to see her give up on college just because of the money. Even loans have loan forgiveness for certain career pursuits. You might be the only adult she's even spoken to about this. You never know how you can make a difference in one child's life until you take a chance on one of them and believe in them. Boyfriend and attendance considered, does this mean she doesn't deserve to go to college? She shouldn't give up on her plans. College degrees are such a necessity these days. The bachelors is the new high school diploma.
For the record, the comment would have probably had my dander up a little bit at the ridiculous of it. Yet, seeing it from an objective viewpoint, I arrive at a different stance. It is an interesting comment. I do think it is encouraging though that's she's lookig into it.
Yes, I completely agree. I didn't realize the world around me until my first year in college. Looking back I realize I could have gotten so much more out of HS, but the decisions have been made and I was satisfied with them at the time. I can't believe how much my whole outlook on life has changed since then.
I know this isn't the point of the first post, but here's a link to the Duck Tape prom dress scholarship. These dresses are amazing! I teach FACS and our students don't do this, but I heard from a teacher at another school that her students do it as a project. http://www.duckbrand.com/Home/Promotions/stuck-at-prom/Gallery.aspx
My high school has a service learning class - unfortunately that is the reason I had to drop out of doing any service learning activities sanctioned by the high school. You couldn't take the service learning class if you took academic biology. The school was weird like that - any class that was only offered for one period was scheduled at the same time as all the other classes that were only offered for one period. You couldn't take chemistry 2 if you took calculus! The reason I was so thrilled about the bible club wasn't because I was religious - it was because it was more like shop class than anything else. I had always wanted to take shop, but it never fit into my academic schedule. Being in the bible club, meant I could spend time after school building things out of wood.
I was like Jem except my parents did not go to college. They pushed me about grades and made it clear that college was not optional. However they had no idea that it made a difference where one went to college. Any college was as good as another, although priced differently. They told me the point of college was to prove I had "stick-to-it-iveness" and could follow through on a commitment. Needless to say, I did not do community service or extra curriculars except those that suited my interests. I did not "resume build" in high school. I worked because I wanted the spending cash and never had any inkling that it wouldn't look as good on an application as candy striping or whatever. Anyway, I didn't know that how I spent my time outside of school mattered. I thought GRADES mattered. That's what I was told. Maybe Ms. Average Attendance & Lack Of Ambition doesn't know either?
I was told to go to college by my parents, but dropped out after the 1st year because I didn't know why I was there. It took me about 5 years to go back to community college, earn an AA, then finish at a 4 year school. Ironically, I did this only because my Dad was elderly, and I wanted him to see me graduate. It was still his dream, not mine. I really wanted to be a hair dresser, but my parents looked so down upon that career that I didn't pursue it. Anyway, I got my BA with a low grade point average, but years later, got my MA with much more success. I wish I'd had more drive during my BA, but it took me awhile to figure out the world and what I wanted. Point is, that not every kid is going to understand how things work out in the real world until they get their feet wet (or get a dunk in icy cold water!). Part of the reason I chose to teach is to help kids find their unique paths.
