Personal Statements

Sometimes we have to step up even more and work intensely with a student to help them get through a rough patch. It feels to me like bringing a fledgling bird back into the nest for some TLC and a chance to regroup so she can learn to fly again. Sometimes that can be done quickly, but often it takes a while. But once she takes off and flies again, it is a joyful moment.

Last week I helped get some food to a student's home; helped find an in-class math tutor for another; wrote a letter of recommendation; participated in a Hilltop Scholars information night; a volunteer celebration; taught the Palmer Scholars about time management, organization, and note taking; recruited 8th-graders at Jason Lee; and with my students I listened and listened and listened.

To catch us up on CLASS since last Tuesday:

The freshmen and sophomores are working on the beginning parts of writing a personal statement. I used a website from UC Berkeley to help guide us in the writing. The students started by writing answers to questions like:
What is special about me?
What kind of person am I?
What do I care about?
What’s it like growing up in (fill in the blank)
What’s it like going to school at (fill in the blank)

I then sat with each student and asked them to think about their answers and which ones they think they answered differently or uniquely from other students. Their answer gave us the lense through which they answered the next questions:
An achievement that made me feel terrific. . .
Something I have struggled to overcome or change about myself of my life. . .
A family experience that influenced me in some powerful way. . .
A time I blew it, failed,made bad choices, and how I got past it. . .

This is where the students left off today. I don’t think we will get back to our writing until next Monday because we will be discussing Desmond Tutu on Wednesday in preparation for our hearing him speak on Friday.

Daniel worked with the seniors last Thursday on budgeting. He said they were amazed at how quickly they spent their hypothetical money. Glad it's just play money for now! Tim is still working with the juniors on prepping for the ACT. We got them signed up for the ACT last Thursday. They will take the ACT on June 11.