Saturday, May 21, 2011

Where to Begin?

I got an email recently from someone who says his daughter is in high school and wants to teach high school English, and wants to ask how UWEC can help her achieve her educational goal.

When I read this, I get the feeling that someone has told this person to ask how whatever college can help his student achieve his/her educational goal. It just feels canned.

And so I'm not quite sure how to answer. What I'd really like to say is: you need to step back and encourage your daughter to take the initiative. If she's interested in what we have to offer, she should contact us. If she's interested in doing well in school, she should take the initiative to study hard and learn well.

At the same time, I recognize that parents are anxious about their kids' futures and trying to do their best to help them in whatever way they can. So I do try to answer helpfully, but I'm never quite sure what's helpful in this case.

4 comments:

  1. "What I'd really like to say is: you need to step back and encourage your daughter to take the initiative. If she's interested in what we have to offer, she should contact us. If she's interested in doing well in school, she should take the initiative to study hard and learn well."

    -I agree with this statement 100%. This person's daughter is at an age when she is perfectly capable of pursuing her own goals and finding her own information. Helicopter parents that I, as an educator, meet a lot more often than I'd like to do their children a huge disservice by infantilizing them this way.

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  2. perhaps the parent is asking you to sell your U for a student like this? not sure what you can say besides, we have an english department offering breadth in the subject matter and more focused courses for upperclassment, and the education department prepares teachers for that profession, and we offer academic counseling to help students meet their goals.

    it seems weird that a HS parent would contact you with this question. you might make your response less directed at the annoying parent: we encourage interested students to study hard, learn well, and take the intiative to contact us regarding particular concerns.

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  3. * upperclassmen.

    it seems so very tempting to directly advise the parent to back the heck off, but that runs the risk of the family crossing your U off the application list and badmouthing the U to other parents.

    if the daughter was in your class, though, something more direct seems totally appropriate.

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  4. That does seem a little weird, but as the parent of a 2nd grader who encounters messages right and left that I have to Be! Involved! in all aspects of my child's school, I am getting somewhat impatient with all the news coverage of helicopter parents. I know, there's 10 years of difference between a 2nd grader and a HS senior, and I know, I'll act differently than I do now. And if this were my kid, I'd be coaching her--if she wanted it--on what questions to ask of a college professor.

    I'd be inclined to answer the question with something like "Great question, would love to talk with your daughter about the ways that our excellent English department with its breath of programs is a wonderful place to study." or, if I weren't actually interested in talking with a HS student, point them toward the admissions office and its student tours or something.

    Maybe it's a parent who's not sure how to get info about programs and doesn't know how to help hir kid be more independent, and maybe a little redirection would do the trick.

    I don't get a lot of calls from parents, put telling them that I'm happy to talk with their children always seems to do the trick.

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