College Readiness Faculty to Faculty meeting at Alamosa High School

Here is a word cloud (thank you wordle.net) from a meeting I had this week which included faculty from Adams State College, Trinidad State Junior College, Alamosa High School and Ortega Middle School to discuss the challenges our students face to be "College Ready."

I don't have all the answers, but I'm grateful to be in the conversation.  I'll be attending the monthly Colorado Remedial Education Policy Review task force meeting May 25th and will bring the comments with me.  I'll also bring these ideas with me to the Kellogg Institute (a month-long fellowship to work on our near-peer mentoring project and/or other interventions to support students). 

Optional Extra

One challenge I'm working through is determining what things are required/necessary, and what things are "Optional Extra" and how best to communicate this set of values to new college students, especially first generation and/or so-called "non-traditional" students who now comprise 75% of developmental enrollees.

For our students, many things that we faculty think of as required, such as doing the homework or purchasing the textbook or MathXL login license, fall into their "optional extra" category.  Getting involved with campus events may fall into optional extra. Reading the textbook.  Attending class.

In the past perhaps we could assume that students attending college have been so-called "traditional," having the following traits:

1) "traditional" age of about 18 years old.
2) full-time students whose primary activity is attending college (ie not working 20+ hours at walmart and/or raising a family)
3) financially supported by parents

But now, it's a new reality and we need to adapt to it.

Being a Completionist

This week I enjoyed the satisfaction of completing a project.  It isn't perfect, but it is done.  There is a wonderful balance between striving to do things as well as I can (the "perfectionist" part of me) and striving to be satisfied with getting things done within budget, within time, being a completionist.

Choose two...