High school students have many options to practice being a mature adult. One opportunity available to is serving as an election judge.
Voting is an important responsibility of every citizen. People who start voting at the first opportunity after turning 18 are more likely to become habitual voters throughout their lives. Elections only work when there are sufficient qualified election workers to ensure that elections are run smoothly and ethically. Even though high school students are usually not eligible to vote until their senior year, in my home county of Lake County Illinois, all juniors and seniors meeting local criteria can serve as election judges. Provided that you meet grade and attendance requirements, and have permission to serve as a judge from your parents and high school principal, you can do your part to support free and fair elections in your area. Other counties may have different criteria for students to serve as election judges; contact your local county clerk for more information. Your service as an election judge is a paid position; the Lake County Clerk suggests making a donation to your favorite charity as part of your service. Students living in the Chicagoland area can find the the information and forms online at their respective clerks's websites:
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Every student needs to learn to discern what is important in his or her own opinion. Because becoming great at anything will require hard work, and they need to know that the work is worth the effort. Here's the really cool part: colleges get excited about kids who actually know themselves pretty well. The exercise of knowing who you are today is critical to life. The process of engaging on a journey and actually learning will adjust who you are on a future today, but for now, you only need to be able to understand your today today. Because the college is about engaging and teaching your student today. And about being able to do that for four years of todays. Colleges know themselves pretty well. You can see it on their mission page; on their list of Majors and Minors; on their descriptions of departments, activities, and relationships. They are trying to attract the students that they are equipped to develop, and we use their work to guide our college search. Together, we discern who your student is, who they might like to become, and find the schools that are well equipped to move your student along that path. This creates a sense of confidence is what your student wants out of life and out of college. In turn, your student is able to understand which colleges are right for your student. My students find that this work really pays off. Because colleges use your application for admission to also determine who to scholarship, applying to schools that are well-equipped to develop your student often results in generous scholarship offers. Schools that seemed too expensive become affordable, and we get to choose the best program for the next four years.
May your college selection journey be mindful and rewarding. One great summer ritual is to slow down and smell the roses. This summer, consider volunteering some of your time. I know, you think I'm going to tell you to volunteer because it "looks great on your college applications." Let me be clear: Volunteering just because it might look good on your college application is precisely the wrong reason to volunteer.
One easy way to start volunteering is to help out younger students. I love how younger students LOVE IT when older students spend time with them. They think the "big kids" are awesome. As long as you are kind, do the work that your volunteer coordinators request, and listen to the "little kids," you will do fine. Barrington High School has posted these volunteer opportunities for high school students. If you haven't volunteered much in the past, or haven't tried working with younger kids, these are great opportunities to try out.
Oh, and it will look good on your college application. But only if you do it to be there for others. Because if you do it only because of what is in it for you, then it's not really volunteering. And believe it or not, college recruiters can tell the difference.
There is a group of seven colleges in the United States that are members of the Work College Consortium. These colleges are united in their mission to deliver an affordable college experience, especially for first-generation college students, "by integrating work, learning and service throughout their college experience."
The proposition is simple and revolutionary: by working various college jobs for an average of 10-20 hours per week, students attend college practically tuition-free. In addition to the benefit of graduating with little to no educational debt, students also gain valuable work experience. The work portion is as carefully supervised as the study portion, ensuring that students develop good work habits and gain valuable experience related to potential future careers. Each college varies in its curricular focus and its approach to work opportunities. Each also works to develop a commitment to community service in each student, helping each student develop a balanced approach to learning, working, and service. These schools can be difficult to get into. Across the seven member colleges, there are almost 5300 students, which means that there are about 1320 seats available for incoming freshmen. Some of these seats are preferentially awarded to students who have grown up locally. And the schools are serious about the students's work commitments; at some, unsatisfactory work performance can lead to dismissal. But if you are a student who is committed to the developing your work and service identity while you are working through your next stage of academics, a work college may be for you. The seven work Colleges are: Last night I had the privilege to present my thoughts about the college search to the Barrington Council for the Gifted and Talented, a wonderful community group that provides social opportunities for students in our school district. They host game nights, pizza parties, and meetings about practical matters throughout the school year. Last night was their very first College Night, which drew a healthy audience of students, siblings, and parents.
The New York Times reports that a number of schools are doing some serious upgrading of their recreational facilities. In Making a Splash on Campus, schools like Louisiana State, Auburn, Texas, and Clemson share their philosophies on why your college needs a lazy river with WiFi.
The Secret of Effective Motivation, a recent article in the New York Times by Professors Amy Wrzesniewski (Yale School of Management) and Barry Schwartz (Swarthmore College), teaches me something I know, but don't always want to believe: sharing my ideas about why my daughter should do something she is already doing actually diminishes her chances of success.
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AuthorShepherding our children to adulthood demands our love, our attention, and our acceptance of who they are. Archives
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