Looking Down the Road

Last week, we took a field trip to Florida Gulf Coast University. Every seventh grader in our school participated. It is like a rite of passage. It is one of the two seventh grade field trips every year. I think the district is trying to expose the kids to the idea of college. Many have it in their minds that they are going to college after high school but many others do not. This trip shows our kiddos that the option is there for them if they want it.

I am a big proponent of kids going to college. I know it is not necessary to become the best person one can be, but for the experience of it (moving far from home, being on your own for the first time in your life, meeting a variety of people from around the globe), it can't be beat. I want my kiddos open to the idea that college may be an option for them. Many don't even consider it an option. Whether it is cost, grades, or not thinking that they are "college material", a lot of my students don't even think about college. I have been working all year to change that.

I have begun many sentences this year with "When you get to college", or "After high school, when you get to make your own schedule in college". It is important that we talk about college as if it is a given, that they will have that option to take or leave. I want the expectation that they will go to school after high school, be it college, junior college or tech school. We know that these days a high school diploma is not enough for the average kiddo to get a good-paying job. It takes more.

On our tour of FGCU, we saw a dorm room, Alico Arena (where the FGCU basketball team plays), an engineering classroom, the student commons, the library, and several gathering spots around campus. FGCU is a new school, celebrating its twentieth year of operation this year. The campus has newer buildings and a fresh look. It is an attractive place for kids to consider going to school. It is also relatively inexpensive. During the tour, I overheard several kids saying, "I'm going here!" I smiled at that. Others said, "I'm not. I'm going to Florida (the University of Florida)!" I smiled at that as well. Kids were talking about going to college as if it were in the cards now. Some of those same kiddos didn't see the possibility last week. Now they do. The more our tour guide talked about the opportunities, the more kids began to see things differently. 

I tell kids all of the time, "You want to be in the position where you get to make decisions, not have decisions made for you." That means that kids have to achieve enough that they can choose from a selection of things for which they qualify. They are making the decision. If they only qualify for one thing, the decision is made for them. That is why I push college so hard. I know that if they achieve enough to be accepted by a handful of colleges, they will be the decision-maker. They can decide which school to attend or not to attend at all. Regardless, the decision is theirs. 

As we loaded back onto the bus at the end of the day, kids were reminiscing about what they saw on campus. Some were comparing this campus to others that they have seen. I suggested to my kiddos that anytime they have a chance to see a college campus, they should take the opportunity. I look back with fond memories at all of the times I have spent on the campuses of the colleges I've attended. These kids are excitedly looking forward to the experience they will have. College is not out of reach for them. They know that now.