I’ve hit the road this week with my oldest daughter to visit college campuses.
4 days. 4 schools. 2 hotel rooms. 1 minor league baseball game thrown in for good fun. And covering about 996 miles in about 84 hours. It is not a trip for the weary.
As I try to keep my #1000Words a day writing habit going, I thought I’d share some things I’ve learned in the first half of the trip.
- While visiting three of the four colleges so far, I’ve noticed that a lot of the programs and amenities are similar. Most colleges and universities have recognized how students learn, and have committed to student-centered learning. We’ve seen Makerspaces at more than one school, and have commented on the number of areas where students can reserve space to work collaboratively or alone. I even joked with my daughter that I might consider going back to college full time so that I can also reserve some of these quiet study spaces to commit to writing more.
- I feel like our high schools, middle schools, and even elementary schools should take a page out of the higher ed learning model. Everything is student driven. There is a ton of choice involved, and lots of mentoring to support individual students in their choices. I don’t think that any student goes unsupported if they want help. We need to provide more flexibility and support for students.
- Minor league baseball is where it’s at. Coming from an area that lost its AA team a few years ago when Major League Baseball consolidated the minor league system, we were able to see a AAA game that featured top-notch baseball. The game is more family friendly. Everyone is willing to talk baseball, and generally kind and caring about everyone else’s fan experience. My daughter and I had a lovely time at the game, and we were talking about what other minor league stadiums we could tour on future college visits.
- There is nothing quite like driving for hours on end in the car to truly get to connect with your children. My daughter and I have had serious conversations, many laughs, listened together to podcasts that hopefully made us smarter, and had quite a few singalongs so far. I will truly treasure this time together, especially once she leaves for school next year.
That’s it so far. There’s nothing like a good road trip.
I found out long ago.
It’s a long way down the holiday road.
Rich