Changing Passions
According to Merriam-Webster, passion is defined as a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something. We all have passions and we probably have passions that have changed over the years, changing with every stage of our life’s journey.
As a youngin’ I’m sure I was just passionate about having fun and being a kid. When I was in high school, one of my classmates and I wanted to go to Clown School instead of college. Imagine how different my life would have been if I did that!! In college, Whittier College-not Clown College, I was passionate about introducing myself to anyone and everyone I met, being actively involved in theatre and ultimately getting my teaching certification, all while developing strong friendships. My current friends from college can attest to that! In the subsequent years, I taught, was involved in theatre, and maintained the strong bonds I made while I was in college. As I got older, married, and had children my passions for the above remained strong but now were also centered around my family and helping my boys find their passions, understanding it doesn’t have to be just one. Now I have a new passion, one that I have been actively working on for the last several years.
When my boys were in high school I wanted to help students find a college that matched their personalities and what they wanted to accomplish during this stage of their lives, regardless of the cost. I guided students to look at a variety of colleges, realizing that what they were absolutely sure of what they wanted to do with their life then might very well change, that offered what they were interested in as well as anything that might strike their fancy. When my eldest boy struggled with the “I don’t know what I want to do and I don’t know where”, I asked him to give me four things, just four- size, general location, an academic area of interest, and then a non-academic interest. The answer was- I don’t care, West Coast, Environmental Science, and Ultimate Frisbee. The I don’t care about the size prompted a few more questions and that answer became a school where professors can get to know who he was and he could get to know prefessors-so a smaller school. We found schools that fit that bill. My son, who had no idea of what he wanted to do or where he wanted to be, is about to graduate from Grad School with a Masters in the fields of Geo-Physics and Geo-Archaeology.
This journey with my oldest and youngest son, and other students I have helped through their college exploration and application process, has made me feel very passionately about helping students and families understand that they should apply anywhere, and not just public and you know, maybe not going to college at this point in time is okay. As a matter of fact I feel that students can’t afford NOT TO apply to private schools. You CAN negotiate with private schools. You CAN find money that doesn’t need to be repaid. There is FREE money available even through that particular college for both need-based and non need-based financial aid. My younger son’s state college costs will far exceed the out of pocket expenses for my oldest’s $50K plus a year college education. BUT…equally important is the role that the student plays in this exploration. Honestly, colleges do not really want to hear from Mom or Dad, they want to be communicating with the student, but that’s an entirely different conversation. Parents need to not tell their child(ren) where they are going to apply, but help guide them without bias. I don’t mean any disrespect but no child needs to carry on the ‘family tradition’ of attending the parent’s alma mater or even the grandparent’s for that matter. That too is another conversation!
In fact, students and their parents should explore the less traditional option of taking a ‘Gap Year’, applying to colleges that offer this and then starting as a freshman a year later. Why? Sometimes, this is really what is best for the student. My youngest, school has never been his favorite place to be, could have benefited from this, but he also knew himself well enough at that time that he wouldn’t have gone back so he is powering through. And you know, sometimes we even need to think of these things with students entering high school, for those especially entering on the young side, those just not quite ready. There are options at this level as well. Kids have enough stressors in their lives and we, as adults and as parents, need to do a better job of recognizing this in our own children as well as those we are responsible for during the course of a day. We need to do a better job of providing realistic and positively reinforced options. We need to help the youth of today before we lose more of them.
So passion, a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something. I am still very passionate about education. I am still very passionate about my family and my friends, some of whom span the last 40–50 years, you know who you are. I am still very passionate about theatre and what theatre offers, not only to adults but students as well. But those who have spoken with me over the last several years, especially when they are talking college, they get an earful, in a positive way. They hear my passion and they listen. I am not the expert in this field, but having a passion doesn’t mean you are an expert, but experience does help.
