caseystudy:

onebilliontastesandtunes:

caseystudy:

You never really have to know the person for a suicide to hit home hard. This is by no means my first time as a member of the Tribe reeling at such a devastating loss to the community, but I sincerely hope that it will be the last.

Tonight I had to write some BS teacher’s…

survival is a key point. (I am proud of myself for surviving W&M.) and I think you make a good point in terms of preparing students before they get to college— it’s okay to fail and make mistakes and struggle. I had never met those sort of challenges until I got to college and I think your students will be far better off learning to deal with them while they have you to help guide them.

Mary—I think your point about survival is really interesting. I’m gonna nerd it up again with the psychology stuff for a second. We read this book, Influence, by Cialdini in social psych, and he has a chapter one how people can be convinced to be extra-devoted to any endeavor to which they gave a lot of effort. This is the logic behind Greek system hazing and boot camp in the military—I think it also underlies our twisted love for the Tribe. We struggled and suffered for four years, and as a result we adore the College. I’m forced to wonder if we would love the Tribe so much if we weren’t forced to act like family for one another just to get by…

I was thinking the same thing myself, Andrew. At the end of the day I really do love the Tribe.  I love having had the experience.  I love having been tested and pushed to my limits time and time again.  I love that I had people to through it all with.  What would have been different had it not pushed us all?  Who would we be and what would the school be if things were different?

As I sit in my grad classes thinking “God this is a joke,” I really do wonder how much I could have progressed at any other institution. You’re right that it’s good for us, ultimately. But how to send the message that not being perfect isn’t the end of the world while simultaneously maintaining our rigor?

By the by, I just remembered this quotation calling us “academic boot camp.