How should we talk about college?

It’s time to write recommendation letters again, which any teacher of seniors will tell you is the spookiest part of the entire season. As our students have an eye on all these college applications, we’ve seen a lot of different stories floating around about the value of college. Some of the more disingenuous politicians take pleasure in attacking the mere idea of college for political gain, throwing wrenches into an already complicated system that they don’t understand. On the other hand, there is some very compelling reporting about the changing attitudes we (Americans) have about college. We think these attitudes and assumptions are at the very foundation of our work, and are worth digging into during a time when education seems to be changing so quickly. We’d love to hear your thoughts & ideas that help you make grading efficient, fair, and do its most essential job–provide meaningful, actionable feedback for students to improve. You can leave us an audio message for the next episode: podinbox.com/brokencopier Thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim’s former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band’s recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design. Find Tom’s work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized. Find Alberto’s work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email thoughts to [email protected]. Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com