I think it is accurate to say that in 20 years of working in and around higher education, I have taken at least two weeks off every year around Christmas and New Years. Obviously when I was working (full time) at various universities, that was easy as the institution was typically closed for at least 7-10 days and we often had two-three weeks off anyway. But even when at eCollege or Pearson, and including this year, the plan is a solid two weeks off. No teaching, no students, no email, no consulting, no keynotes, no travel – just time for me and my family. Ahhhh.
In talking with other academics and college admins, I hear similar stories about the winter break. For many in higher ed, this seems to be about as “true” a break as there is, often finding academics researching or presenting during spring break, summer break, etc.
But I also hear from a lot of colleagues that this particular time off is a good time to read. In fact, I’m surprised at how often I hear that many faculty, staff, and administrators try to read two books in between Fall and Spring semesters. The first book is purely for pleasure – something fictional or self-help or biographical in nature seems to be the desire. But the second is what I would like to talk about here – a book the develops or enriches or augments professional life.
If you missed our Summer Reading Series blog, there are a wealth of good options there. From Range (Epstein) to Mindset (Dweck) to Brain Rules (Medina) to The End of Average (Rose), there are a plethora of great options out there to stretch your mind and sharpen your thinking.
But I want to add a new option to the list this winter. I am almost finished with “The Years That Matter Most” by Paul Tough (2019), and it really needs to be on the radar of higher education leaders. The book asks, and attempts to answer (despite conflicting research, ambiguous findings, and poorly designed studies) some hard questions very specific to education.
Does a college degree make a difference? Does the university chosen change a person’s stars? Does it make a difference if one goes to Harvard, Michigan State, or Pierce College? Why do students often choose to go to “lesser” schools when they not only qualify, but are entitled to scholarships at more prestigious institutions? Is a letter and potentially an interview the best way to admit students? These are the kinds of questions (with many others) tackled by the first-in-family author.
At the same time, while the data and stats are compelling as both answers and generators of more questions, it’s the stories of people that will stay with you. From tutors who help students increase their SAT / ACT scores through methods ranging from multiple test taking to psychological support via spin bikes simply helping “de-stress” the experience. Tough also gives us glimpses into the lives of unsupported, highly-qualified high school seniors who desperately want to change their stars without help or funding. The stories of people are quite compelling.
Those stories also create a platform for some poignant questions. For instance, how is it possible for a student to be declined by “lesser” state or quasi-Ivy institutions, while getting both accepted and a scholarship to Stanford? Why would a qualified student ignore full-ride scholarships to top schools like Harvard and Yale, instead going to the local college?
The book also explains in nice detail how students are sorted and filtered in the US higher education system. A NY Times review / interview with the author (Sept, 2019) explains it like this:
The wealthy congregate at the most elite universities; the middle class raid retirement accounts and bury themselves in student loans in order to attend increasingly budget-strapped state schools; and the poor — if they go to college at all — are exploited by a cadre of aggressively marketed for-profit institutions.
I hope this peaks your interest. It really is a compelling read. At the same time (and in a very self-serving manner) I also hope you might consider catching up on some of our IICE blogs! Notice that we tag and theme each blog (see the bottom of each). Click on any of this metadata and you’ll find other blogs specific to that idea or concept.
But regardless of what you read…or even if you are (literally) taking time away from reading at all, just focusing on family, friends, or anything else, I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing break! And while I will not be blogging over the break, I will post a few blogs before I head out and set them to auto-publish. (I love technology!)
Good luck and good learning.