Photo by Can Türkyilmaz
It’s never too early to talk to kids about college. Lakewood Elementary School counselor Lydia Dickson knows this. That’s why, last month, she invited about a dozen Lakewood alumni to visit fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms. There were a couple of Woodrow Wilson High School seniors, but most of them were college students home on break. The morning started as an impromptu reunion of 20-somethings who’ve known each other since elementary school, drinking coffee and eating oatmeal cookies. Then they broke into pairs and stood before the attentive kids. The Lakewood students asked a lot of questions: Why did you pick your college? How long are your classes? Do you live in a dorm? Did you get to pick your roommate? What is the food like? Is there recess? “They were very inquisitive,” says Savannah Landis, a student at Purdue University. One kid even asked about parties. Another asked a speaker what was the “worst” thing she’d done since college. Her answer: “I took chemistry.” “They had a lot of questions about scholarships, which I thought was impressive,” says Emily Ziegler, who attends Texas A&M University. “I don’t know if I even knew about scholarships at that age.” For most children that age, Dickson says, the concept that college isn’t free is news. Also, she says, most elementary school students don’t understand that college is an adult thing: No one tells you to go to class or do homework, and you decide your own schedule and set your own rules. Among the kids, there was much high-fiving and exclamations of “yesss!” upon learning that many college students use iPads in class, or that there are scholarships for dance and left-handed people, for example. This career day was part of a push that Dickson has undertaken to expose students to professionals and life after graduation. “I want my kids to understand and be excited about college,” she says.
