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On Teaching

 The college essay is tricky because (1) it's counterintuitive to expose your deepest flaws, and (2) actual reflection takes work.


The temptation is to recite achievements, which will not win you fans. I spent the weekend reading a memoir about a woman who found her soulmate when she was sixteen; he was in his forties. She writes about how various cops thought her lover was her father, how she became a stepmother to a "child" who was actually older than she was. Now *that* is a memoir. But: try digging down to that core of honesty if your "thought partner" is a high-school homecoming queen.

One of my kids does inherently understand the process. He writes, "I celebrate nerdiness. I'd like to tell you about my rock collection...." I have no doubt that this kid will land precisely where he wants to land.

But another writes, "The poverty in the Dominican was really upsetting to me--until I came to understand that all of these people were unbelievably happy." My heart goes out to this kid--and I know I've stumbled on a challenge.

The toughest of all? A young woman explains, "I get it. I get it. This is supposed to be about a hard thing that I overcame? And, like, once I was sick for three weeks...."

It's been a treat to get out of my own head.
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