More from Bruce’s higher education files:
At some point, we forgot that college is supposed to prepare students for life, not protect them from it.
Too often, students are bubble-wrapped around everything. Cheating? It’s barely addressed. Expectations? They’re softened to the point of meaninglessness.
I know I cannot fully understand every student’s challenges. I come to this work with much privilege, life experience, job security, and resources that many of my students may not have. Like many of my colleagues, I do everything I can to support them, listen to them, and create an environment where they can succeed.
But support does not mean lowering the bar or removing every obstacle in the name of comfort.
We are not helping them. We are stunting them. They are in for a rude awakening when they hit the real world (not that school isn’t the real world), whether transferring to a university or starting a new job. No boss is giving them a deadline extension because they were unprepared.
College should absolutely be a learning environment. But learning also includes learning how to meet expectations, deal with consequences, and function like an adult.
We need to be firmer. Kinder, yes, but clearer. Supportive, absolutely, but not indulgent. If we do not raise the bar, we do them a massive disservice.
You cannot bubble-wrap adulthood.
And yes, a few years ago, a post like this would have landed in Human Resources or with my dean. Thankfully, I have tightened the audience and turned off the drama faucet.
Please let me know what your thoughts are.
Bruce Elgort 