Thanks to Brit, my UNR student, for conducting an interview with Victor, an international student from France. Victor revealed many interesting topics and challenges that one faces when traveling to the United States from another country. These cross-cultural challenges bring many opportunities for new programs and ideas to help ease the transition into our very unique culture.
Video Interview: International Student from France
Filed under Higher Education, International Education
Tara Madden-Dent, Ph.D. 
Thirteen-year-old Logan LaPlante certainly would be the envy of Huckleberry Finn. With all of his various adventures and experiences, it doesn’t appear as if he goes to any school at all except for the one at Squaw Valley. He dabbles here and there. Being familiar with his father, I believe his son is getting a good education. But not all kids are so lucky.
So what could part of LaPlante’s experience could be incorporated in the schools? More exercise. More flexibility.
How about a mid-morning stretch and exercise routine in the hallways to get kids going? Sometimes one or two kids at Job Corps join me in doing some exercises when I’ve been the hallway monitor. But mostly, the kids stand and talk in the hallways or go off school grounds to smoke.
Hackschool is not for everyone. Education would ground to a halt if everyone went off to do their own thing. Students must pass entrance to get into college so they have to learn what’s likely to be the test. And I question how students could handle a rigid schedule of coursework once they got there — if they’d always done their own thing.
However, I can see the benefit of having some time off for students to pursue their own interests and getting credit for it. As a former newspaper reporter, I’m a big believer in internships and learning by doing and observing. Reno was my classroom for 30 years.