Franklin Matters: Lessons from the Beloit Mindset List for the Class of 2021

Monday, September 4, 2017

Lessons from the Beloit Mindset List for the Class of 2021

An annual event is upon us again. As students (and educational professionals) return to school this September, thinking about how to approach this class and the opportunities they present will occupy some time for their reflection.

Three professors from Beloit College started this process 20 years ago by looking at what had happened during the life of the freshman class that they were faced with. Each August, the Mindset List is published. It is interesting to see what the world was for these college freshman as they grew up. The list is not meant to be the end all. It is meant to start the conversation.

"Teachers and counselors alike have used the Mindset List over the years, sometimes as the basis for one-on-one chats, and at other times for class discussions and even personal essays. This year’s List is no different. The annual Lists are wonderful icebreakers for counselors and professors and students. They stimulate intergenerational conversations."

What does the list look like? A sampling follows

They are the last class to be born in the 1900s, the last of the Millennials -- enter next year, on cue, Generation Z!
They are the first generation for whom a “phone” has been primarily a video game, direction finder, electronic telegraph, and research library.
There have always been emojis to cheer us up.
Donald Trump has always been a political figure, as a Democrat, an Independent, and a Republican.
Zappos has always meant shoes on the Internet.

As Franklinites prepare for the biennial town election this November. Let's think about

Where we are?
How did we get here?
Where do we want to go?
What do we need to do to move forward?

To help with the conversation, the election collection has thus far presented the background info on each of the elected bodies (Town Council, School Committee, Board of Assessors, Board of Health and Planning Board).

The offer to candidates to share their background and info has been made. Several candidates have taken up the offer and that information will be posted when complete.

Several key posts from the archive of Franklin Matters will be shared to remind us of the budget and other items that should be worthy of discussion as we prepare to cast our ballots on November 7.

If you have a suggestion (or two) on what you would like to see to help you prepare, please let me know. You can use any of the following methods:

send me an email (shersteve @ gmail dot com)
leave a comment here on the Franklin Matters webpage
leave a comment on the Franklin Matters Facebook page
reply to one of the @FranklinMatters tweets

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