I recently had the opportunity to informally interview a family (whom I know) that had just completed an admission tour. Proctor is the third school they'd visited, with two more ahead. My greatest interest, of course is Proctor's points of differentiation, so I started with the innocuous "What do you think?" Mom took over right away, responding, "Your kids are soooooo busy. Everyone's got a place to go, and when they get there, everyone's got things to do."
Funny that it takes a visitor to highlight that notion for me, who have been here so long I take things for granted. "They're working hard," she went on, "and their work is challenging, but I saw groups of students doing things that they knew they could accomplish with enough effort. "
That's the secret, as if it were a secret. When assignments are perceived as doable, one is motivated to do them.
There is no unique grading period that ends next Thursday when we break for the holidays, but this first chunk of the winter trimester is a critical start to the term, and people are working hard!
Algebra can be exhausting, but Stu is actually being industrious.
