The Plan

In Dr. Oliver's class, he gave us a doozey of an assignment right off the bat. He wanted our 10-year plan. I'll admit, I've never been much of a planner. I'm kind of a "see where the night takes us" kind of fella. But as I started to think of what I wanted for myself; sythesize all of the "what if's" and "that would be nice's" into a possibility of what my future could hold, I was shocked to see a mission I've set for myself.

I finish my Master's here at Baylor and go straight into working on a PhD. In Higher Educational Leadership at Ohio St., NYU, U of Maryland or maybe even Vanderbilt. Hopefully, I'll pay for my education at whatever school by fulfilling my professional dream of running a Residence Hall and working with Resident Assistants or Community Leaders or whatever, pouring into them and making a difference in the lives of students. My dissertation will be something along the lines of "The acculturation of Student Athletes in Higher Education." I feel very strongly about this topic. It is something that needs and deserves thought and research.

Also, by the time I leave whatever school is lucky enough to have me, I want to be published as an author of both fiction and non-fiction.

Then I'll go on to teach leadership courses in leadership while I learn what it takes to start a school of my own with my friend, Greg Hanson. I figure I'll use what contacts I've made through Horatio Alger to help me get started.

It'll be a 4-year secondary charter school for students showing high-aptitude, but more importantly, high-motivation from lower socio-economic status and backgrounds, mainly inner-city. We'll partner with a community and relocate the students from the City such as Chicago, New York or Miami to a small town outside of walking distance away, like Carthage, Ill.

I have ideas for the housing, such as having Faculty and their families live with students from a cohort to form a true residential learning community. We would live and teach in the cohort system, each cohort or peer group takes the same classes. What's more, we would be two-deep at every faculty level. Then, the faculty members would follow their cohort through all four years of their matriculation.

The school would worry less about test scores and more about the fact that we've never had a student drop out through lack of emotional or moral support. We would try to create an environment of cooperation among the students and not competition.

What's more, I'm very interested in progressive grading which is subject to inflation. That is, I am interested in de-emphasizing Letter Grades and instead pursuing the EverGreen State system of essay grades. For each class Joe or Josephine takes, in lieu of a letter, he or she will receive an essay of fitting length describing in-depth what parts of the course requirements Joe excelled at, fully grasped, and perhaps, needs further thought upon.

Also, while intramural sports or activities will be mandatory, athletics will be de-emphasized. This school's motives will stay pure. Everyone will participate in music courses of some sort.

As for how the school is funded. Obviously it'll be private and fully endowed. Greg suggested getting the money from a single donor and calling it the Oprah Winfrey Institute. Personally, I believe maybe some of my contacts might be more likely. So it could end up being the Wayne Huizenga School or Arthur C. Cioca High or perhaps even Le lycee d'Horatio Alger. I'm not picky. It doesn't even have to sound classy. (Nabisco's EZ Cheeze High?)

That's it as of right now. But I reserve the right to tweak any of these dreams as they are, in fact, mine.