Senior projects

Today I was at a meeting about senior projects that all ESOL students were required to attend. Word had been buzzing among students about senior projects for weeks. Some of them had come up to us, concerned about what they had to do. We've been asked to help students with these projects.

The senior project is a graduation requirement for all high school students in the state. It is a yearlong effort that involves not just a paper, but also involves fieldwork, a portfolio, and a presentation in front of a panel of judges. Students can pick their own topic, but it must be one into which they can do serious research.

There were a variety of responses to the announcement of the project today. Some students were excited and knew what they wanted to do right away, while others felt a bit anxious about all that was involved. Many of the topics that students wanted to do were quite impressive: illegal immigration, organ transplants, foreign aid to dictators, and so forth. Other students did not know what they wanted to research yet, so they had a list to consult. Some of the topics were unfamiliar to them: "What is holistic medicine? Sweatshops? Outsourcing? Jihad? The right to die?" We discussed these together.

We anticipate seeing many more students coming in with senior project questions next week. I think it'll be exciting and fun.