rec form: student's citizenship

D_yer_Maker
Sun, 06 Jan 2008 09:02:46 +0000

Another way to put this is to ask how the student fits in, contributes to the larger community…possibly beyond the school community.

We are all citizens of the world. Do we act in community with others or are we simply out for ourselves, hoarding what we can and acting independent of – and without consideration towards – our fellow citizens. Is the student a lone ranger, independent, self-contained academic engine? Or is the student excelling academically while also adding value to his or her community? (Again, I think this can be answered in terms of any number of communities that the student belongs to, from school to city to church to athletic team to music ensemble. Everything from the immediate family community to the global community.)

[citizenship - Definitions from Dictionary.com](CITIZENSHIP Definition & Usage Examples | Dictionary.com)

Some people regard citizenship in terms of a status that is foisted on them. BOOM! I was born in the geopolitical zone known as the United States, so I am – by default and automatic operation of law – a citizen of the United States. That gives me all sorts of rights and privileges of citizenship. But there’s more to it than that. It’s a bargain. I have certain responsibilities and duties and obligations concomitant with the rights, privileges and other goodies that inure to my benefit as a citizen of the United States. Some of these are imposed by law such as the obligation to file income tax returns and register with Selective Service at age 18. Some of these are offered up by law, such as voting and serving in public office. And others spring from within ourselves, such as sending care packages to soldiers.

In a school community…where a middle and high school student is most likely to be fully engaged in community, what might some of these duties, responsibilities and self-initiated imperatives be? In what ways are you more than just a consumer of the services and opportunities offered by your school? How do you give back? How is your experience at your school seen in terms of being part of a larger organism instead of being the “center of attention.” Are you a role player or prima donna? Do you act from an understanding that a “rising tide floats all boats” or is your creed more along the lines of “every man for himself!”?

This question will be addressed if your teacher addresses how you fit and operate within one or more communities (and, remember, she’s expressly asked to talk about “positive contributions to {the} school community”).

You know…if I was running a private school, I’d want someone to answer this question about the PARENTS of the students! So many parents at private schools I’ve been around have an attitude that paying tuition makes them consumers and that their primary role with the school is to make sure that their child is getting their money’s worth by starting at quarterback, starring in the school play, not getting too harshly disciplined for the “toilet paper incident,” and generally extracting as much as possible from the school while insulating and shielding themselves and their child from burdens and responsibilities. I guess the schools can’t vet parents like that, so instead they ask about the applicant and figure that the acorn doesn’t fall too far from the tree.