In A Nutshell XLVII

In a Nutshell

A place set aside to answer 201 autobiographical questions from a mother for her daughter. This may take awhile...join us if you like.

47. This is why I went to college:

I don't think that it ever occurred to me, once I had heard about college, that I wouldn't go. I even intended to go to grad school, as soon as I knew about that. I ran into a friend from high school after a number of years and he asked me if I had a PhD. yet, and I responded with, "No, the highest you can go in Montessori is a masters." Which, of course, I had.

I loved school at every level. I knew I would love college. I was counting on it to find a boy friend. Auntie used to tell me, as I hung out with my group of boys but never dated, that once I got to college, where all of the boys were smart, it would be easier. And it was. I was dating almost at once. Of course, I didn't have any idea of what I was doing, and the guys did, which led to some situations I can laugh about now but which just confused the hell out of me then.

Anyway, I went to college to become an archaeologist, and when I returned after Julie was born, to become a child psychologist. I am so lucky -- before I committed myself to grad school, I went out and talked to several child psychologists and they all told me that it was very frustrating work, because parents brought you their kids and wanted you to fix the kid (which usually meant make him more obedient) when it was the parent who needed fixing. I didn't want to do that,and I have since seen psychologists who work with children who have been removed from their parents, and that is harder still.

So, instead of going to grad school in psychology, I went to grad school in Montessori education and worked with kids in a way that didn't involve "fixing" them.