(no subject)

[katallison.livejournal.com]

This challenge *rocks.* One thing I've been enjoying in some of the stories (shellmidwife's and heuradys's, for example) is writers taking the opportunity to use some of their own specific professional knowledge in the documents they create. So this weekend, after several grueling days of getting new college students oriented and registed, and scribbling reams of file notes, I found this floating into my head. It's wayyyy over the word limit, so I'm posting it on my own webspace rather than in LJ, with apologies for inconvenience. Just a bit of silly fluff, but I had fun writing it.

Comments

[beledibabe.livejournal.com]

Url, please? I can't find it! ::tearing hair::

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Sorry! Links don't always show up clearly on LJ. ::mutter mutter:: It's at:
www.katallison.com/advisee.htm (http://www.katallison.com/advisee.htm).

[theodosia.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't call it fluff at all!!! It has the advantage of feeling very true to life, and true to the way things very well might have gone for the character. Brava!

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It's sure true to my life in a lot of ways *g*. And it was great fun imagining Ray-the-college-student.

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

Not fluff. It's so Ray...and so *my* students (or a few of them, at least). And you know, I've been teaching long enough now, that I've had some former students who were lovely people, but just not academically inclined, pop back into view (visiting me in my office or sending an email after ten years) with news about how they actually ended up finding their niche in business or art or design or whatever. This was a very cool background piece for Ray's life.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

*nodding* It's my greatest challenge as an advisor, really--how to deal with students who are bright and talented but not at all academic in their interests. They've got the societal message of "You have to get a degree," but boy, a lot of them I think would be much happier (and do better, long-term) going somewhere other than college. Thanks for the kind words!

[beledibabe.livejournal.com]

Wow. If this is the sort of thing you have to do every day, I tip my hat in your direction!

Yeah, this was Ray. Great characterization, and I loved the misspellings in his letter, too. ::g::

Very interesting, both as an insight into a young Ray, and as an example of your job.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Well, but of course if I got to work with the young Ray every day, I'd mind my job much less. *g* Really glad you liked it, Carla--thanks!

[umbo.livejournal.com]

God, Kat, that was *wonderful*. Loved it loved it loved it. So glad of any small part I had in inspiring you.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

*bowing* You're always inspirational, shell, and thanks so much for your comments!

[katallison.livejournal.com]

It's funny how vivid college-Ray is in my mind. I have quite a few students of his general stripe, actually, as I commented to Beth above--charming, energetic, ready to do all kinds of exciting things, just not sit in a classroom. A lot of them are there basically to make their parents happy, but the whole thing often results in discord. I was very pleased to be able to send Ray off on a path that ends up working out well for him, since I can't do that for a lot of my RL students, alas. Thanks for your comments!

[cesperanza.livejournal.com]

I don't know if this will make you happy or not, but one of the challenges in the list is "college-age characters"--Fraser and Rays and Frannie and Welsha and all that. *g* So you may be able to draw on this for a later story!

This rocked, btw. And yeah, it was so real, academically, and so Ray, characterologically. This is the best challenge. Love this.

[akite.livejournal.com]

I'm one of those less eloquent students. :) Wow, Kat, just wow! I love this challenge!

[katallison.livejournal.com]

I adore epistolary stories, and stories told through documents, so I've been delighted with this challenge and the stories it's produced. (And yes, I need to get off my torpid ass and send feedback, dammit.) Needless to say, I'm very pleased you liked this, and thank you!

[shayheyred.livejournal.com]

I love your OFC, the advisor. She seems grounded in reality, with liberal doses of compassion and concern. Reading this paper trail of Ray's college life was alternately painful and inspiring, but always quite believable. I like the hopeful note at the end, even if we know what did and did not work out in Ray's life.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

*g* I feel like I've let myself indulge in a bit of Mary Sue-ism with this OFC; her file notes are a lot like mine, but boy, she's a whole lot better with the follow-up calling than I ever manage to be. (I also lifted her name from an advisor who helped keep me sane when I was a fucked-up undergrad.) Really glad you enjoyed it--it was great fun to write.

[imkalena.livejournal.com]

Oh, lordy!! That gave me freakin' chills about being back in college, which was right along the same lines as high school, except I had more fun and more friends. I must have had an advisor, at least on paper, but the only person who ever gave me any advice was the doctor at Student Health Services who told me to get to a dentist NOW, because the packing had come out of my wisdom tooth incision and the nerve was bare.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Ouch. At least that was good practical advice. *g* But yeah, most people I know seem to have had either lousy or no advising at college. It's taken me a while to get clear that most student don't really even need someone giving them *advice* so much as they need someone who'll just hush up, sit back, and listen to them, with sympathetic attention. I can imagine that's something that would have been pretty valuable to 18-year-old Ray, for sure.

[ozsaur.livejournal.com]

I laughed every time I saw "gave pep talk" she seems to do that a lot. I really liked her and I liked seeing a young Ray through her eyes.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Heh. One can only imagine that this helped set Ray up for all the Fraser Pep Talks that were coming his way down the road. Little did he know...

Very glad to know you enjoyed it!

[moxie-brown.livejournal.com]

That was great; I loved Ray's ups and downs through college, very true to life.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Very glad you liked it--thanks so much!

[ardent-muses.livejournal.com]

Kat, I enjoyed this immensely! First of all, your HTML ability is awe-inspiring. (But that's not the most important thing. *G*)

I felt like I *was* your OFC as I was reading, and I felt sad that she was putting so much into this kid who was just going to walk blithely away -- hopefully better off. It reminded me of teaching -- knowing that you needed to give them everything and not expect anything back. Like Kalena, I had nobody like this in HS or college, and I really could have used one.

Some great little human moments here: when she told him not taking a student loan was "dumb", when she enquired into whether there would be a third dependent, and her pegging of Stella as "petulant". I also loved Ray's sweet, misspelled letter.

I was sorry Ray didn't go to school there for another year. *G* Wonderful piece.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! Actually, I'd planned to fancy up the layout a bit more, maybe even scan in some of the forms we actually use at my college, but time got short...

I'm delighted that you enjoyed it! Writing it did give me some compensation for all the Ray-like students I've had who just wandered off, never to be heard from again. At least this way I know Ray's career choice worked out well for him. *g*

[kassrachel.livejournal.com]

Lovely work, Kat! Way to draw on real-life experience to create a character who (even just via her notes) is charming, vivid, and real.

And I loved her view of college-age Ray.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

He *is* such a sweetie, isn't he? ::happily petting teenage Ray::

Thanks so much, Kass; I'm thrilled that you liked it!

[rowanfairchild.livejournal.com]

LOL! I always knew I had a deep connection with Ray! Aside from the awful flashbacks *g*, this was terrific and rich with the kinds of details (both real and speculative) that I adore. Great take on the challenge, Kat!

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Rowan, thanks so much! And yeah, first year of college is pretty awful for lots of people. Very glad you enjoyed this!

[brooklinegirl.livejournal.com]

This was so cool! I love this little peek into Ray's life. I'm with the others, I love the idea of him in a suit, with a haircut and a wedding band (and most probably a smirk). But I truly do love this little aside: Pretty young woman, looks a bit petulant. Ah, that's Stella to a T, methinks.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Oh, *definitely* a smirk. And I can somehow just picture the photo session with Stella: "No, c'mon, just move your head a little to the left--" "Ray, I have *homework* to do!" "Hang *on,* I gotta reset the f-stop--look, wouldja sit *still*, jeez!" "And aren't you supposed to be studying for your math quiz?" etc. etc.

Academic advisor flash

[(Anonymous)]

This was terrific re: DS but it was completely different from my college advisement experience. In my department, the "advisor" was the department secretary, and "advisement" consisted of taking your intended schedule to her before registration, her asking if you were sure you had the prerequisites and that you had chosen correctly, followed by her stamping and signing your form. Then you'd say "see you next semester" and that would be it.

BK

[katallison.livejournal.com]

*g* You are totally correct, and actually I forgot to append an intended author's note saying that a student would never really get this kind of advising in a community college (or in most 4-year colleges, for that matter). I was going by the approach we use at the college where I work, which allows/encourages a much higher level of advisor involvement. It *is* a great place to work (I keep telling myself this, as I gear up for another all-consuming day of orientation).

[lynnmonster.livejournal.com]

This was great. I loved how the sense of low-grade (heh) frustration and discouragement on both ends affects both Ray and his advisor but doesn't make either of them give up.

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

Lovely story.

My mother-in-law works with at-risk teens, and she's got 40 years of experience/training in special education. She says that the consistent factor in the lives of the kids who "made it" despite really disadvantaged backgrounds is that there was at least one adult in their lives who cared, and the child knew that the concern was real and personal.

So even if it doesn't seem like like the help is acknowledged at the time it's given, seeds can be planted that will flourish later.

3 years later what now?

[shoemaster.livejournal.com]

Ray dropped in en route to Soc final; almost didn't recognize him, he had a suit (!) and a haircut, and a wedding band. Said he figured he'd give Anderson a heart attack. Looked about 12, but v. happy.

Oh Ray, god I can just picture that so well. It kind of hurt watching him struggle through at the beginning, but it sort of? worked out, the cop thing, if not the Stella bit. Very nice piece :D