#the fact that i earn first place over my seniors from english faculty as a first year... akkk they were so nice too 😭🙌✨ good sports

[gojoux]

I won 1st place on my first annual creative writing competition, I’m so happy rn 🥹✨

[jed-thomas]

Debt and Unreality at a British University

Most of the time, when journalists or researchers ask students in Britain about their “concerns” and their “experience”, they’re not looking for answers like: ‘I don’t feel real.’ Because, well, what do you do with that?

A friend of mine sat on a stiff leather couch in the hallway, tiredly scrolling. She’d just clocked out. For nine grand, we were getting about 7 hours of teaching a week. The rest of the time, of course, was supposed to be devoted to reading all the material we’d be discussing in seminars or attending lectures on. But she was working part-time at a Pizza Express. The maintenance loans only stretch so far, especially with rent around here. And you have to catch a bus to get to campus. Lots of us, our parents helped out. But if the ‘rents can’t or won’t pay, you’re a little stuffed.

In 2019, it was reported that over half of young people are now attending university. These figures represent the fulfilment of a target set by Tony Blair at a Labour Party conference in 1999, during his first term as Prime Minister. In July of the year before, Blair’s parliament passed the Teaching and Higher Education Act, introducing tuition fees for universities across the UK. In 1990, around 25% of young people stayed in some form of full-time education beyond the age of 18. Today, most young Britons will have experienced the presumption that they’re a university student and frequently, the expectation.

Yesterday, the University of Warwick’s official Twitter account shared a link to a blog post on how to ‘relieve intense stress in 60-seconds.’ The post was written by a current student.

In 1962, towards the end of Harold Macmillan’s Conservative premiership, “ordinarily resident” students were exempted from tuition fees and made eligible for a means-tested maintenance grant. Shortly after the Teaching and Higher Education Act of 1998, maintenance grants were replaced with loans. In 2004, the cap on tuition fees rose to £3,000 and by 2010, it had risen to its current rate of around £9,000. There were protests over that last increase, of course. The protests were in 2010 and I went to university in 2017. I now owe the British government around £27,000 for tuition and around £10,000 for maintenance. If you’re going this year, you’ll end up owing roughly the same - more, if your family earns less than mine.

You hear things. “Oh, they’re antidepressants.” A friend with a weird flatmate who never leaves their room. Oddly intense desperation eking out of drunk students from some corner of a smoking-area. Vaguely recognisable names and their time of death. “Honestly, just couldn’t be bothered to get up.” An acquaintance from your course drops out and moves back home. Barely concealed frustration in your professor’s tone, hushed rants in faculty corridors. And you notice other things. Admissions of 'suicidal ideation' and life-crises on a FaceBook page which is supposed to be about students sending anonymous messages of romantic interest. Sarcastic tweets about ‘mental health dogs’ and ‘mindfulness seminars’ have become cliché. A routinely empty chair in your seminar room. Strained eyes staring into the middle-ground, silence attending the teacher’s question. Dysfunction as normality. Your diagnosis in your bio next to where you go to uni.

In 2014, it was reported that one in seven full-time students also work full-time. The same report put the proportion of full-time students working part-time at a third. A number of reasons were given as to why they were doing this. I wonder, when they look at their bank accounts, or their accommodation, or their text on sociology, on Latin American history, on virology, existentialism, do they feel they have a handle on things? "I’m a full-time barista, full-time student." "Hello, I’m an impossibility."

For students, the British university is an experiment in unreality. Am I a customer or a pupil? Am I demanding a service from a business or being educated by my elders for my own good? Will it be my fault for selecting a ‘non-applicable’ degree or their fault for selling it to me? Everything is optional, even when it isn’t. You spend all week pouring over the text but feel embarrassed to correct or question the people who clearly didn’t because the professor doesn’t: “Don’t worry if you haven’t done the reading.” Next time, you just put in a sentence or two to fill one of the many silences, improvising off of what others have said, pretending you read whatever it was. Then, of course, coursework is set assessing your knowledge of the curriculum. You spend a couple of days stressed out, hoping to turn your lack of knowledge into a scholarly tone of caution and hedged bets. You go to a careers fair, a student union election, a party, a debate. Nothing sticks, tomorrow is the same day. Your teachers are devotees of a faith but you have to fill the ranks of their picket against the Church. The protestors mass, fill the campus with tension and noise, and then, in a couple of weeks, you’re sitting in the same seminar room with the same professor doing the same thing. You have to think surprisingly hard to remember that past, fugitive now in an opaque present. The only thing that changes is that a few new buildings emerge from their shells of scaffolding. When you miss almost five weeks, there is an email or two. One time, because of your chronic truancy, you get some mark or something, some strike against your name. Nothing happens. In fact, you find it incredibly hard to even find the place where that warning is actually recorded, displayed. You graduate with a First.

Recently, there has been a steady trickle of data, news items, and reports, gradually exposing the rate of suicide in higher education in the UK. It came to a head last week, as a Conservative peer, Lord Lucas, called for a bill which would give British universities a duty of care in the mental health outcomes of their students. Lord Lucas’ plea represents the mainstream of a movement by aggrieved parents of young people who took their lives whilst at university. One of these young people was Benjamin Murray, a 19-year-old in his first year studying English Literature at Bristol University. Shortly before falling to his death, Murray was told by the university that he would have to leave. A local newspaper reports that, according to sources at the university, his attendance was ‘sporadic’ and he had ‘failed to hand in expected work’. Discussing interactions he had with Murray which revealed that the undergraduate was suffering with an anxiety disorder, senior tutor Ben Gunter remarks that: 'A large number of students we see have varying levels of anxiety.’

I mean, look at it this way. You’re saddled with a debt, a sizeable debt. It makes you nervous just looking at all the zeroes. But this moment of selling your soul was planned, it was expected from the beginning. And there are voices all around you that keep coming up and whispering in your ear. It’s just a tax on spending after education. No-one’s expecting you to pay it back. It all gets forgiven when you hit 40. What’s a person to do in that situation? The same government that portrayed the national debt as an existential threat is the same government that turns around and says: Don’t worry. Does debt matter or doesn’t it? Is this real or isn’t it?

People are screaming, again. It's 5:35 in the afternoon. Earliest you’ve heard it this week. They’re really drunk. Or on something. You’re only dimly aware of it, really. It’s ubiquitous, it’s ambiance. Dimly, you wonder if they realise how loud they are being, how obvious their public intoxication is. You perk up when you recognise a few voices. People on your course - you’ve got an essay due tomorrow at noon. Down the ages, goes the cliché, students are drunk and reckless with deadlines. But you’ve been wondering whether it really matters if you get a 1:1 instead of a 2:1. Don’t they inflate the numbers, anyway? And besides, it's experience that matters on a CV, everyone’s got a degree these days. I’d just be another idiot with a 1:1. Your flatmate drunkenly knocks on your door and you seriously consider going back on your refusal to go out tonight.

A survey of undergraduates in seven universities in England reportedly found very high rates of dangerous drinking, with 41% identified as ‘hazardous drinkers’. It also considers that one in five students were likely to be diagnosable as alcoholic.

Every weekend students give in to the unreality. I know what you're thinking. Of course, young people have always experimented with substances, acted like they were invulnerable, ignored consequences. But many of the young people before us were unfamiliar with this level of unreality, this level of confusion. So the recklessness intensifies in those claustrophobic spaces that remain open to us.

I have deadlines, right now. A few days to go. I’ve been looking at the news, all the statistics on internships and jobs falling through for graduates and young people, in general. The worst hit. I’ve been talking to my friends, moaning about the job hunt, the rejections and the no-replies. Anecdotes tumble down the grape-vine of graduates from respected universities not even being able to get a part-time job at a supermarket because of the number of applicants or whatever. A couple of my friends are intermitting due to mental health problems. When I was home, before the most recent lockdown, a number of my friends and I worked at a pub. I’m back at uni and they’re still there. Class of 2020, all of us. Of course, they like it, it’s fine. But where do we go from here?

Don’t ask me, mate, I’ve got deadlines.

[prorevenge]

After months of putting up with my roommate from hell, I got the revenge of lifetime and screwed her over out of a fuckton of money and got her to pay rent and life has never been sweeter! (This is a long one)

This is a long one but very much worth the ride, so buckle up. (also, English isn't my native lang, sorry if there are any mistakes)

This story takes place a couple of years back. During college, I lived with several roommates, all of them were nice and we got along well, except for this one bitch, let's call her Karen. if Satan and Hitler had a child and that child had a child with Stalin and Cruella de Vil, that would be Karen for you, she is a loud-mouthed stupid, egocentric bitch who has the face that scare the shit out of a toilet. She would never clean up after herself, she would always leave her plates and things at the spot where she last used them. I have lost counts of how many times, I caught her stealing my clothes without asking and if you so much as touch her clothes she loses her shit on you, or her drinking our lactose-intolerant roommates almond milk and any time we confronted her for drinking it, she would shrug and say "I only had a sip, stop being so stingy." She plays her music loud at night, invites stranger without giving any heads up, a time or two she didnt pay rent even though her parents are FILTHY RICH and she is wearing gucci and prada shit, Karen also fucking lies about everything, even things that are not worth lying about. like if she woke up 7, and you ask her, she'll lie through her fucking teeth and say she rose with the sun rise because she is a natural. (ps, this is something i actually heard her say to her parents while she was skypeing them....so cringy, who the fuck says that? but i digress)

Months we have fucking put up with her, of course we tried to get other roommates but unfortunately when we all moved in everything, all documents and contracts were done in her name so kicking her out would require a lot of effort and most of us were busy with school and work and life happens. So we ignore it as much as we can and try to move on.

We are now all seniors and in our final semesters, meaning graduation was coming, AND Karen is planning a backpack trip across Europe with her friends as a graduation gift to herself, this is important so remember this.

One of our roommates and my closest friend, Sasha, has had a crush on a guy that lives down the hall. Any time the two of them are together, Sasha and the Guy keep giving each other googly eyes and blushing faces; it was sooo cute. Sasha is a verbal autistic person and has never dated anyone because she has a hard time with socializing and understanding social ques and subtlety, which lets face it, that is the core of dating, especially flirting but with a lot of encouragement from me and the final roommate, Lola we got her to ask him out. He said yes. She was so happy, you guys, she flew back into the apartment and did an hour of happy dance with her arms flailing about and a shit eatin grin on her face; needless to say we were all so happy. Karen caught wind of this and it just so happens at that time she was having relationship problems, I guess her bf finally realized he's dating human garbage. Not one to be outshined, Karen behind all of our backs went to the guy's place and spun lies about Sasha, saying she is a serial cheater and even made a fake account for Sasha's so called bf. the guy never called Sasha, and eventually weeks passed by he told us why but by then Sasha felt like the damage was done and lost interest in him.

I. WAS. FUCKING. FURIOUS.

This, this level of dickery and bloody pettiness is the straw that finally broke the camel's back and I vowed I wouldn't fucking leave until I served my slice of justice. Here's another character that you must know about, Prof C. His wife two years ago was in a horrible car accident and as a result is in a wheelchair, this is especially problematic because she was a stay home mom that took care of their two special needs kids and they have a toddler at home. Home life is a mess for him, he is running ragged between working and single-handedly is taking care of his family, the uni took pity and also feared the workload would see one of their best and most beloved teachers leave the school struck a deal with him to help him out. In all of his classes there will be quizzes and midterms, this doesnt change, but assignments you submit and he corrects at the end of the year, this is important cuz our uni has zero tolerance on proffs that dont constantly update the students course works so that students have the chance to improve their grades.

Karen, the lazy and stupid bitch she is, is somehow skating through his assignments, even though they require a shit tone of research and writing. I accidentally learned that one of her older friends told her that she only needs submit the paper on its due date and to only write the first 3 pages and use a paraphrase tool for the rest of the paper so the plagiarism software wont detect it and would think its original material and when the end of the year comes, submit a hard copy but with the first pages being her actual work and the rest being completely plagiarized, professional work. Prof C won't know cuz the likelihood a man as busy as him thoroughly checking the work of 120+ students is pretty low. I grinned. A plan was beginning to formulate in my head. Oh, sweet mother of Jesus, she is going down! All semester long I let her do this for all of the 7 papers, one of them which is a term paper that has 20% on it alone, all the while I spied and gathered all of her pass codes, social media, her student ID, everything.

The end of the year came and I compiled all of her assignments, both the original one with the paraphrasing tools she used to circumvent plagiarism and the one she finally handed them in, and I even made photos were there are side-to-side comparison of the assignments. This is a good start but not enough. So, One day chillin at the living room I open a conversation about relationships, Karen is two timing her new boyfriend and is sleeping with some other Person. so, I ask her questions like "don't you feel guilty for cheating?" and "You do realize this is wrong?" and I even paraphrase my words in a way that is vague but also clear, for example I would say "It's not fair, so many people work so hard everyday to be successful and you are here cheating and lying your way to success." Karen, narcissistic as fuck, would respond with snippets of I dont care and how she isnt cheating, she is only having fun and that everyone does it so why not her too. This is too good to be true, even her answers are vague, its like god put his hand on my shoulder, looked me right in the eyes and said, "burry this bitch". and Id be damned if I didnt. As you probably have guessed it by now, I was recording EVERYTHING. The recording plus the photos, and her assignments were more than enough evidence, I sent an anonymous email to the Professor, and i tell the girls so that they can prep for the shit storm thats coming. Three weeks later, results are out. she failed and LOST HER SHIT. She was screamin, crying, wailing, what a sight to see! you best believe, the girls and I were laughing. She tried to talk to the prof, but he was not having it. she cried and begged for a second chance but he said a hard no. So now she has two options: she goes ahead and doesn't graduate with us, and takes on a whole 'nother semester for one measly course or take summer course and cancel her trip to Europe, which mind you she spent a fuckton on, something like 13, 000$ and I know it could have been much cheaper but Princess Karen only wanted the best so yh. The next couple of weeks she spent sleepless nights because she was calling and cancelling all the reservations she made, tryin to get her money back BUT (again, GOD really was out for blood that day) because the cancellation was so close to some her trip most places refused to refund, or some charged her cancellation fees. She only managed to scrap 5.5 K back together, lossin 7.5 K. OUCH!

Its not over, having damning evidence I, with earned gusto, told her she was going to pay all of the bills till we move out, which was in two months, payback for all the times she was late on payment or defaulted and she would from now do her part of the house chores or else Im gonna send it all to the admin and faculty dean and she will fo sho be kicked out and all those uni years will have been for nothing. She hated it, she fucking threw tantrums and cussed me out but my god if she didnt do whats told. she cleaned her stuff, apologized to Sasha for what she did, I forced her to come clean to her BF (dont know the guy but the few times i met him he was super sweet to us and i felt bad for the guy), I watched her actually do the dishes for the first time in like years. IT was fucking amazing and I don't regret it one bit. In fact, anytime I feel sad now as an adult, i kick back my feet and reminiscine and a slow shit eatin grin draws itself upon my face.

tl;dr roommate was super mean, i found out she was cheating on her assignments and so i snitched on her and as a result she had to stay the summer and retake the class again or else she wouldn't graduate.

(source) story by (/u/let-the-write-one-in)

[seminalstudy]

Hi everyone! I’m currently in the process of transferring to a new university and one of the biggest parts of that has been planning out and scheduling which classes to take my first semester, in hopes that I can graduate at the same time as people my age :’) As someone who’s planned how to graduate in three years not once but twice now, I figured I could share my experience and/or advice with anyone looking to maximize their college academics!

1. Establish a timeline: Ask yourself how many years you’re giving yourself to complete your degree as this will help you figure out how heavy your course loads will have to be to graduate at your expected time (this could be anywhere from 2 years to 5 or more). At my first college, I planned to graduate in three years in order to save money and because the school had easier academics, so I was confident I could handle the extra work. My new plan to graduate in three years is so I can graduate with other students my age, set your goal!

2. Now that you’ve established a broad timeline, it’s time to start looking at potential majors/minors and career tracks: Hopefully, this is something you’ve started looking at before applying to college, but don’t worry - it’s not too late! As someone going into college with the knowledge that I’d be taking out max loans each year, I tried to figure out what I wanted to do early on so I could maximize my credits ie take as many required classes as possible and not ‘waste’ credits on classes that wouldn’t really contribute to my degree (ofc I ended up changing my mind 3/4 of the way thru the year but that’s life). I narrowed my options down to 3 or 4 majors and managed to eliminate 2 of them pretty early on.

3. With at least one track in mind, research all the requirements to earn a degree in that area: Universities often have “general education requirements” regardless of your major, so you take classes in multiple disciplines and broaden your perspective. Course catalogs/general bulletins/college websites are where you can find info about your gen-eds and major-specific required courses. It’s really helpful to map this out by hand or in a spreadsheet program (I did it both by hand and with Excel to stay uber-organized). This is also where you can narrow down the majors you’re interested in by looking at the required courses and course descriptions. I considered a Data Analytics major early on, but after seeing how much coding was required (not a strong suit or interest for me) I could comfortably eliminate it.

4. Reach out to your advisor/navigator/registrar to clarify any questions: If you’re confused by any of the requirements for your major/gen-eds, talk to someone at the university. I feel bad for the numerous advisors I’ve had because I pestered them with questions so I could have a complete understanding of everything - it really helps in the scheduling process and I’ve never had a staff or faculty member be irritated by the questions - they love to help (plus it shows initiative and starts forming connections which is A+). Seriously, reach out if you’re confused, don’t just sit in the dark!

5. Map out required courses and pre-requisites: This is where Excel or Google Sheets can be your best friend - they make it really easy to keep track of what needs to be taken when. Some courses require a certain academic standing (sophomore, junior, senior) for you to take them, others require you to take several classes before you can register for it. Certain progressions of classes can really limit what your schedule looks like, so this step is incredibly important (and somewhat time-consuming).  

6. Generate a slightly less vague timeline: Based on pre-requisites and required class standings, begin to assign classes to fall and spring semesters. Let’s say you have to complete a senior capstone in order to graduate, and you can only take it senior year, write it into the timeline. Maybe you need to take Math123 and Math124 for your major, but Math124 requires you to complete Math123 first. Place 123 into a semester and 124 in the semester following that. This doesn’t have to be exact, but it’s good to be aware of what your future schedule will look like, and what classes you need to take sooner rather than later (this is also time-consuming because you’ll find numerous variations in potential schedules). 

7. Determine the courseload you’ll need to take: Some people luck out and have lots of AP/IB or like credits that will transfer into real college credit, helping to eliminate the number of classes you have to take (I was not such a person). You’ll generally receive a credit evaluation during the summer before the first semester so you can plan accordingly. Most advisors recommend taking 15-17 credits, but if you need to take more so you can graduate faster or less so you’re not overwhelmed, do what you need. I ended up taking the max credits allowed then over that, but that’s only because I was pushing so hard to graduate faster. This kind of ties into the last step, but you also need to evaluate your personal strengths and weaknesses.

8. Determine the courses that will maximize your first semester: Fun fact, your major requirements can often double-dip and count for your general education requirements too! Look at the pre-reqs for your higher-level classes and try to choose those that will open up the most classes, see which of your major required classes could count for gen-eds, such as humanities or science courses. If you’re between a few majors, look for classes that a required for them. For me, I was between a Business Administration or Sustainable Business major, so many of the requirements were the same. I took classes that could count for both, but if I wanted to go one way or the other, I wouldn’t be screwed over.

9. Try to balance the courses you NEED to take with those you WANT to take: I’m a humanities kind of gal (science has not been mon ami in the past) but both of my colleges require science and math classes. So, when I have to take a math and science course simultaneously, I try to add in some of the subjects I’m stronger in (history, english, etc) so that my GPA wouldn’t die. If you’re fortunate enough that affording college isn’t a concern, I’d personally say take as many courses that interest you as possible, but when financing a higher level education is more of an issue, complete your requirements but leave some space to explore your interests.

10. With a handful of courses in mind, look at actually scheduling your classes: With online registration, you can generally look at which classes are full, what times are available, etc. Are you really, definitely, for sure a morning person who can handle that 8am? Do you need a definite break for lunch? Will you be more productive in the mornings or evenings? Are there multiple profs for the class and does one have better ratings than the other? (ratemyprofessor.com is a lifesaver) Is there enough time outside of class to study/do extracurriculars/have a social life? Sometimes you’ll really need to take a class and it’ll be at some ungodly hour, but sometimes you gotta suck it up. Try not to overload one day with classes and make sure there’s enough time between classes to get to your next class, especially if your school has a large campus. This part is really based on personal preference, so enjoy it!

11. Give yourself time to do all of this: Especially for a first-year college student, there’s a lot already happening, and the opportunities are endless. It takes a lot of time to thoroughly research. This is a big process if you really care about being organized, and it can set you up for great success in college! All of these steps are really tied together but you’ll need more than one day (I took several weeks lol) to plan out a college career.

12. It gets easier: After doing this for just two semesters, I was much more comfortable making these big choices. For my new university, I managed to accomplish this in only a few days, but I was already familiar with the major I’m pursuing and how to lay everything out. For those of you continuing in college, consider mapping our the rest of your time if you haven’t already, and keep track of the courses you’ve taken and still need to take! This way, you won’t be thrown any loops when graduation comes.

Disclaimer: This advice is based purely off my own U.S. college experience which is undoubtedly very different from others! Ultimately, pursuing a higher-level education is your own personal journey, and do what you need to do to find success, this is just me trying to help out others!

If you have any questions about any of this, want to talk scheduling with me, or see my schedule planning notes and spreadsheets, just message me, I’m always willing to talk and even more willing to make friends!

-B

[daisyckinguk]

Shanghai American School teacher dismissed for sending sexually explicit messages for students: Shanghaiist

A view of Shanghai American School, Puxi Campus.

A very popular and even revered veteran educator in the Shanghai American School (SAS) has been fired a month, causing a cascade of disturbing allegations made from the teacher by former students that have rocked the SAS community.

SAS, among China’s top foreign schools, dismissed high school English teacher James Mikkelson at November after an investigation to a concerning reports regarding inappropriate relationships with former students. In a letter to parents, Marcel Gauthier, Head of School, declared which Mikkelson had made choices “inconsistent with SAS standards for ethics and professionalism.”

Gauthier reported that at the course of the investigation that was conducted “with the support of some strategic consulting partner specializing in ethics risks”, pornography was discovered on Mikkelson’s school personal computer and, more troublingly, sexually explicit messages which he had delivered to students were discovered.

A photo of James Mikkelson posted in 2007 on a Facebook group he used to keep in contact with former students, called “Mikkelson’s Victims.”

Shortly after Mikkelson’s shooting was made public, a site appeared online called “Survivors of James Mikkelson,” made by a former pupil who promises to be among those instructor’s victims. Within an introductory article, the former pupil writes that the site is a place for survivors of sexual abuse committed by James Mikkelson into “join with one another, share their stories, and have their own voices heard.”

In a remark underneath that article, another SAS alumnus enticed the website’s creator of defamation rather than only developing a hate page directed at Mikkelson.

About a week later, the website’s creator responded to that assertion with a lengthy article, detailing allegations from Mikkelson which go far beyond just sexting with students, including sexual abuse, groping, and sexual intercourse.

Shortly after I became his pupil, Mikkelson started explicit conversations with me about sex. These conversations happened in individual in addition to through text, email, and discussion. They escalated into expressing sexual desire for me personally and describing sexual fantasies involving me. While speaking explicitly with a kid about sex is in fact sufficient to constitute child sexual abuse, the abuse did not stop there. Mikkelson groped me in a school event. He delivered me explicit photos and movies of himself. He invited me to places out of school where, once coaxing me into a relaxed country with alcohol that he bought, he chased me in to doing sexual acts. He touched me tremendously behind the closed doors of his classroom, on school grounds, at the middle of the school day. He had sexual intercourse with me. I was his pupil. I was a kid.

At the time I didn’t have some adult characters in my life whom I trusted. Mikkelson very rapidly became my principal source of emotional support. He voiced sympathy once I talked about issues with my loved ones. He invited me to pursue my own academic interests over my parents’ preferences. He exhibited obvious favoritism for me personally at the classroom, that made my adolescent ego feel special and appreciated. (This practice is also referred to as grooming.) When he began to say sexual desire for me personally, I was uncomfortable and unsure of how to respond. I grew accustomed to it since I placed him in the astounding and naïve trust of a young individual. I could not have believed that he didn’t have my best interests at heart. I looked up to him and wanted nothing over his continuing validation. He might have asked me to do anything. He also did. He capitalized on my vulnerability and immaturity to perpetrate sexual abuse.

I’ve got more evidence than I could need for of all of the above mentioned. I have emails full of sexual content. I have chatlogs that show the painstaking and slow method of my being dressed. At first, Mikkelson examined the waters by dropping in a couple of sexual comments per dialog; a few weeks later, he regaled me with pornographic descriptions of sexual fantasies. I analyzed these logs lately in contemplating whether or not to reach out to SAS, and discovered announcements by Mikkelson that specifically admit a number of the sexual acts which happened between us. As relieved as I am to have concrete evidence of what happened to me personally, it wasn’t a particularly pleasant read. It was excruciating, not just because of hindsight, but since I am now a grownup pained by the knowledge that my kid self could not have understood, and didn’t understand, what was actually happening.

You’ll be able to read the full article here.

Widely shared one of the SAS community, the article attracted over 60 comments from former and current students discussing Mikkelson, his behaviour for a teacher, and the allegations made against him. When put together, these comments reveal a blueprint of a favorite teacher with his power and influence on prey on young female students, something which might have been going on for over a couple of years.

We have picked out some thoughtful and revealing comments, beginning with one by a former teacher who laments that she never spoke up after Mikkelson allegedly sent her naked pic:

Feel really sad and scared on hearing. I was instructing in SAS for many years. However, I must understand Mikkelson within my master course. He was also the workshop leader for UBD. At start I thought he was really kind and knowledgeable. And he included me wechat after which we start chat for a few months. At start we talked about teaching techniques and books. He also did helped a lot in sharing his own literature knowledge. Provided that subject leading by him become deeper and more private, he described lots of sexual information from publications and then his private life. He did it at a quite character way and seemed it is not offended while speaking those topics. He delivered poems and stated he wrote for me. I felt wired, but didn’t think further because we trust our colleagues. Then 1 day he delivered one of his naked pic in my experience and I was embarrassed and angry. As soon as I pointed it is inappropriate behavior, he was angry and immediately block me. I also deleted him. He seemed to be a rather kind and understanding individual, but he really is wicked. Then I abandoned SAS, never contact him. But my heart is wholly in pain on seeing this site. Hope that the survivors can be treated. It’s not your fault, since he is great at disguised and feign to be a terrific individual. I feel deeply sorry about hearing this.

Another man who claimed to be Mikkelson’s former co-worker in Italy years ago abandoned another remark:

I operate with Mikkelson in Milan many decades ago. He was made to resign after many female students complained about his inappropriate behavior. In Milan that the parents needed him put in jail. In China they don’t think the same I suspect. We hear about this in Italy and call things what they are. This man is a child molester. Nothing more needs stating.

A former pupil remembers accusations out of nearly a decade ago concerning Mikkelson’s inappropriate behavior towards his female students:

I figure it didn’t entirely surprise me once I heard that Mikkelson was fired for sexual misconduct. Back when was I at SAS nearly ten years ago, you’d hear small bits and pieces on how he had text a few of his favorite female students individually, give them nicknames, and of course that the somewhat creepy sexual innuendos he would earn here and there in class. Of course nobody thought a lot of it, in our age. More to the point, we were blinded by the admiration and respect we had for him.

I was among those students who revered Mikkelson at high school. I mean, revered. I belonged to that category-naturally literary, and awed by intellectualism, lacking a authority figure-over whom Mikkelson exercised the most power. Even now, he stands out among the teachers that had the profoundest influence on me in my whole life. Without doubt, if I were in high school I’d be among the very first of his acolytes to defend him, query you, and probably strike you on your claims.

However, I’m lucky enough to have spent sufficient time from high school that his air has faded. Time and experience let me see clearly that his brilliance wasn’t in his teaching-in fact, as I learned in college, many of his thoughts were from books and other sources-but within his acting. His ability to play the part of Socrates, the philosopher, the grand play of turning his classroom to a intellectual and moral academy-that by which his genius lay. Behind the action wasn’t a wonderful mind or soul; it was the predator you have exposed. I think for most graduates my age, it is not that difficult to see anymore.

I do not really think I have a point for this article, except to demonstrate that you have another person, somebody who once worshipped Mikkelson, that believes you. I can only imagine how many other people there were over the years. You are intelligent and brave and you have my utmost respect.

A recent SAS pupil describes that the “cult of personality” Mikkelson constructed to himself together with his loving students:

I am a senior in SAS this year, and I’ve just had Mikkelson for 3 months but I was definitly in his “cult of personality,” as you described. I recall when news broke of his dismissal, my fellow seniors and I bowed our heads and cussed the faculty for letting go “the single teacher who really taught us.” The following day, the school organized my AP Literature class to talk to the school psychologist and now I recall people were crying and shouting at how unjust it was that the school let him move in this public fashion, how our schooling is destroyed, how his replacement was dreadful.

Even I fell for it. I messaged him after his dismissal like several different seniors. Even then, I knew we just craved that piece of recognition from him. In particular, my message stated that it was wonderful to see “blossom for a leader” from the classroom. I recall I felt myself tearing up once I saw his message as I felt as if my schooling had actually no goal. This cult of character he has made him around is trly terrifying. Reading your website was like waking up from a nightmare and realzing I was.

I am truly disgusted at how simple I dropped for his scheme. I am quite horrified at myself that I thought it was unbelievably unfair that the school fired him or that people were turning against him. I can’t belive it took me long to see the toxicity of his behaviour, in how inconsiderate we were in never asking ourselves that the wellbeing of his victims. How can we move on from idolizing him as a “Socrates” philosopher? How can we get pass this cult of personality that’s influenced of our lives?

I am so incredibly sorry that you needed to go through that. No one, and I mean no one, should have to go through abuse by a trustworthy adult figure at a period of self doubt and self awareness. If theres something current SAS students can do, please allow me to know and I will relay this to my course.

A former pupil who claims that Mikkelson delivered her sexually suggestive messages a decade past:

I understand you said you are not looking for validation, but I wanted to discuss another data point: I think you because I might have been you. I understand everything in your article: that the favoritism and compliments intended to soften up me, the surreptitious petition for my contact number, the sexually suggestive comments peppered throughout texts and mails to check the waters. I recall my distress at my messages, and I recall cleaning that off since I felt almost grateful for his attention. I was insecure and hungry for recognition. I’ve just recently been capable of realizing all the forgettable manners he took advantage of that.

It never escalated past messages for me personally and I will probably never understand why. Perhaps he discovered a vulnerable target elsewhere – I certainly wasn’t the only student he was texting that year. It was an open secret, therefore poorly maintained it was almost a joke.

More than anything though, I wish to apologize. Mikkelson was my teacher ten years ago. Perhaps this would have finished ten years ago if I’d said something.

Another former pupil with a similar story to tell:

Thanks for sharing your own story. I, also, had numerous trades with Mikkelson during my senior year of high school, the majority of that I was seriously depressed. He was aware of the fact as I had numerous personal meetings with him in which we would just ‘discuss lifestyle’, the majority of which would finish with me crying. Sometimes our mails could creep into sexual territory or become uncomfortable for me personally, Mikkelson would often remark on how ‘pretty and smart’ I was and how everyone who was giving me a difficult time’d no idea what they were searching past. He knew I was exposed and I would feed off of the compliments viewing as they were all I had at that time in my entire life. Though this relationship never went past flirtartious mails and book recommendations until my sophomore year of college, I feel dumb for buying into his bullshit. The fact that students held him in their own worship is indeed ill and the superiority complex he utilizes to obtain ‘esteem’ was only a facade for his personal fucked up self.

James Mikkelson in better days.

In reaction to the blog article, several SAS alumni have composed a open letter into the school and community, publicly expressing their support to people talking out and persuading the SAS administration to “take steps toward averting Mikkelson’s hiring in other educational institutions.” Those alumni who agree with all the letter’s message have been invited to set their name at the Google Doc. The correspondence currently has dozens of interpretations.

Responding to enquiries from Shanghaiist, ” a spokesperson for SAS reported the school revoked Mikkelson’s China job visa upon dismissal on November 7th, and shared signs of his illegal behavior with lawful government from both China and the US.

Even though Mikkelson was in his 13th successive year of service in SAS, reports Mikkelson’s inappropriate connections with students just came to light in the school this September, added the spokesperson.

Before hiring employees, SAS states that it conducts extensive backgrounds checks, including FBI background checks and references are needed from previous managers.

One factor complicating the situation is the fact that the age of approval from China is 14. Chinese legislation also makes no distinction between a teacher and some other adult, school administrators say.

Profile image on James Mikkelson’s left handed Instagram account.

By contrast, under US law, a citizen could be penalized for having intercourse with a minor overseas. In the state of Washington, where Mikkelson is purportedly out of, teachers who engage in sexual activity with a pupil could be charged with a felony or gross misdemeanor.

Meanwhile, the SAS has responded to the blog article with another correspondence to parents and former students, informing them of measures which are being taken after Mikkelson’s dismissal, for example offering counselling to students and reviewing all of protocols related to child protection.

“We recognize that if the allegations from the site are accurate, then fantastic injury has been done,” composed Gauthier, the Head of School. “Know that we have done all we can to ensure that Mr. Mikkelson doesn’t teach again and also to warn our community from having contact with him. Our purpose is to get a definite plan in place and shared with the SAS community ahead of our winter holiday break.”

“We have certainly responded with terrific care to anybody who has written us on the subject of Mr. Mikkelson’s death and invited them to discuss additional,” added Gauthier. “To date, no alumnus has come forward and identified themselves. We stand prepared to support them and when they do.”

It remains unclear whether he has returned into the usa, or left handed China into a third country.

If you’ve got a comment or tip concerning this story, please write to us in info@shanghaiist.com

from network 10 http://www.k4teens.info/shanghai-american-school-teacher-dismissed-for-sending-sexually-explicit-messages-for-students-shanghaiist/

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College Admissions Guide for Students and Families

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College Admissions Guide for Students and Families

Students and parents alike regularly discover the university admissions method inordinately worrying. This does no longer want to be the case. The following hints are simple but important recommendations for finishing the sort of college packages with a view to lead to admission to the university of your desire. All pointers are primarily based on over a decade of experience in college practice and alertness assistance. Each phase must be addressed by means of college students inside the order presented. Parents can also do not forget to hire a college utility professional to assist their youngsters in completing all factors covered in this article to improve chances for admission and decrease strain.

  Work together with your guidance counselor all through your high college enjoy to ensure which you enroll in publications that satisfy your commencement necessities and align with your interests.

Enroll in Advanced Placement courses in situation areas that you are interested and a success in, as the of completion of each route and passing its accompanying take a look at will lead to college credit score.

Take standardized exams in your junior yr. The SAT and the ACT are the most typically accepted examinations. It is important to remember that faculties and universities generally weigh standardized tests as closely as your grade factor common, this is, your academic achievement throughout your entire excessive college enjoy. Therefore you should prepare for these tests and carry out to the pleasant of your capability on them. There are assets that will help you do well including training in college, classes supplied via non-public organizations, man or woman tutors, and written and computer bases observe guides. You must also don’t forget to take SAT Subject Tests for classes that you enjoy and are successful in. Once testing is completed, it is time to start thinking about what form of university or college you’re interested in attending.

Begin to investigate schools and universities no later than the summer time previous your senior year. Take into consideration elements which are essential to you together with lecturers, place, length, qualifications, variety, athletics, and cost.

Choose approximately 6-10 colleges to use too. Choose colleges and universities that have GPA and standardized check score necessities that fit your potential carefully, the ones which can be more difficult, in addition to the ones which you meet all requirements for.

If you’re inquisitive about a specific predominant, ensure that it’s far provided by means of all colleges you are making use of to. Visit as many prospective faculties and universities that you may. After you entire your university utility listing, you want to get organized. Use a gadget that works for you; it must be formatted properly and easy to check each day. A simple laptop-primarily based database is a good choice. You need a record of submission closing dates for all material required by means of each university to your list and a timeline to finish every element. Transferring important dates in your paper or digital planner makes tracking your development easier and lessens the danger of missing vital closing dates. We all have special organizational patterns; ensuring that your college information is in a smooth-to-use layout is essential. Common elements of applications encompass transcripts, standardized check ratings, private statements, and recommendations.

Arrange to have your transcript and take a look at ratings sent to each college or university you observe to if required. In some states, public faculties and universities use the honor device and could let you type your grades and ratings into their on-line packages.

Request hints from instructors/counselors/personnel as a minimum one month in advance if required by using any colleges you are making use of to. Several schools require their personal paper forms be stuffed out, signed, and sent. Provide these forms upon making the request. Request them from people who you’re confident will endorse you maximum favorably.

For colleges that require a non-public declaration, publish exactly that. Your announcement has to have enough private information to present an admissions committee an attitude of who you definitely are and who you need to be in the destiny. Has it proofread by using the least two individuals? College counselors and English teachers are top choices.

Send or submit packages best once you are positive that you do now not have any errors in spelling, punctuation, or grammar. They have to be 100% entire, along with all required factors. Some colleges ship requests for extra information whilst wanted; others will automatically push aside incomplete programs. It is time to think about a way to pay for your education. The accurate information is that there are numerous federal, nation, and private sources of economic aid. You may be eligible for offers which can be based on financial want and do no longer need to be repaid. You will also be eligible work-look at, that’s a precise amount of money consistent with semester that you may earn by way of working on campus. Loans are monies that will want to be repaid inside the destiny. There are also scholarships available to college students that may require studies, programs, and/or essays. They do now not want to be repaid.

Fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) regardless of your monetary situation and in as timely a manner as feasible. You can record your FAFSA beginning on January 1st each 12 months. Awards are first to come, first served. Although the federal closing date is at the end of June, you should test your state for individual cut-off dates. For example, in California, the FAFSA for applicants making plans to go into college within the fall of 2012 have to be received with the aid of March 2, 2012. This date is the problem to exchange yearly by using every nation.

Some colleges and universities additionally require which you put up a shape referred to as the CSS Profile and/or other universities specific monetary aid bureaucracy.

Research, discover, and whole packages for college scholarships you’re eligible for. Once you acquire your attractiveness [and/or rejection] letters, you are equipped to choose the university or college that you may attend. Ensure which you utilize all help available to you. It is vital to speak along with your dad and mom and/or different giant human beings for your existence similarly to achieving out for your steerage counselor. As aforementioned, many families pick out to hire a university application professional to manual them via the entire technique. A pupil with help from the right man or woman will possibly be admitted to extra schools and enjoy less strain. Whether you have professional assistance or no longer, I wish that the above suggestions result in admission to the college or college that is excellent for you. Good luck!

Virginia Kerrigan Ruehrwein, B.A., Providence College, M.Ed., Harvard Graduate School of Education http://getthekidintocollege.Com/

College attendance is essential to the fulfillment of modern college students. I actually have spent my professional profession as a Teacher, High School Counselor, and Director of College Preparation Programs. Now I provide personal, one-to-one help to college students inside the San Diego region who want educational tutoring, standardized check coaching, motivational counseling, and possibly most significantly, university utility assistance. You will not find an extra passionate, dedicated, being concerned expert to manual your baby to admission to his or her college of desire.

Student Loans – Nine Ways To Save When it involves student loans there can be some of the methods that you may, in reality, save cash. In numerous instances, many students frequently have a couple of loans and a lot of those might also all have unique interest fee and terms.

Having many loans towards your name can have a damaging effect on your standard credit score.

Let’s have a look at a few methods in which you can save both financially and monetarily with your pupil loans.

Tips to Save With Student Loans

Consolidation. You can keep numerous methods whilst you consolidate all of your loans, you will shop cash over a long time and you’ll shop your credit score by using only have one mortgage, this could give you a higher long time score additionally as a way to help you well into the future. By consolidating, you’ll even have a significantly progressed Debt-Income ratio in order to make a giant impact on your ability to gain a housing or automobile loan later in existence. When you consolidate your loans, you will not depend on the usage of credit score cards as lots this means that that you may have even extra savings on hobby costs. Develop an economic management plan to help you hold a tune of your price range this may also help to hold you greater privy to your bills. When you consolidate now, you may be locked into the hobby rate proper now and so that you will save money from increasing hobby quotes in the destiny due to the fact yours will live the identical. When you consolidate, you will be in a role to attain even more reductions, many agencies provide greater reductions you just want to find the ones that do. When you arrange to have your bills deducted routinely then you will also be eligible for an extra favorable hobby rate on your loan or even greater while you constantly make your payments in a timely way. Choose the proper time while you want to have your loan deferred whilst necessary because your accruing hobby will stop also saving you a bit extra. Think approximately setting up a few type of passive earnings even as you are studying. There are many specific low prices or no price agencies that you may set up online and this way you may building in your destiny as nicely. I desire that this article approximately scholar loan has been of help and I desire you well with your studies.