Mindset List

Every year Beloit College publishes a Mindset List for the incoming freshman class. It is a list of 100 ways the students in the class view the world. It was originally conceived as a list to help faculty gain perspective on the students they would be teaching. Since its inception it has been used in the corporate and government sectors as well.

What a fascinating idea! This is, technically, the same generation that our middle school students are a part of so it is worth the time to peruse the list and see what it says. Besides, it's a pretty entertaining list! A sample:

5. If they miss The Daily Show, they can always get their news on YouTube.

9. They have never seen an airplane ‘‘ticket.’’

18. Their folks have never gazed with pride on a new set of bound encyclopedias on the bookshelf.

67. Chronic fatigue syndrome has always been officially recognized with clinical guidelines.

73. Lou Gehrig’s record for most consecutive baseball games played has never stood in their lifetimes.