Christensen Chapter 7

I have been thinking a lot about college and preparation lately...ever since our last class period on tracking the subject has really been plaguing my thoughts. I am a bit behind on chapter write ups and am reading three pieces at a time.
Lets get down to it: I hate portfolios. Yep, I said it. I motha bleepin hate them. I've always hated them, and since I graduated from Caledonia high school, I was royally screwed. Caledonia has a policy that you are supposed to have a collaborative portfolio with your work for all four years in order to graduate. That damn thing was the bane of my existence. I had nightmares about it.

Organization has never been my strong suit. Senior year rolled around, and of course I had nothing started. I spent the last four weeks of my final semester desperately throwing together any bit of crap I could piece together. My senior adviser (bless that woman's heart, she believed in me all the way) even printed off the titles of all my benchmarks for me. I remember her telling me "Ashley, you just have to make it through this. College won't be all portfolio making."
Ever since then, I have firmly believed that portfolio's weren't for everyone, and a student should be given the choice to complete one or not.
After reading this chapter, however, and thinking about discussions from class time, I am starting to really feel like that I was woefully unprepared for college. (Also, that I was tracked into the wrong classes. But that's for another chapter discussion) Christensen contends that portfolios are not only good for showcasing a writer's skills (from start to finish), but they also show colleges that even if a student' s scores weren't fantastic on the SAT's that they still have other abilities, like critical thinking skills.
I think if someone had actually sat down and explained the value of self-evaluation as a writer, I may have considered the endeavor to have been worthy of my time.