“When Noah was applying …I called the admissions department… When they found out that they wanted to be a linguistics major who had studied Klingon for three years and constructed languages with all these sophisticated tomes of linguistics, they said, ‘oh put that all on the transcript.’ … And sure enough, he got accepted. And so right on the transcript, it says Klingon” ~Julie Bogart, Brave Writer, Podcast S3:E1
Over the years I’ve heard Julie Bogart share this story a few times, about how the admissions department told her to put Noah’s Klingon and linguistics deep dive on his transcript.
And when I was first trying to figure out transcripts, it was the perfect message, to let me relax and embrace my children’s interests and allowing them to deep dive, if they want. And know, it’s going to be okay.
When the flashes of doubt and niggles would come up, I’d remember this story, and know, “It’s okay.”
And it was.
While there are several places where Julie has told this story, this particular quote is pulled from her Brave Writer podcast conversation with Susan Wise Bauer from September 2017.
“When Noah was applying to go to the University of Cincinnati and had not taken both lab sciences, had not completed two years of foreign language. I called the admissions department, you know, to prove to Noah that he was not going to get admitted [laughs] and when they found out that they wanted to be a linguistics major who had studied Klingon for three years and constructed languages with all these sophisticated tomes of linguistics, they said oh put that all on the transcript. The linguistics department doesn’t care if he’s done lab sciences. And sure enough, he got accepted. And so right on the transcript, it says Klingon, I gave him an A. That was his foreign language credit.”
~Julie Bogart, Brave Writer, Podcast S3:E1
If you dig into the unschooling archives, there’s also a lovely conversation, from May 2004, where Julie is sharing Noah’s deep dive into Klingon and some of the resources he was using.
In that conversation, she shares:
“He met some Klingon speakers online and went to a Klingon get-together that was about 20 miles from us. There he was exposed to even more Klingon books than he knew existed. The other day he found “Who’s on First” in Klingon on audio online. …
“He is really getting into constructed languages now and loves Klingon especially – even though he isn’t a Trekkie at all.”
~Julie Bogart, May 2004
Reminds me how we never know what will spark our kids’ interests and where it will take them.
Sometimes they are short flashes, and other times, deep and rich journeys, involving many new ideas and people. And it all weaves together beautifully.Forever thankful to Julie and all the others who have shared their stories and inspire us on our homeschooling journey.
For more homeschooling inspiration from Julie, I recommend checking out Julie’s book: The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life