This is the first year that I can remember not wishing for just one more day of summer. I can honestly say, that I’m completely ready to go back to school. This does not mean that I’m ready for cold weather, but I’m ready to get back into the classroom. To once again begin a new semester doing what it is that God put me on this earth to do. Is that too bold of a statement? Some might consider that an arrogant thing to say, but that is definitely not my intention. It reminds me of people unwilling to admit that they are beautiful in fear that it will take away from someone else’s self-esteem. The good news is that we can both be beautiful. We can both be doing what it is that God put us here for. Obviously, for most people, there are many factions of this. For me, one of these is being an educator, and I’m so grateful for that. Hence my excitement that tomorrow is the first day of school!
It goes beyond imparting knowledge though. I’m not the type of professor that stands in front of the room with a bell-to-bell lecture prepared, students scribbling fast and furious trying to get all of my sage wisdom down on paper. (This is some idealized professorial dream sequence. I do realize that.) Instead, my purpose is to help them on their way, as they try and figure out what it is they’ve been called to do. While I don’t always use the word “calling,” we talk about their current jobs. I ask them, “If you weren’t there tomorrow, how quickly could you be replaced? Do you feel like an essential piece of the puzzle?” If I was gone tomorrow, my students would notice, (some of) my colleagues would notice, and I hope, that there would be a Jen Skop sized hole that would be difficult to fill. Again, this isn’t arrogance, this is me fulfilling my purpose. I feel it when I’m in front of the classroom, when I’m meeting students in my office, and when I receive visits, calls, and e-mails from former students that have gone on to greatness.
For most of my students, I am one of their first steps in academia. And even though I’ve been teaching for over a decade, I still find this a little intimidating. For whatever reason, they placed into developmental English. Their reactions to this will be mixed, to put it mildly, and I try and be ready for that. I encourage them to see my course as a stepping stone to getting where they want to go. “I swear that I’m not the enemy.” If grammar has always been a struggle, now is the time to conquer it. I acknowledge that getting a college degree is difficult, but remind them of what it says about a person who is able to make it through. Like a kindergarten teacher, I have a huge responsibility as I’m playing a large part in shaping their attitudes towards school. (If they have a negative attitude after their first semester, I’m going to be blame it on their math professor : )
I didn’t mean to make this sound like a teaching philosophy. I was just sweeping my kitchen floor and realizing that I didn’t get everything on the “to-do” list accomplished, when it hit me that I wasn’t experiencing my “I need one more week” woes. While I’m almost always excited to go back, I feel it so much more this year for some reason. I thought I’d sit down and try to figure out why. Partly it’s because I’ve lowered my expectations when it comes to the house. It’s never going to be finished. Every time I think we are almost there, something else crops up. It goes beyond that though. Maybe it’s because I now have tenure? Before that, there was always this little kernel of doubt that said—“better not get too attached.” I was already attached, of course, but now it feels okay to admit it. I’m excited about my career, my calling, and I can’t wait to help my students realize theirs.
It might also be my new lunchbox, folder, pens, and binders. I’ve always been a sucker for school supplies. Whatever it is, I’m just going to enjoy the feeling, recognize my blessings, and pray for a great start to the new semester.
HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, EVERYONE! MAKE THIS YEAR COUNT…
It goes beyond imparting knowledge though. I’m not the type of professor that stands in front of the room with a bell-to-bell lecture prepared, students scribbling fast and furious trying to get all of my sage wisdom down on paper. (This is some idealized professorial dream sequence. I do realize that.) Instead, my purpose is to help them on their way, as they try and figure out what it is they’ve been called to do. While I don’t always use the word “calling,” we talk about their current jobs. I ask them, “If you weren’t there tomorrow, how quickly could you be replaced? Do you feel like an essential piece of the puzzle?” If I was gone tomorrow, my students would notice, (some of) my colleagues would notice, and I hope, that there would be a Jen Skop sized hole that would be difficult to fill. Again, this isn’t arrogance, this is me fulfilling my purpose. I feel it when I’m in front of the classroom, when I’m meeting students in my office, and when I receive visits, calls, and e-mails from former students that have gone on to greatness.
For most of my students, I am one of their first steps in academia. And even though I’ve been teaching for over a decade, I still find this a little intimidating. For whatever reason, they placed into developmental English. Their reactions to this will be mixed, to put it mildly, and I try and be ready for that. I encourage them to see my course as a stepping stone to getting where they want to go. “I swear that I’m not the enemy.” If grammar has always been a struggle, now is the time to conquer it. I acknowledge that getting a college degree is difficult, but remind them of what it says about a person who is able to make it through. Like a kindergarten teacher, I have a huge responsibility as I’m playing a large part in shaping their attitudes towards school. (If they have a negative attitude after their first semester, I’m going to be blame it on their math professor : )
I didn’t mean to make this sound like a teaching philosophy. I was just sweeping my kitchen floor and realizing that I didn’t get everything on the “to-do” list accomplished, when it hit me that I wasn’t experiencing my “I need one more week” woes. While I’m almost always excited to go back, I feel it so much more this year for some reason. I thought I’d sit down and try to figure out why. Partly it’s because I’ve lowered my expectations when it comes to the house. It’s never going to be finished. Every time I think we are almost there, something else crops up. It goes beyond that though. Maybe it’s because I now have tenure? Before that, there was always this little kernel of doubt that said—“better not get too attached.” I was already attached, of course, but now it feels okay to admit it. I’m excited about my career, my calling, and I can’t wait to help my students realize theirs.
It might also be my new lunchbox, folder, pens, and binders. I’ve always been a sucker for school supplies. Whatever it is, I’m just going to enjoy the feeling, recognize my blessings, and pray for a great start to the new semester.
HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, EVERYONE! MAKE THIS YEAR COUNT…