To The Rescue

I am in the midst of a significant teaching experiment in one of my courses. We are a month into the course. This is the time in the emerging process that student frustrations begin to appear and my sense of panic increases. It is a natural part of the learning process. What I am tempted to do, however, is to rescue us all and revert back to the comfortable and familiar. What I need to do is remind myself of why I decided upon the experiment. I need to recommit myself to the learning goals I established. I need to be courageous.

I share this because anyone who ventures into the unknown to experiment, learn, and grow will experience times of panic. Know that you are not alone. What you are experiencing is normal. The challenge is to find ways to reinforce your resolve to follow your vision. What helps me is to keep learning. I learn by reflecting upon my current experience to identify what is going well and what may need to be changed. I continue to read, attend training, and dialogue with colleagues to bolster my confidence. What most inspires me to continue with my experiment, though, is to focus on how much I care for my students. I care about what happens to them when they venture forth from college. I want them to be able to deal with the ambiguities of life. I don’t want to spoon feed them answers. It is critical that they learn how to learn. So I will strive to continue to give them my best and to evoke the best from them. That means I will refrain from coming to our rescue. May we all survive to tell the tale at the end.

Fear In The Classroom

I hear students and faculty agree that the current educational system is flawed. Yet we cling to the very methods we condemn. How come? Fear. Students fear attempting anything that may lower their grade point average or that will differentiate them from their peers. Faculty fear losing control of the classroom or of looking incompetent if a teaching experiment flops. I am sure each of us can name other fears that prevent us from exploring new options. To counter our fears we need to foster an attitude of experimentation. Learning involves an ongoing journey from the known into the unknown. It is not possible for us to know what experiments will succeed until we try them. It takes courage to live within the unknown. Here is where peer support can help. Our courage is bolstered when we can share our hopes and fears with others who understand what we are feeling. We are encouraged when we know that there are others who believe in what we are doing and who share our goals and experiences. When we struggle alone, doubt stalks us. We question our competency. It is helpful to hear from others who share our struggles. The support of others renews our confidence. We again have the courage to make a difference until the next cycle of fear overtakes us. Fear will continue to visit us as we venture beyond our known limits. But as Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

Where is the Passion?

I recently had one of my classes identify the implications of our university’s mission and vision to the design of the course. I had the students form into small groups to discuss how the course was to be conducted if we stayed true to the university’s mission and vision. The one theme that every group identified as important to how we conducted the course was to exhibit “a passion for learning.” Part of the university’s purpose is to instill a passion for learning in students. After hearing each group report on the importance of the course evoking passion, I looked out at the forty students in the class and asked, “Where is it? Where is the passion?” They spoke of passion as if they were reciting from a grocery list. It then occurred to me. They were afraid of it! To be passionate would differentiate them. They would stand out from their peers. They would be perceived as weird. They would be labeled crazy. What they were saying is that they would act like me and that was frightening!

What evokes passion? Caring. When you deeply care about something, you can’t help but be passionate. That passion does not have to be wild and loud. It may be quiet but it will still be felt by others. Passion is an energy that emerges from the core of our being. My wife, Gwen, says, “Passion drives dreams to reality.” Passion can make great things happen. It can also wreak havoc. The outcome depends upon the values that channel our passion.

Passion is contagious. It is a spark that can ignite a flame in others. If we expect our students to be passionate about learning, we must be role models. That requires that we allow ourselves to be vulnerable. Passion is a surrendering of control. To be passionate is to allow something to grab hold of us, to direct our energies. Obviously, we do not give up all control. We must channel our energy towards positive outcomes. This is where our values play an important part. What we are to give up control to when we allow ourselves to be passionate is a higher calling. Our call will take us beyond our perceived limits. As a result we will feel vulnerable, unsure, and anxious. We will also experience exhilaration, insight, and growth.

To fulfill our university’s mission, we must lead our students to experience a passion for learning. Where is that passion to be found? Deep within.

Is This Student Serious?

Following is a recent email I received. I have deleted the name to protect the guilty. Is this student serious? You judge based on your own experience.

Dear Professor Alegre,

May I please have your class and office hour schedule so that I can meet with you to talk about what I need to do to get an A+ in your class?

Because of my work schedule, I won’t be able to attend any of your classes and because of a busy personal life, I won’t be able to complete any assignments. And, is it OK, if I take your exams late? My husband keeps me busy reading other stuff on weekends, so I don’t have time to study for your course. Oh, and my snow shoe team coach makes me attend practice daily, and I have a note for that. Hope that’s not a problem.

But, I am a really, really good student and I deserve an A+.

Sincerely,
[name deleted]