Summer's End

The summer break has come to an end. I spent much of my summer gearing up for the new academic year. One of the projects I undertook, outside of staining the seemingly infinite expanse of decking surrounding our house, was to redesign an already successful course. I had intended only to insert one new approach into the existing course design. I ended up designing the course from scratch. Why? Ethics. As I researched the one aspect of the course I wanted to change, I discovered many other ways I could make the course more effective. As a result, I was faced with what, for me, is an ethical question. Can I continue to teach in a way that has worked before if I discover what I think is a better way to serve the learning needs of the students? My answer to the question is that I cannot. Even though the course was well received by students in the past, I feel a commitment to give my best to the students who take my courses. The challenge is that my best is always changing. Immediately after I finished typing the lesson plans for the entire semester, I came across in my reading ways to make the course even better. As a result, I am making revisions in the course before I even deliver it. That is why I keep my course designs as brief outlines. By the time I am to deliver a specific class, I have learned alternative ways from my original plan to present the material. In this way the course remains fresh for me and the students get the benefit of my most recent learning. As a result, I never present a course in the same way.

It may seem that I am creating a lot of work for myself. I am. But I find it a lot more enjoyable than staining decks, which, I may add, I still have not finished. Oh, well. I guess that’s what weekends are for.