No, not the kind that Lindsey Lohan incriminates Tina Fey to be in "Mean Girls," but instead the kind of Student Affairs Professional who believes that education is happening outside of the classroom. I passionately believe it is my duty to push students to critically think, question a problem from multiple angles and weigh solutions and consequences, good or bad, to the point that they are able to make an informed decision or present themselves professionally and articulately.
The article posted below certainly puts the mirror in an uncomfortable place. If students fail, it is ultimately, our fault. "In loco parentis," is not something of bygone days in higher education. If we admit a student in to our community they become our responsibility, our pride, and sometimes our problem. It is our duty as educators to coach them, guide them, mentor them, teach them, nuture them, discipline them, at times love them... in short, we act in lieu of a parent. So if we realize that we have failed them on some level - whether it be they do not have the skillset to write on a collegiate level or that they lack the ability to operate within a set of rules - how do we rectify the failure? Is there any possibility that we can? Or is it simply easier to hope that putting in the extra work on the front end will translate in to the possibility that we have not failed them? Is it more important to stay the extra 15 minutes after work or read a cover letter on a Sunday morning?
My answer is yes, to all of the above.
The article referred to: http://chronicle.com/article/Exam-DooziesDoubts/132255/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Friday, June 22, 2012
Friday, June 15, 2012
Hiatus
It's been at least a year since I dusted this blog off and contributed to the written word. So here goes.
A little update:
No longer working at the community college - have been at Tulane University since January '12. Serving as an Academic Coordinator (Advisor) for undergraduate business students. The main difference between student populations is education. At the community college, students had a lack of education and thus, were forced to rely on you as a resource and to truly guide them. At the private university, students have the education but have no ability to think critically and thus, rely on you to think for them at times. It's very much the same and very much the opposite all in one breath. Interesting and challenging all at once.
Also, I am continuing to serve my Fraternity as a Chapter Adviser. What a tremendous blessing/opportunity this has been. I often reference that Phi Mu has been exactly where I needed them and exactly when I needed them, at various stages of my life. The death of my grandfather revealed a very generous sisterhood whom raised the cost of my plane ticket home within 30 minutes of discovering my loss. When I felt unsure of the professional decisions I had made for my career and life, when I felt that I was wandering through my existence without purpose, the opportunity to serve presented itself in the form of the Chapter Adviser role. For these reasons, and many others, I feel forever indebted to my Fraternity and her members. While I operate 9 to 5 doing something that I'm skilled at, it is after hours that I do something I love... work to develop young student leaders.
In the process of all the professional changes and also the volunteering with Phi Mu, I have begun to search for the PhD program/next step. A trip in February to California was not only a great trip and wonderful way to spend a week but also afforded me the opportunity to interact with faculty and at the University of San Diego and Stanford. Each program has it's benefits and unique attributes. The program that I feel fits me best is at USD. However, fate will make a lot of those decisions for me. Financing, job placement, acceptance, etc. For now though, the visits were enough to feed the hunger I have to return to the classroom.
Something that recently caught my eye was the video below. I was browsing TED talks while doing some research earlier this week and stumbled upon this gem. I am constantly looking for ways to boil down a message in to digestible chunks for college students. This was a perfect appetizer to begin a conversation/continue one.
The thought that it takes the first follower to truly create buy-in is not a new concept. But the notion that the followers ignite one another is something worthy of study- followership is catching hold as a source of research in the field but not enough is complete yet.
A little update:
No longer working at the community college - have been at Tulane University since January '12. Serving as an Academic Coordinator (Advisor) for undergraduate business students. The main difference between student populations is education. At the community college, students had a lack of education and thus, were forced to rely on you as a resource and to truly guide them. At the private university, students have the education but have no ability to think critically and thus, rely on you to think for them at times. It's very much the same and very much the opposite all in one breath. Interesting and challenging all at once.
Also, I am continuing to serve my Fraternity as a Chapter Adviser. What a tremendous blessing/opportunity this has been. I often reference that Phi Mu has been exactly where I needed them and exactly when I needed them, at various stages of my life. The death of my grandfather revealed a very generous sisterhood whom raised the cost of my plane ticket home within 30 minutes of discovering my loss. When I felt unsure of the professional decisions I had made for my career and life, when I felt that I was wandering through my existence without purpose, the opportunity to serve presented itself in the form of the Chapter Adviser role. For these reasons, and many others, I feel forever indebted to my Fraternity and her members. While I operate 9 to 5 doing something that I'm skilled at, it is after hours that I do something I love... work to develop young student leaders.
In the process of all the professional changes and also the volunteering with Phi Mu, I have begun to search for the PhD program/next step. A trip in February to California was not only a great trip and wonderful way to spend a week but also afforded me the opportunity to interact with faculty and at the University of San Diego and Stanford. Each program has it's benefits and unique attributes. The program that I feel fits me best is at USD. However, fate will make a lot of those decisions for me. Financing, job placement, acceptance, etc. For now though, the visits were enough to feed the hunger I have to return to the classroom.
Something that recently caught my eye was the video below. I was browsing TED talks while doing some research earlier this week and stumbled upon this gem. I am constantly looking for ways to boil down a message in to digestible chunks for college students. This was a perfect appetizer to begin a conversation/continue one.
The thought that it takes the first follower to truly create buy-in is not a new concept. But the notion that the followers ignite one another is something worthy of study- followership is catching hold as a source of research in the field but not enough is complete yet.
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