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December 02, 2005
The End of the Semester
Categories: Personal
Yesterday was the last day of classes for me for this semester. I gave my students a take home exam, so we will not meet again. I am glad to have one semester under my belt, even if I still have a boatload of grading to do.
One of the things I am trying to do is establish my professional identity -- who am I in this department? Who am I when I am in the classroom? Am I the "young and hip" professor, the one who knows about the bands my students listen to and can relate the classroom material to their lives, because I am not that much older than they are? Am I the "geeky and not really funny" professor who tells bad jokes and embarrasing stories about himself? Am I the "really hard" professor who gives his students essay tests and grades with a red paintbrush? Am I all of those people at the same time?
Any big change, like a new profession, forces us to reevaluate who we are, especially in relation to those whom we serve in the profession. While I think it is always good to question ourselves, evaluate our methods of doing whatever job it is we do, and constantly strive to grow, having a clearer sense of my identity as a professor would make me a better professor, I think.
Perhaps I can begin with a clearer sense of what I want my students to get out of my class -- a list of goals and expectations. I can then think about how to get my students to know and achieve those expectations and consider my role in helping them get to the place where I want them to be. That's a pretty concrete way to start. I can put it on my syllabus. I can structure the course (and my own place within the course) accordingly. Hopefully, a clearer Dr. Pope will emerge.
And, on a related note, I had several students give me very high compliments and praise after class yesterday. I am sure there are students who did not like the class at all and I will hear about it on the evaluations. Yet, getting a Christmas card with "you were one of the best professors I had in a very long time. I actually learned something I can use in life" makes me feel pretty good.
Posted by Nakia at December 2, 2005 12:20 PM