Feeding the Team

Sometimes you just want to be a mom. Even if your kid is almost 18. Like, screw the job and other worldly responsibilities, today I just want to be a mom. That's how I felt today.

I think often people don't realize that in addition to all the hard work and long hours and personal spending teachers/educators do, they... we also devote a tremendous amount of time to other people's children. The result sometimes is we give up time with our own. Years ago I suffered quite a bit of guilt over it. But I think my son understood. I think he liked that other kids thought his mom was special too.

Last night, after serving a big family meal, I realized I also made a commitment to feed the swim team before their meet today. I was caught in a bit if a conundrum. The food needed to be at school by 3:00 and there was no way to heat it up. That meant I couldn't send it in with my son in the morning or drop it off on my way to work.  What's a working mom to do? I asked my son if the parents who brought food last week brought it in at 3:00, if it was hot, if they were at-home moms? The guilt of earlier elementary days was kicking in. I know, sounds a little bit dramatic.

But, it's my son's senior year and quite possibly the last few months I'll have to be a swim mom. Then it will all be over. For good. I made a clear and definite decision. I would work a half day, leave at lunch, and come home to prepare the food for my son and his team. Then I could drop it off at 3, do a few errands and head to the pool for the meet. I don't take a lot of days off, and if my kid isn't a good enough reason, then what the heck is?

I worked from 7:30- 12:30, came home and made two trays of pasta. One for my son and others with a mature and discerning palate, with seasoned chicken, bacon, ranch, and avocado. The other, for the picky eaters, had red sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese. I dropped them off and got an "I love you." Then about 4:00 I got a text message, "The food is delicious." He even assured me the other kids liked it too. Yay!

When I got to the meet, one of the coaches said "Avocado! I almost took that whole tray and went home with it." One of the other boys told me they chowed down. My son, who is not much of a pasta eater, was grateful I made a tray of food with his taste in mind. And man did he have a great meet. Three first place races and one second place that he missed only by a touch. It felt good to drop everything and just be a mom for a couple of hours.

Sounds of Family

Many are the sounds of a holiday,
setting the table and cooking the meal
catching up with family members.

The chicken sizzles in the pan
the soft rock plays on the stereo
while thunder rolls a storm on in.

Soon the doorbell rings
greetings and longtime no sees
parents coaxing children inside

Kitchen timers sound
and children lift their apprehensions
thumping up and down the stairs

Giggling and screaming
competing for attention
who will be the leader of the pack

I love the sound of baby babble,
amidst a house of talking adults
and wild playing children

Sounds of mmm's and ooh's
as the family gathers round
and dinner is enjoyed by all

Diary of a Colloquium Instructor #4

September 1st was our third Thursday class. By now I know my students, and with the exception of mixing up two students with very similar features (long dark hair and glasses), I was able to take attendance in my mind perfectly. I received a last minute email from one student who wouldn't make it because he just had surgery. Hmm... interesting he never mentioned it before. I'll be waiting for his doctor's note. One student who thought she wouldn't make it and communicated it to me well in advance, had a change in a work obligation and was able to attend.

I started this class off with some housekeeping and a reminder the first paper is due next week. Then, I did something a little different. I gave them a quiz.

Brief Interlude:
Last semester I taught this course I had a class full of students who were fun and liked the field trips, but I could tell they were not keeping up with the reading. I got really frustrated with them mid-semester. It sucks trying to facilitate a class activity or discussion when the students are ill-prepared. One week I finally got disgusted and showed up with a pop quiz. There is no denying it, I did it to punish them. I am not a test person. I'm not into tricking my students either. But none of my soft approaches were convincing them the reading was important. When I announced it, they looked petrified, and with good reason. Mot of them would have failed. We scored them together and then discussed why I gave it. I told them I wasn't putting it in the grade book, but that I meant business. Things got better after that.

I announced at the beginning of the semester that we would do a lot of work in class and that's how they earned their assignment and attendance points. I am not a lecturer. One of the activities, I told them, would be an occasional quiz. I gave them that information in advance. I decided the night before class that I would give a quiz, five points for each of the two articles they were to read, for a total of ten points. The other ten class points would be earned through a partner activity they would do in class, after the quiz. When I asked them to clear their desks, and I approached the rows with the quiz, several of them looked like deer in the headlights. You know that look, we all do. Most of us have had the moment in a class at some point when we've wondered whether or not we were really prepared- a few perhaps when we knew we weren't.

Like me, some non-artists chose an acrostic.

I handed out the quiz, which had three multiple choice and one written response question for each article. I gave them twenty minutes to complete the quiz. I walked around the room, watching for cheating, hoping not to find any. They all seemed pretty clean. I collected them and asked the students if they wanted me to go over the answers. They were noncommittal. I decided to go over it, figuring it would be a good catalyst to discuss some of the important takeaways. That's exactly what went down.

I asked them to pair up for the next activity, and again I let them choose their partners. They already seemed to like regrouping with the people they worked with the previous week, and I was totally okay with that- even the love birds. As long as the students do good work and participate, what do I care who they work with? This week I gave them a poster and markers, and asked them to do a little research on some of the important concepts from the first module. I wanted to make sure they were grasping what they were reading, and not just reading for the sake of compliance. It was a chance to have a little fun and get creative. A good balance with the quiz from the first part of class.

One of the posters created to depict climate change.

As they worked on their posters, I graded their quizzes. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Most of the students had clearly done the reading, and there were a lot of 90s and 100s. Just like grade school though, there was a handful of students who left the written response blank. Translation: they skimmed the reading enough to answer multiple choice questions, but didn't read closely enough to be able to analyze the issues and write in their own words. I had to wonder. Was this sheer laziness on the part of the students, or lack of preparedness from their multiple choice test-taking days in grade school? Maybe a combination of both. One of them pulled a classic (one I'm admittedly all to familiar with). He couldn't answer the question, but clearly did some of the reading. So he just ranted on, for all five lines provided, about other random stuff in the article. Hey, at least he cared enough to prove to me he read. A couple of the others just left them completely blank. I'm anxious to see what their first papers look like.

Anyway, I set the pace for the rest of the course. I don't know that I'll give another quiz for the entire semester. But at least now they know I could, and I might. Some professors give one at the start of each class, just to incentivize reading. Me, I hate quizzes. I'd rather listen to them discuss the issues in class and do mini PBLs. I'd rather see them create and listen to them debate. It's just another way I'm getting to know my students.

Diary of a Colloquium Instructor #3

August 27th was our first of five class field trips. The trips in this course are designed to enhance the students' sense of place while living in the Southwest Florida community. They are introduced to natural and historical landmarks. This semester the field trip schedule, which I had no control over, worked out just the way I like it. Our first field trip was an on campus field trip. We would meet up with a student naturalist who would take us to the campus nature trail and then on a guided sustainability walk around campus.

We met bright and early on Saturday at 8:00 am, a time not well received by most undergrads. Nonetheless, our day and time were set for us, and all but one student showed up. I could see right away some of them ignored my advice to wear long pants even when it was hot, but at least they all wore closed shoes. Many of them had water bottles and hopefully they all wore sunscreen, both necessities in the August heat and humidity on Florida.

I enjoy the first field trip of the semester because it's the first chance I have to interact informally with my students. We strolled our way to the campus trail and I learned that two of my students who seemed to be in their late twenties or early thirties, ( I'll call them M and F) welcomed this trip as a chance to get outside and away from their studies and work. Both were clearly balancing busy lives even without school. M is also a mom. In fact, through conversation we realized her daughter attended the school I used to work at, when I was there. F works a lot and takes early morning classes so he can work more hours. I knew their names would stick because they offered conversation immediately.

Students shuffled a little as they walked, and I got to talking with a few others about whether they were locals or if they came to SW Florida specifically to attend school here. Two of them moved here with their parents in recent years- one lives in Naples, the other close by in Fort Myers. I got their names too (M and C). I also learned that J is a biology major and a member of the university chamber choir. He smooth talked me into leaving early to go to a rehearsal he was missing. I obliged but I've got his number.

Among the younger crowd there is D and N, most certainly a couple. She doesn't leave his side at all, in class or on the field trip. Maybe they think I don't know, but it's really a no-brainer. Today we were standing by the entrance to the nature trail when our naturalist and a biology professor/wildlife specialist were discussing what he saw as he exited. He told us there was a ton of wildlife living on campus and around the trail, most notably several snakes that he was tracking for research. As everyone descended into the trail, D stood up on the hill looking down at the rest of the class. N smiled and waited for her to build up enough courage to join us. She stayed right by N's side.

The eldest and probably the most enthusiastic of all the students, D, was jotting away in her journal and snapping photos, in between asking questions and talking with the naturalist. She later told me how much she was enjoying the day, exclaiming, "This is the kind of tour people pay money for!"

The hike into the trail was limited. There had been heavy rains from a tropical system out in the Gulf and much of the trail was underwater. The trip was not planned as a wet walk, so no one was prepared for one. The naturalist spoke quiet a bit about the trees and plant species, and we saw a couple of different types of birds. Then we did an about face and started back toward the entrance. She pointed out poison ivy and cautioned the students to take note of its appearance so they can avoid any itchy encounters. We walked gingerly taking care not to get our shoes stuck in the mud, or to step in any deep water spots...

Remember the video game kid from my last diary entry? You know, the kid with the beard and a chip on his shoulder? He was walking ahead of me, climbing up the edges of the trail walking heel to toe like he was on a balance beam. He looked back at me and I smiled.
"You okay?" I asked.
"I'm just not very comfortable in nature," he said. No shit, I thought to myself. But you know, that's what this course is all about.
"Hopefully as we move through the semester, you'll start to feel differently, get a little more comfortable." He didn't respond, just turned back around and did his best Simone Biles beam walk out to the exit. Nothing impressive about his dismount.

Once off the trail, we walked back toward the main part of campus. I had more time to chat with other students, learn some more names. Two young women (S and T) and I talked about eating delicious healthy salads with leafy greens and homemade citrus salad dressing. We share a love of arugula! Two more names I learned.

We continued on our sustainability walk. I love it when students learn for the first time about all the great stuff going on at their university. Some of them admitted to hearing bits and pieces about it during pre-enrollment and freshman orientation sessions. Learning about the buildings on campus with LEED certification was an eye opener for all of them, as were the on-campus bike repair stations and public showers in some of the main buildings on campus. Both of these conveniences are provided to encourage students, faculty, and staff to bike to campus rather than drive. Other stops on the walk included the edible fruit plants available for picking in between classes, and the cooling system that dumps ice into vats that then pump ice water through tubes into the a/c systems throughout campus.
It's great for students to understand the design and structures from trash cans and recycle bins to the building rooftops and campus plant life, were all choices made with the environment, the university community, and sustainability in mind. It was the perfect start to our field trip calendar, and by the end of the day I knew the name of every student in my class.

Recipe for Relaxation

• Fall asleep on the couch on a Friday night about half an hour before your usual "bed time."
• Sleep in approximately 1 hour past the time you wake up during the week for work at a comfortable thermostat temperature of 76 degrees.
• Spend at least 20-30 minutes lazing in bed after awakening, eyes open is optional.
• Take the daily morning pee, wash up, and brush teeth.
• Be sure not to change out of pajamas, and tie hair up in a bun.
• Slowly and leisurely, walk downstairs and make a cup of hot dark roast coffee.
• Bring said coffee to the side table, and open the blinds to the lanai.
• Enjoy slowly sipping coffee while watching meandering birds in the rain-soaked preserve.
• Flip through emails and Facebook, while still sipping coffee.
• Play a couple of games on the iPad.
• Make a second cup of coffee.
• Sip second cup of coffee while grading papers and lesson planning on the couch, still in pajamas.
• Have a snack.
• Take a shower.
• Take all the panels and top off the Jeep.
• Go shopping with your loved one.
• Go to dinner with your loved one.
• Keep track of the Canes game on the radio/online mobile app (we don't have ESPN3)
• Come home at 8:30.
• Blog.
• Watch TV on the couch.
• When all is done and eyes are tired, repeat steps 1-4.

Diary of a Colloquium Instructor #2

Week 2 was fun. This is when we first start to get to know each other. I can attach names to faces, though I don't have them completely memorized yet. And my students start to get a feel for the kind of instructor I am. This is the first time I've taught this class when most of the students are younger than me. In other words, most of them are semi-typical college juniors and seniors. There is one woman, let's just call her D, who might be old enough to be my mom (maybe). There are a couple of thirty-somethings, and the rest are late teens, early twenties. It's a different feel than my last semester, which had just as many, maybe more adult students than "college kids."

Another significant difference is in my last section of this course, I had several students who were biology, environmental science, or engineering majors. Many of them were excited about being in nature and learning more about the local environment. This semester it's a mixed bag. I have some students who are crazy excited, like one who kayaks and camps regularly with her friends, and another who lives on the river and spends every morning sitting out on her dock observing and taking in her surroundings. I have a couple of natives, but mostly out of state students who are admittedly sick of the oppressive heat, and more concerned about the impending humidity and insects on the field trips than anything else.

The first reading for the class, due this week, was an excerpt from Richard Louv's national best-seller, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder.  It was an introductory chapter about the power of interacting with nature, and how today's youth is largely disconnected from the natural world. He suggest that this is contributing to societal problems like childhood obesity, attention deficit disorder, and depression. If you're interested, I highly recommend you check out Louv's work. The class activity required the students in small groups to read one of six scenarios I gave them in which they were asked to be part of a task force in varying fields of work (businesses, schools, nursing homes, etc.). The scenarios asked them to apply the concepts they learned about in the Louv reading, and make suggestions for the project in question. For example, here is one of the scenarios:

The CEO of a large and highly successful company is concerned about the longevity of the company’s success and the potential for burn-out and employee turnover. The executive team has voted on extending the workday by 60 minutes, but mandating two flexible 30- minute break periods in the day. As an employee in the company, you have been asked to participate on a task force to provide input about how best to utilize the breaks and create a space on the property for employee “down time.”

Based on the Louv reading, what recommendations might you offer the design team for this new space, and the executive team for the break time? How will you explain to others, the benefits of utilizing this time and space during the workday? What do you see as the long-term benefits of the project?

As I walked about the room, listening to the conversations and reflections on the reading, a few things struck me. First, I could immediately tell who had done the reading and who was dependent on the book (I allowed them to use it) and the group. The second, was the instant camaraderie in the classroom, which come to find out was not based on previous relationships. Unless my adult students- and they are all adults, even the youngest ones- show me they can't handle it, I always let them choose their own partners and groups. Finally, I was able to get a feel for who the quick-fix-let's-get-this-over-with students were and which ones were there to interact and learn as much as they could.

I noticed one group had gotten done very early. They were positioned right in the middle of the room, four 18-20ish-year-old guys. Two of them had the affect they were doing me a favor by being there. They told me they were done, and then one of them stopped me. Longish hair and a beard, but still obviously young, he had a bit of a chip on his shoulder.  "I just don't agree with the idea that video games and TV cause ADD." Okay, I was thinking curiously. 

"I'm not certain that's what the author thinks either," I replied to him as the others watched our interaction. "I believe Louv was simply saying that this is an area of great interest in the research community." Louv did refer to some studies in the book. But this wasn't about the book. This was clearly a young boy making it clear to me that he likes video games and TV and no one is going to tell him it's bad for him. He came off as immature. I continued, "And for the record, I don't believe  those things either. I believe it has more to with the behaviors and parenting associated with those activities than the activities themselves." He backed down and nodded, as though he approved of my retort. I think he was impressed. I was not.

The task force reports shared out at the end of class were okay, some better than others. I was able to ascertain right away which ones included information from the reading, and ideas supported by the reading, as opposed to those which simply stated opinions. I did this activity last time I taught the class, almost exactly the same way, and the results were more impressive then. I do recall it was a little further in the semester, so I'm not losing hope. By the end of the class I knew most everyone's name and planned to test myself when I saw them all that Saturday on our first field trip. Still feeling great about the start of the semester.

Diary of a Colloquium Instructor #1

Last year I started to keep a journal as I began teaching a unique university course. For whatever reason, it never panned out. I was either too involved in the course, or too busy to make time for it. This year, for several reasons, I think it makes great content for the theme of this blog. There is so much I love about teaching this course.You can read the course catalogue description on the Florida Gulf Coast University website. But I assure you if you stick around, you'll learn quite a bit about it here. I'm now in week three of the course, and I have two reflections. I'll post the first here to catch up and then I'll post the next one separately.

Week #1- August 17th, 2016
August 17th was the first meeting of my fall Colloquium class. It's a very manageable class size for a college class. It is considered a writing intensive class, so to keep the workload manageable for the instructors, the classes max out at 24 students. It's a required course fall all undergraduate students, all sections are almost always full. Mine is this semester. In preparing for and going to class the first night, I realized it felt just like the first day of school in grade school. As a teacher, you ask yourself questions like Will they enjoy my class? Will they think I'm a good teacher? You wonder how long it will take to learn their names. These thoughts all went through my head, and I even nursed butterflies on my way to campus. I've been an adjunct instructor for almost five years now, and I still get nervous on the first night of class.

After we had a guest speaker to introduce the service learning component of the course, I started with a pretty typical first night of class. I told them a little about me, explained how i set up the course on our online platform, and gave them a little insight to my teaching style. I encouraged them to buy the books, insisting they need them to pass the class (which is the truth). I reviewed the syllabus and asked them a little about themselves. For me that first night is all about breaking the ice, setting expectations, and looking for notable characteristics I can connect with their names. I used to tell my elementary kids I'd know all their names by the time we got back from lunch the first day, and I never let them down. I promised my college class I would learn them all, but was careful not give them a deadline. After all, I only see them for an hour and fifteen minutes, once a week.

I always feel energized after the first night. My nerves calm a bit. I am introduced to my students, and they to me. I prepare to make this semester better than the last. I suppose that's a carry over from my classroom days. The best teachers, at least the best intentioned teachers always start out with the goal of getting better each year. For me, it's about the content. I want to be better versed and more confident in what I'm teaching. I know the how. I've been teaching for years. This semester I'm not just going to be a College of Ed. instructor teaching Colloquium. I'm going to be a Colloquium instructor. It's going to be a great semester!