By Keith Starcher, Geneva College,
Pennsylvania
kostarch@geneva.edu
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The spring semester is over. Final grades are posted, and committee
meetings are on summer hiatus. And so ends my third year, sixth
semester, and 33rd month as a college faculty member. It’s been an
eye-opening experience for me and one that has prompted these
conclusions about teaching.
Teaching is hard work
I’m embarrassed to think that in the past I made comments about how easy
teachers have it. “They only work nine months a year, and when they
work, they keep bankers’ hours.” Now I know better. Teaching is not just
a job – it’s a way of life. It’s pouring yourself into your students,
your discipline, and your pedagogy. After three years of “pouring,’ I am
not yet running on empty, but I do sometimes feel drained. A quote from
an unknown author says it best, “A good teacher is like a candle –
consuming itself to light the way for others.” I see what a challenge
balancing consumption and rejuvenation can be.
Teaching can be lonely work
Although I relish the interaction with students both in and outside the
classroom, my colleagues and I seldom seem to find the time to chat –
especially about teaching. We exchange greetings, serve on committees,
and line up according to tenure. But the “collegiality” that I assumed
would be ubiquitous in a college setting, especially in regard to
conversations about teaching, is a rarity. Everyone is just too busy
teaching to talk about teaching.
Teaching has significance
I’m amazed how my students are maturing and gaining poise as they move
through their college years. I remember them as freshmen – what a
difference when I see them now! How humbling it is to realize the small
role that I can play in this developmental process! Education leads to
change. What a privilege to help engender change in the minds and hearts
of students. Building a legacy in my former business life was measured
in dollars and cents. Now my hoped-for legacy will be seen in changed
lives. Henry Brooks Adams’ words are frequently quoted; probably because
they are so apt. “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where
his influence stops.” What can be more significant than that?
Teaching requires continuous improvement
You would think that after three years teaching the same courses that I
would have at least one course “wrapped” so to speak – a well-chosen
text, effective in class activities, challenging assignments, and
outstanding assessment tools all in place. But that is not the case. I’m
still changing texts, tweaking experiential learning activities, and
dreaming of assessments that truly measure how well the students are
realizing the course objectives. Ideas for improvement continue to flow
in from all directions – from books, articles, the recent Teaching
Professor Conference, and colleagues – the list goes on and on. Perhaps
the joy is truly in the journey.
Teaching takes courage
Teaching is a very personal vocation. Standing in front of a class
involves a level of vulnerability that I have never experienced before.
I have felt the disappointment of a “bombed” lecture and the sting of a
hurtful comment from a student evaluation of my course. During those
times I wonder if I’m really cut out to be a teacher. Then I get an
email like this one: “Just a note to thank you for your enthusiasm and
commitment to teaching, as it showed very brightly in our class. Keep up
the good work.”
And I begin afresh. I’m sure I can develop an in-class activity that
will engage the students more in that business-strategy lecture. And
providing clearer direction on the industry journal would be helpful.
And then there’s…
Someone once said, “There are three reasons to be a teacher – June,
July, and August.” In some ways I agree – but then why am I already
yearning for September?
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Source: The Teaching Professor, August/September
2006, 20(7), p.1. |
