Category Archives: Write6x6

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All that Jazz in the Classroom

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by Christopher Le

I’ll admit right away that I don’t know much about the intricacies of jazz.

Growing up, my exposure to the genre came mostly from late nights driving home from soccer practice with my dad in his dusty Toyota MR2. At the time, I thought he loved jazz and so I loved it too.

It wasn’t until years later that I learned my dad simply never switched the radio channel over after NPR’s daily news went off the air. I had come to love a genre of music through a thoughtless error, a missed click of the dial.

Mistake or not, jazz music became part of the soundtrack of my life. As I think back on my brief decade of teaching, it is jazz that I go back to. Those cool, drifting melodies that never sound quite the same upon consecutive listens seem to be the perfect analogy for my experiences in the classroom.

If you’re not quite sure what all the fuss is about, maybe let Ryan Gosling explain it to you. In La La Land, Sebastian (Gosling) is telling Mia (Emma Stone) why jazz is so fascinating to him. His descriptions of it match how I view teaching.

“See what’s at stake. I mean, look at this sax player—he just hijacked this song, he’s on his own trip. Every one of these guys is composing, they’re re-arranging, they’re writing, and they’re playing the melody…and so, it’s conflict, and it’s compromise, and it’s just—it’s new! Every time. It’s brand new every night. It’s very, very exciting.”

I mean, c’mon. Tell me that isn’t teaching. You step into the room and you’re trying to teach the competencies, y’know…follow the melody. But as you do, you’re changing and modifying and adapting and making every learning experience different for the students in your classroom. When you’re doing it right, when you’re moving and grooving, no two performances are the same. That’s jazz. That’s teaching.

One jazz standard stands out as my favorite: “All of Me.”  

Countless music legends have moseyed through this song—Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Bublé,—uh, Willie Nelson? Yeah, even Willie Nelson took a stab at the enduring melody.

“All of me, why not take all of me? Can’t you see? I’m no good without you.”

Now, the song itself is about a lover giving themselves over entirely. For me, that idea definitely resonates when I consider how I approach my job. I’ve given everything to this career. For the most part, that’s been a beautiful thing. With teaching, you really do get out what you put in. Putting in everything I have to this job has given me countless memories accompanied by easy smiles.

But, of course, any singular pursuit can lead to a little bit of heartache.

“You took the part that once was my heart. So why not take all of me?”

When I’m on the stage in the classroom, I’m playing so many different roles for my students. It’s enough to leave anyone feeling drained. Sometimes, when I come home and I’ve left all of me in the classroom, there isn’t enough left for my family. We work a brutal job. It takes everything you’ve got to be a good teacher. But it’s hard not to love it when you see the fruits of your labor.

“So why not take all of me?”

 
Write6x6

Joy: An Evolution in Becoming a Teacher at Glendale Community College

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written by Dr. Krysten Pampel

I have been teaching since Fall of 2009 and the lyrics in Joy by Andy Grammer are a good representation of my evolution in becoming a teacher at Glendale Community College.

Joy by Andy Grammer (official audio)

I vividly remember my first year teaching and the fear that sat with me on the daily. The weight of being a teacher cannot be articulated in a preservice teacher classroom. It is something you experience when you have students show up in your classroom on the first day of classes. 

Doubt was a constant in those first years of teaching since I was building and creating curriculum with the hope that students would gain the knowledge they needed in order to be successful in the next class. This was a huge challenge and the pressure felt very high to help my students who were looking to move into STEM careers after high school were given all the tools they needed to achieve their academic goals.

In the Fall of 2011, I was accepted into a doctorate program which was a great opportunity but stretched me too thin. I felt sorrow when leaving high school was the best option for me to complete my doctorate degree and have a better balance in my life.  

As a doctorate student I had very limited access to the classroom which kept me grieving the loss of leaving the high school classroom. The ways I connected with college students was significantly different than high school students. Over the years in my doctoral program, I started to change my perspective and found joy as I got closer to finishing my dissertation. 

Pressure entered my teaching evolution when I found out I was pregnant. My due date and my dissertation completion were around the day. I also felt pressure in determining what I wanted to do for work after finishing my degree.

My husband has asked me what job I would take that would make it where I no longer taught at the community college at night. I was so struck by this question because I never realized how much I liked teaching at the community college. I knew that if I got any other job I would be in a constant state of jealousy for those working at the community college inspiring college students in the classroom. 

As I applied for a full time position at Glendale Community College, I started to get excited but was told by many current residential faculty that it was normal not to get hired the first time you interview. I went into the interview still hopeful that I would be a strong candidate for the position. After making it through all three rounds, I started to let doubt creep back in which felt shameful since I had been warned that the first time you interview you rarely get hired. 

I found joy in the June of 2017 when I received a call for Dr. Chris Miller, the mathematics department chair, offered me the job. I continued to find joy when I had my son, Olyver, at the end of September 2017 and again on November 3rd, 2012 when I defended my dissertation, successfully earning my doctorate degree. 

I have been finding more joy ever since getting a position here at GCC, through the students I teach, the colleagues I collaborate with, and the opportunities for growth I have found. 

 
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Making Research Real for my CRE101 and ENG102 students

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I’m grateful to be attending AERA in San Diego. Most of you probably already know that the American Educational Research Association (AERA), “a national research society, strives to advance knowledge about education, to encourage scholarly inquiry related to education, and to promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good.”

This has been a great opportunity for me to reconnect with long-time colleagues and be reminded of the importance of scholarship in our teaching profession.

As I’ve been learning and reflecting over these past few days, I realize that my students are using the word “research” loosely and incorrectly. I’m considering changing my vocabulary, and I want my ENG and CRE peeps to help me with this. We really have three very different processes when my students and I talk about research at GCC:

  1. Conducting a scholarly investigation
  2. Reading research, and
  3. Doing research 

    When we are reading and evaluating sources with ABC or CRAAP, we’re conducting a scholarly investigation. I’ve realized that I need to help students be more intentional because some think that when they Google a term, they are researching it.

When I help my students to read research, it is typically part of learning about the benefits and limitations of different types of evidence.

The final area of doing research is not something my students do; however, they do participate in the PSY290 data collection and we learn about the process through the poster sessions. PSY 290 students will be presenting their research at an in-person Poster Session on Wednesday, April 27th from 10-11:30am in the Lobby of the LS Building (entrance is on the west side of the building).  My students will earn five (5) points extra credit for texting me a selfie with one of the presenters and their poster.  We will be doing an assignment next week related to the poster presentations.

I’ve also been reminded by my colleagues here at AERA that gathering student data and self-reflection are key to improving myself and the overall teaching profession. I plan to engage more with the self-study special interest group. I’m grateful that MCCCD allows us the time and funding to travel and grow! I’m grateful that COVID has eased up enough to allow these inspiring people to gather!


 
career, Living, risk-taking, Write6x6

GCC in 2033

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For this last week of GCC’s Write 6X6 challenge, the suggested prompt was to write about where we see GCC 5 or 10 years from now – a “vision,” if you will. This prompt brought up another vision I had almost 10 years ago – one that changed my life in profound ways.

Before anyone gets excited, I am a scientist. I don’t suffer tales of the paranormal gladly. I had a vision about 10 years ago that absolutely came true, but plenty of my other visions did not. For example, I am not now, nor have I ever been, a Radio City Rockette. But I digress . . .

The day of my vision started by walking my daughter Taylor to her first day in a new job at a Manhattan advertising agency. A few months earlier, Taylor took an uncharacteristic leap and packed up to move to the Big Apple. Tears filled my eyes as we hugged a block away from her office, lest any of her new colleagues see mommy walking her to work.

After we parted, I decided to take a stroll on the High Line, a public park built on a historic, elevated rail line. Full of public art and flora and fauna (okay, birds and squirrels) right next to the life-sounds of the city, walking the High Line makes for a brain buzzy with introspection. I thought about Taylor’s exciting new career — and the one I was currently enduring as an assistant research professor.

View on the High Line

Right there on the High Line somewhere between 26th Street and the 10th Avenue crossing, the thought flashed, “I want to teach at a community college!” I then spent the next hour or so going over in my mind how such a position would feed my soul. (Yep, I said soul – this scientist has one, too.) This wasn’t the first time I considered community college teaching, but it was this one particular vision that spurred me to action.

I had one eensy problem. The leadership in my then-department had a policy: If you apply for another position, you must resign in order to receive a recommendation. You know where this is going. I quit my full-time job. With benefits. And a retirement plan. To become an adjunct. If my mother were alive to see it, she would have muttered, “Mary, Mary, Mary . . .”

Shortly after my decision to leap out into the CC job market, the net in the form of an adjunct gig at GCC magically appeared. (Did I really just write about magic?) More adjunct opportunities came from SCC and NAU. I even returned to ASU to lecture for a couple years before I landed in the residential position I am in now. My point is it’s been a long road to get here, but I have never been happier and more fulfilled at work.

My vision of GCC in the next 10 years is that we continue to grow in our vibrancy and remain as wonderfully student-centered as I believe we are today. My vision includes a faculty who feel valued and energized. There’s a wonderful book entitled, If You Don’t Feed the Teachers, They Eat the Students. My hope for GCC is that all faculty feel fed so that they may be fully present for students.

Five years elapsed between my initial vision and inking my employment papers with GCC, but every minute of the struggle to get here was worth it. Whatever we do collectively to move GCC forward over the next 10 years is worth every bead of sweat if it helps our students to live out their own visions of the lives they want as well.

 

May GCC be as vibrant as this mural on the High Line!

The post GCC in 2033 appeared first on My Love of Learning.

career, Living, risk-taking, Write6x6

GCC in 2033

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For this last week of GCC’s Write 6X6 challenge, the suggested prompt was to write about where we see GCC 5 or 10 years from now – a “vision,” if you will. This prompt brought up another vision I had almost 10 years ago – one that changed my life in profound ways.

Before anyone gets excited, I am a scientist. I don’t suffer tales of the paranormal gladly. I had a vision about 10 years ago that absolutely came true, but plenty of my other visions did not. For example, I am not now, nor have I ever been, a Radio City Rockette. But I digress . . .

The day of my vision started by walking my daughter Taylor to her first day in a new job at a Manhattan advertising agency. A few months earlier, Taylor took an uncharacteristic leap and decided to move to the Big Apple. Tears filled my eyes as we hugged a block away from her office, lest any of her new colleagues see mommy walking her to work.

After we parted, I decided to take a stroll on the High Line, a public park built on a historic, elevated rail line. Full of public art and flora and fauna (okay, birds and squirrels) right next to the life-sounds of the city, walking the High Line makes for a brain buzzy with introspection. I thought about Taylor’s exciting new career — and the one I was currently enduring as an assistant research professor.

View on the High Line

Right there on the High Line somewhere between 26th Street and the 10th Avenue crossing, the thought flashed, “I want to teach at a community college!” I then spent the next hour or so going over in my mind how such a position would feed my soul. (Yep, I said soul – this scientist has one, too.) This wasn’t the first time I considered community college teaching, but it was this one particular vision that spurred me to action.

I had one eensy problem. The leadership in my then-department had a policy: If you apply for another position, you must resign in order to receive a recommendation. You know where this is going. I quit my full-time job. With benefits. And a retirement plan. To become an adjunct. If my mother were alive to see it, she would have muttered, “Mary, Mary, Mary . . .”

Shortly after my decision to leap out into the CC job market, the net in the form of an adjunct gig at GCC magically appeared. (Did I really just write about magic?) More adjunct opportunities came from SCC and NAU. I even returned to ASU to lecture for a couple years before I landed in the residential position I am in now. My point is it’s been a long road to get here, but I have never been happier and more fulfilled at work.

My vision of GCC in the next 10 years is that we continue to grow in our vibrancy and remain as wonderfully student-centered as I believe we are today. My vision includes a faculty who feel valued and energized. There’s a fun book entitled, If You Don’t Feed the Teachers, They Eat the Students. My hope for GCC is that all faculty feel fed so that they may be fully present for students.

Five years elapsed between my initial vision and inking my employment papers with GCC, but every minute of the struggle to get here was worth it. Whatever we do collectively to move GCC forward over the next 10 years is worth every bead of sweat if it helps our students to live out their own visions of the lives they want as well.

 

May GCC be as vibrant as this mural on the High Line!

The post GCC in 2033 appeared first on My Love of Learning.

career, Living, risk-taking, Write6x6

GCC in 2033

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For this last week of GCC’s Write 6X6 challenge, the suggested prompt was to write about where we see GCC 5 or 10 years from now – a “vision,” if you will. This prompt brought up another vision I had almost 10 years ago – one that changed my life in profound ways.

Before anyone gets excited, I am a scientist. I don’t suffer tales of the paranormal gladly. I had a vision about 10 years ago that absolutely came true, but plenty of my other visions did not. For example, I am not now, nor have I ever been, a Radio City Rockette. But I digress . . .

The day of my vision started by walking my daughter Taylor to her first day in a new job at a Manhattan advertising agency. A few months earlier, Taylor took an uncharacteristic leap and decided to move to the Big Apple. Tears filled my eyes as we hugged a block away from her office, lest any of her new colleagues see mommy walking her to work.

After we parted, I decided to take a stroll on the High Line, a public park built on a historic, elevated rail line. Full of public art and flora and fauna (okay, birds and squirrels) right next to the life-sounds of the city, walking the High Line makes for a brain buzzy with introspection. I thought about Taylor’s exciting new career — and the one I was currently enduring as an assistant research professor.

View on the High Line

Right there on the High Line somewhere between 26th Street and the 10th Avenue crossing, the thought flashed, “I want to teach at a community college!” I then spent the next hour or so going over in my mind how such a position would feed my soul. (Yep, I said soul – this scientist has one, too.) This wasn’t the first time I considered community college teaching, but it was this one particular vision that spurred me to action.

I had one eensy problem. The leadership in my then-department had a policy: If you apply for another position, you must resign in order to receive a recommendation. You know where this is going. I quit my full-time job. With benefits. And a retirement plan. To become an adjunct. If my mother were alive to see it, she would have muttered, “Mary, Mary, Mary . . .”

Shortly after my decision to leap out into the CC job market, the net in the form of an adjunct gig at GCC magically appeared. (Did I really just write about magic?) More adjunct opportunities came from SCC and NAU. I even returned to ASU to lecture for a couple years before I landed in the residential position I am in now. My point is it’s been a long road to get here, but I have never been happier and more fulfilled at work.

My vision of GCC in the next 10 years is that we continue to grow in our vibrancy and remain as wonderfully student-centered as I believe we are today. My vision includes a faculty who feel valued and energized. There’s a fun book entitled, If You Don’t Feed the Teachers, They Eat the Students. My hope for GCC is that all faculty feel fed so that they may be fully present for students.

Five years elapsed between my initial vision and inking my employment papers with GCC, but every minute of the struggle to get here was worth it. Whatever we do collectively to move GCC forward over the next 10 years is worth every bead of sweat if it helps our students to live out their own visions of the lives they want as well.

 

May GCC be as vibrant as this mural on the High Line!

The post GCC in 2033 appeared first on My Love of Learning.

6x6, Photography, Random Musing, Write6x6

6x6x6 Tiny Stories in the Rarely Seen Internet Corners

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With time and the accretion of stuff that accumulate from years of tossing things on the web, again and again I stub my toe happily onto very small bits of serendipity that quietly sits there, doing it’s own, unnoticed bit of marvelousity (yes web editor red underline, I made up my own word).

Note: This is a last installment in my participation in the 2022 Write 6×6 Challenge, where has the weeks gone? But hardly the last blog post here, hope the other 6ers keep going.

I have been in the twitters and here on the blog doing semi regular bit of web yodeling for my collection of web serendipty stories.

For #OER 22 Me and a Penguin Want You To…

This one here is not quite in the vein, but it resonates more with what I find many people miss about this. And that a story is not just “this happened, here’s the tweet”. The story is all context that surrounds it and also a telling that gets at to some kind of emotional level. It’s not Joe Friday imploring, “Just the story facts, ma’am.”

Actually I was flitting around trying to find a topic for his post, looking through a few browser tabs that have been sitting there long enough to be showing web dust. One was my own photo that I had plans to use for a new post, and it was sitting in the tab so long, I forgot what the post was about.

I think I was trying to recruit volunteers to take over a recurring (fun) web task. Maybe I do remember, But that’s not this post. Sure Unsplash is full of photos that look so professionally perfect and so like all the others there, that I often look for things in my own flickr pile first. I probably searched on “help wanted” and found this image:

Odd Job Names 1
Odd Job Names 1 flickr photo by cogdogblog shared into the public domain using Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication (CC0)

It’s a job advertisement from a New Zealand newspaper, that alone hints at the antiquity of the photo (November 2004). That time ripples off the memory cells and clicks that that was maybe the 2nd of 3 times my colleague Richard Elliot in Auckland had found a way to invite me to his institution (UNITEC) to do some workshops and visits.

That alone, a point in time and a location trigger a whole stream of connective pieces. That’s why I think that the A in AI is the bigger factor in making sense of Artificial Intelligence. I guess I was being intrigued by the names of jobs, an “All Rounder” needed for a bakery.

I did not have (or maybe just did not use) online dictionaries, I can easily now find it’s not a reference to the cricket position but I did a fair job of inference in my caption to the photo:

Funny names for “help wanted” ads- I guess this is for an “all around” worker?

https://flickr.com/photos/cogdog/1279464

The camera information on my photo sends more associative trails- flickr reminds me I took the photo with an Olympus C4040Z maybe my first personal digital camera? I remember that I had access to one at my work at the Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction (for the MCLI still around, now the I stands for Innovation) and I ended up buying one for my personal use.

Adjacent photos indicate I was intrigued by the Kiwi job titles – Panel beaters and Paper Runners are all very descriptive of the work.

But going back to the All Rounders photo, I spotted a comment:

Hi – Borrowed your photo to illustrate a blog post which asks where’s the green job revolution, that was promised as Thanet off-shore wind farm goes live in the UK amidst figures that only 20% of the 900 million spent went to UK companies.

(there now I’ve gone and spoilt the plot!)

Thanks for sharing your photo – very keenly observed.
Cheers – Jonathan.

p.s here’s a link to your photo in situ:
http://solarpanelquoter.blogspot.com/2010/10/congratulations-to-thanet-but-wheres.html

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/1279464/#comment72157625071500986

I would have seen this… 12 years ago when the comment was added! That seems almost surreal that a web sie would be around long enough to keep ancient comments alive. But better yet, that blog link to the Solar Panel Quoter blog is still alive (alas they gave up the blog posting in 2014, last new post).

It was a nice find for me as over the last maybe 6 years I have been tracking known reuses of my flickr photos in an album, and the All Rounder photo needed to be added.

So it took me 11+ years to respond to the comment but I did

Ha! It only took me 11 years to see your note of reuse, thanks, and its a welcome relief that your post is still alive. I hope the green revolution finally got “’round” to it

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/1279464/#comment72157720131431500

I guess they last bit if interesting finds in this flickr photo is, woah, this little silly thing has been seen 7,683 times!

This is hardly a crowning post in the realm of blogging, but to me it’s all these little threads and memory jogs that can come from a tiny little quiet corner of the internet that gives me a good feeling about things.

The little things and the mind ripples they can generate, that is much more exciting to me than cryptocurrency and the metawurst.

Featured Image: My Google Images search for “tiny flower cracks” (with results set o Creative Commons license only) yielded a result from pxfuel – from experience I know that sites like that just yank from the source sites, so I went upstream to locate the original image from Pixabay by klimkin. I always try to not just grab free photo but get them from a place where I can give credit, even if a license says I do not have to.

https://pixabay.com/photos/flower-life-yellow-flower-crack-887443/
Write6x6

Onward Nurses!

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The New Nursing Student

Dr. Ingrid Simkins

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 

You might be saying to yourself, “I’m just trying to make it through to the end of the semester…I can’t even think that far ahead!”. Small measured goals are certainly a way to assure your immediate success, but every so often pause, reflect and examine a future goal. These goals marked by time are not finite, but instead open to opportunities that present themselves and opportunities you create. However, no matter what direction you are currently headed, remember that as a professional your learning is life-long.

Week 8 – Lifelong Learning | Teaching in a digital world

Perhaps you wish to be a L&D (or insert current desired specialty here) nurse. Then put things in motion to network and shine during that rotation. Ask for those letters of recommendation from your clinical instructors, introduce yourself to the staff and leadership of that unit. Be prepared to be asked this very question in the interview for your dream job.

Your desire to be the best nurse would include keeping current by attending workshops and conferences and to seek certification. As you acclimate and grow in the role you may want to pursue becoming a midwife…again endless opportunities exist.

It is important to formulate some long term goals, then in times that are stressful or attempting to derail your efforts you can refocus and get yourself on track. So moving forward…what are your goals?

The new Graduate Nurse

Dr. Mary Resler

The hardest part of becoming a nurse is over. You have completed a rigorous nursing program; kudos to you! However, the most challenging part of nursing is just beginning. Moving forward after a hard shift can be challenging. After losing a patient that you have spent countless hours helping, moving forward can be challenging. Moving from a high census shift with low nursing staff can be challenging. Moving forward after a code can be challenging.

Georges St-Pierre Quote: “Set your goal and keep moving forward.”

Moving forward from a student nurse to a new graduate nurse to an experienced nurse happens quickly but not without bumps in the road and growing pains. Moving forward is learning from your mistakes or watching others’ mistakes. Moving forward is forgiving those mistakes, learning from them, and becoming a better nurse because of them.

Moving forward is joining a professional nursing organization and participating in it. Moving forward is taking continued education classes. Moving forward is precepting a nursing student or a newly hired nurse. Moving forward is advancing your degree. Moving forward is improving patient outcomes. Moving forward is almost anything but standing still. Which means moving forward is the only direction to go! Remember, nurses are lifelong learners.

The new Nurse Educator

Dr. Grace Paul

Free Career Development Cliparts, Download Free Career Development Cliparts png images, Free ClipArts on Clipart Library

Nurses indeed must strive to be lifelong learners, whether bedside with patients or in the classroom with students. A great bedside nurse may not be a great instructor, and a great instructor may not be the best nurse. As nursing faculty, we help motivated students who know their chosen profession and want to do their best. Therefore, faculty is expected to be equally vested in their students’ success.  Faculty should be able to help students of different ages, learning styles, needs, and life experience. We must be flexible and adapt to students’ needs.

Inspire your students to be lifelong learners by being one." - #education #educationquote #teach… | Education quotes, Motivational education quotes, Education blog

While it is important to learn different ways to help students and develop your role as faculty, it is also important to invest in your career growth. Career development and career growth are different. Career development is short term and career growth is long term. How do you see yourself in three, five, or ten years? What is your career trajectory? What is your path moving forward? If you don’t plan your career goals, you may be stuck for decades. Due to the healthcare industry’s explosive growth, nurses have more choices. You must be deliberate in charting your career goals.

Strategically weaving a nest!

A career trajectory plan keeps you on track. A simple plan like the one below helps us write down what we want to do with our career. Plan strategically. It helps us to keep us energized, focused, and engaged. You can revisit these plans (for example, once a year) to decide whether to continue on or change direction. Your career trajectory can be a combination of vertical and horizontal movements. Vertical movements are promotions within your institution. These are far and few today. Horizontal movements are lateral moves which are more fulfilling, more engaging, make more of an impact, or make more of a difference in people’s lives.  Movement is the key! Good luck!

Career Trajectory Plan

Focus AreaCareer GoalsStrategiesExpected Date of StartDate completedExperience or Evaluation
Professional Development     
Scholarship – Teaching/learning, Research     
Community or Voluntary Service     

 
Write6x6

Get Ready to Stretch

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In 10 years, I see GCC providing quality education that meets the needs of our students and their ever growing need for flexibility.

In order to meet the growing demands of flexibility from our students and their employers, we need to be willing to make schedules strategically. I am all for faculty teaching courses that they want, however the time, format, and frequency of class meetings need to meet the needs of our students. I would like to see us adopt a more positive outlook on reviewing our data. I want all of us to see how our students are doing as they progress from our course into the next. Are there areas that we can grow as instructors to better meet the demands of the next course in our students sequence?

Then I want us to look further into the students’ future careers. What are we leading them toward? What will their work environments look like? What areas can we as faculty grow in order to provide them with the skills they need in their future careers? Can we partner with companies to ensure relevance to our content and our students’ future work environments?

Our faculty are strong and more malleable than we know.. If we get back to the root of the reason why we are all teaching and given the evidence to support change for the betterment of students, we can overcome the discomfort change brings.

Our students are our customers and we need to be sure they want to keep purchasing our product, “knowledge.” We want to create classroom spaces that are collaborative and dynamic. These spaces require ingenuity and innovation. We are teachers but that is only the surface. We are learners and cheerleaders for our content and our students. We are already taking steps to bring more flexibility and change to our classrooms, curriculum, and college. We can see these changes in the online tutoring, the new modalities for courses (live online, flexible attendance), online test proctoring, student services chat systems, instructional videos, grace periods on assignments, allowing students to Zoom into a class session, and many more that I am sure I have missed.

We are well on our way to seeing a full scale change in our campus and yes it will probably take us 10 years to truly adopt the growing world of flexibility but it can be done and I cannot wait to see it.

 
Write6x6

Into the FYRE!

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The group that has been most culturally relevant for me, has been the First Year Residential Experience cohort. I was pregnant when I was hired and was out for 6 weeks during my first semester at GCC. This made it hard to connect with my department.

The FYRE meetings were my favorite part of my first year. It was a place that I felt connected to and that I belonged. Everyone no matter their age, life, past work history, etc. are all starting new at GCC. This made it easy to connect and feel welcome. Chris Neilson cultivated a judgment-free space for us to feel safe asking questions. He was always available to talk to and about anything. My whole cohort was comprised of individuals that I admire still to this day and have continued to be valuable members on the campus. We span multiple departments and act in many different roles.

I feel so blessed to have had them in a challenging time in my new faculty life and still regularly get together with them to discuss the campus and life as a probationary faculty member. This is our final year as probationary faculty. I cannot wait to see where we grow from here!