Moving on

The cliché feast or famine comes to mind as I write this post.  I have been interviewing for full-time English faculty positions throughout this past year and recently received the perfect offer.  Then I received a second perfect offer.  Both positions are in the state where I have lived most of my life, Virginia, but are far enough from my current home that we (husband, sons, dog) have to move.

As a result of my good fortune in finding my dream job in a slim market, we have just over six weeks to sell our current house, buy a new house, get acclimated to a new neighborhood, begin middle school (son # 1), begin 4th grade (son # 2), and find the perfect teaching position (husband). This may account for why my shoulders are tensed up to my ears.

It could also be this: John and I have been on a non-stop attack of unfinished projects at our house to prepare it for the market.  We had a list of projects to complete this summer, but have had to dispel previous notions of working all summer long to complete our work.  The new deadline is...tomorrow. Within the past few weeks we have restored front and back porch floors, painted, plastered, hung drywall, weeded, and de-cluttered to make the house look like the one we wished we lived in (instead of the one that is an artistic disaster overflowing with Lego and Star Wars creations).

Anyone who knows us knows that we have spent most of our free time over the past five years restoring this house.  It has been a lot of fun designing and building spaces that honor the architectural beauty of our 115 year old folk Victorian with all of the modern conveniences that us city-folk from Northern Virginia expect.

Here are the pictures from the current listing. I hope you like them.
 http://stauntonaugustahomes.com/sta/maildoc/a002W76131.html

Here are some pictures of projects along the way. I hope you are entertained by them.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.7548017058.22305.511082058&l=a693f1e026

Be grateful when things go your way. Be patient when they do not.

Everything's Coming Up...

Habits

As I write at a local coffee shop, I celebrate this calm time of year with a cuppa Earl Grey...my face-to-face classes have ended, and my Online classes are only getting started.  Unlike previous years when my Online classes were on a staggered schedule, this year both Online classes are on the same exact schedule. This simple piece of scheduling luck is making classroom organization a breeze, as I have finally taken the time to create a master spreadsheet gradebook to organize student contact and feedback.  In the past, I kept track of grades in the proprietary database provided by my school and used a paper, spiral-bound gradebook for my feedback notes.  This made grading a cumbersome project with all of my feedback to students generated and distributed electronically, but all of my notes scribbled in a separate location. 

I knew this was an inefficient process; however, I began my teaching career with a paper gradebook and cautionary tales from my colleagues about the unreliability of electronic storage.  Plus, it felt strange to work without the tactile presence of my notes.  I was reluctant to streamline my grading process because I was too used to the way I had always worked.  Now, however, I can accept that letting go of the old way of thinking has made my life easier.

I have been paperless for two weeks, so far, and it has gone swimmingly!  I have my files backed up on an external hard drive in case my laptop spontaneously combusts, so I even have a Plan B in place.  It is funny that I often use technology in the classroom, but I have been slow to digitize the papers I use behind the scenes.  If my students must conform to technological advancements, such as submitting essays through the SafeAssign program and writing journals on BlackBoard discussion boards, why shouldn't I? Change can be scary, but it does not have to be that way.  I think my experience will help me more easily connect with older students who are unsure of their ability to use electronic means, especially when they compare their technological skills to their younger classmates.  I can better reassure technophobic students, no matter what age,  that habits are difficult to break but worth the effort.

What habits do you have that you would be better off breaking?  Maybe today you can take the first step to freedom! Good luck.

Lucky

As another semester draws to a close, I realize how lucky I am to be a community college teacher.  I feel blessed that I get to forge relationships with remarkable adults over a sixteen-week period and I can help them progress from various stages of writing (dis)comfort to polished, prepared writers for their next semester.  The last official class before exams is a significant presentation day, as students deliver interactive, multimedia presentations about their research projects, and it is a brief moment of calm before I get a deluge of research essays to grade (hooray!!). 

For my students' research projects (which includes extensive research, drafting, revising, and a culminating class presentation) I encourage them to choose topics that are meaningful to them-- meaningful because of a personal connection or a professional responsibility.  This semester was no different, as students discussed policies relevant to their professions and issues that resonated in their hearts.  The best part of these presentations, however, was the visible engagement my students have with each other during and after each presentation.  They asked thoughtful questions,  ("I never thought about that; what should I do?" "Then what happened?") and they show their nervous classmates that they really care about the work they did, and that they genuinely want their classmates to be successful.  They remind each other that they are in the same learning community and are bound by shared learning experiences in our classroom and on campus.

One of my favorite times as a teacher is when I learn from my students-- either by gaining a better understanding of an issue based on their research or on the intangible appreciation I have for humanity when I see my class come together for one last communal moment.  While I am quick to praise them for their efforts and insights, they will never truly know how much they enrich my life. 

This week I am taking a drive back home.  I hope the road leads me where I want to go.

Teaching Philosophy

I have been thinking a lot about my teaching philosophy lately.  What does it mean to have a teaching philosophy? Will writing down my philosophy make me a better teacher?  Shouldn't I use my time to grade essays, instead?  These questions reflected the fact that I did not see what was important about articulating a teaching philosophy or mission and committing it to paper.  I based my value as a teacher on the magical moments (and less-than-magical moments) that happened in the classroom and whether my students were satisfied with their progress (and my ability to help get them there) at the end of the semester.  I couldn't put my finger on my teaching philosophy; it simply was.  I see the usefulness of a teaching philopophy with new eyes, so I am giving it a try. 

Now that I am in the interviewing process for community college faculty positions across the state of Virginia, I understand why I need to have a clear and concise philosophy on paper and in mind: Members of a faculty search committee do not have the time to observe lively and engaging discussions in my real classes, nor do they have the time to listen to me blather on about why I love teaching, and why I consider teaching at a community college my ideal career.  Taking PhD-level courses also has made me write more now than I have in the past five years, so the words come to me more easily and I am pleased with myself for moving forward.  So here is my teaching philosophy below.  I have also posted this on my website camillemustachio.com. I would love to read or listen to any feedback that you may have.  This teaching statement is unfinished, as my writing is always a work in progress.


As a teacher, my primary goal is for students to have stronger analytical skills and confidence to successfully pursue their academic, professional, and personal goals when we part for the last time than when we first met.  This immense task is one that I have embraced while teaching more than 100 post-secondary credit hours, and one that I continue to embrace by incorporating pedagogical training and reflecting on successful and unsuccessful classroom experiences.
While my enthusiasm for teaching traditional and non-traditional students has been unwavering, my methods have evolved as I have gained a better understanding and appreciation for the diverse backgrounds of students in any one class and how that diversity can be a catalyst for dynamic and engaging discussions, projects, and lectures.  As an underlying celebration of diversity as an academic catalyst, I instill in students the idea that we are a community of learners.  In a positive learning community, each student is inspired to recognize his or her role in promoting the success of the overall class by actively participating in discussions, helping peers in cooperative learning environments, and by embracing challenges toward individual achievement. My students are engaged in the learning process and are successful as a result.  In addition, I set clear expectations and evaluation guidelines for student conduct and performance so that all students know how they are expected to meet the goals set before them.
As an undergraduate and graduate student, I had the benefit of learning from outstanding instructors who were simultaneously encouraging and challenging; I model those instructors when I mentor students in instructor and advisor capacities.

Fine Arts Extravaganza

I have not written a post here for a while, as I have been working on a big project that will come to fruition later this month.  The project is called the Fine Arts Extravaganza, and it is an evening of art auctions, musical and dramatic performances, and family-friendly activities that will be held at Blue Ridge Community College on Friday, April 29th at 7:00 in the evening.  The evening is a benefit to create scholarship opportunities so that underprivileged children can attend BRCC's educational summer program called Learning Can Be Fun.  (Learning Can Be Fun is an amazing program that my sons attend every summer with great joy.)

I am so happy to see that this project, which started as a small idea I had this fall, has really caught on.  I have had the privilege of working with an enthusiastic committee of dedicated staff members and students who are looking forward to helping on April 29th.  

As the evening will be a lot of fun for everyone, I encourage any local readers to bring their families to the Fine Arts Extravaganza.  Furthermore, I encourage you to share your ideas with others.  You may be pleasantly surprised by how a simple idea can blossom into something even better than you could have imagined.  

Good luck.

Listen

I hold office hours so students can meet with me if they have questions or concerns about class or want help with writing in other courses.  I feel a sense of accomplishment when I help a student resolve a writing problem and he or she leaves the room with the relief that the issue is over.  What happens when a student comes to me with a problem much greater than something I can address in my small workspace?  I worry about this.  I have faced this.

I had a student make a appointment to see me so that I could show her how to post assignments to the course's online site, and how to edit documents on her laptop.  When she came in, a flood of emotions poured out of her and it was obvious that she had much larger concerns than what she had initially come to address.  I listened, we talked, and then I picked up the phone.  I called our school's counseling department to see what resources they could offer someone I was not equipped to help. As she made an appointment with a counselor, I looked up online resources that our school posts for reference.  I handed her a few printed pages from a community resources guide and offered final words of comfort before she left. 

After she left, I felt sick with worry; however, two days later, the same student returned and looked radiant in her relief.  She was on a path to help, and she wanted to let me know that she was okay.

I don't think I did anything spectacular to help her; I simply listened and recognized that her need was greater than what I could address.  I am thankful that our school's counseling department is willing to meet with students to give them resources that are non-academic in nature.  If you are in a helping profession, like I am as an instructor, please listen to people around you who need help. Most importantly, be honest with yourself and others about what assistance you can provide. Finally, take the time to find the proper services if you can.