New Semester Ramblings

Classes began today, and for the first time since 1975, I didn’t get up, don some teaching garb, and head for class. Even after retirement two years ago, I met at least one face-to-face class each semester, but not today. Today I checked emails from students in my three online classes.  And then I reported for jury duty, something I haven’t been free to do because of teaching commitments. It felt weird to be in a courtroom listening to a judge instead of in a classroom answering students’ questions.

It’s going to be an interesting semester. I’ll be teaching my three classes from the privacy of my own home. Or maybe from the car. And since a major reason for deciding to teaching completely online is so that I can visit my children and grandchildren more often, I could teach from Savannah, Atlanta, or Myrtle Beach. As long as I have a computer, iPad, or my iPhone, I’m in business. Isn’t technology amazing?

The teaching experience is going to be different, that’s for sure. I like the interaction of face-to-face situations, but well, we’ll see how the completely online experience works out. I’ll miss the magic of the actual classroom, but I won’t miss the stealthy but rude texting or the latecomers who come trickling in after class begins.

I don’t have to be concerned about a dress for success look either. For a few weeks I’ll be a jeans and boots type of gal and then switch to a capris and Rainbows ensemble when the weather gets a little warmer. I must admit that it felt great to sit in court wearing jeans instead of being across the street wearing professional attire.

Time to change, to move on. How can a person, including me, get to what’s next if she’s still doing what she’s always done?

Listening to Myself

Since reading Seven Thousand Ways to Listen by Mark Nepo, I’ve been trying to become a better listener, including listening to myself. Here’s a passage from the first chapter that fits neatly into the changes I’ve been experiencing as I move to the next stage of my life: “Whether facing limitations of aging or shifts in relationship or the wilting of a dream, we are often given hints of the changes before they arrive. It’s how the angels of time try to care for us, drawing us to the new resources that wait out of view.”

If I  hadn’t been reading Nepo’s book, I might have dismissed these thoughts, conversations, and dreams as interesting and paid little heed to them. Now I see things differently. They’re all messages from me to me. I’m sharing them, not because I think they’re so spectacular, but because I think you might have had something similar happen to you.

The biggest awakening came the day of a book signing at Horry Georgetown Technical College, a place where I worked for decades (See previous blog post). Shortly after that day, I had a serious bout of insomnia, and no matter how hard I tried to get back to sleep, images of teaching and experiences and people and scenes came to mind, one after the other.

“Is this what psychologists call the life review?” I wondered.  No, couldn’t be.There was only one area of my life being depicted and the images were fleeting and rushed, leaving no time for review or contemplation. The so-called life review is more encompassing and takes place over a longer period.

The day after the insomnia attack, I recalled a situation that occurred about two years ago when a woman told me that her husband was going to teach a video conferencing course. He’d never really taught at the college level before, and that fact when combined with the “lights, camera, action” aspect was proving to be both exciting and daunting. As I listened to her, my primary thought was that he was too old for that. He was about the age that I am now!

Last week a friend told me about her daughter earning her doctorate and getting a job at GA Tech. I was excited to hear this good news, AND I was glad that it was her daughter who was just starting out, not yours truly. As much as I love the classroom and everything that entails, I’m beginning to grow weary of the constant change. Did I really say that?

This semester, I have two new texts, one brand spanking new and the other a new edition. Still, how many times does a person get re-acclimated to texts before shouting “Enough!”? Some people use the same old notes year after year, but not me. I truly feel that the students deserve better. It’s laughable to think that nothing has changed in psychology over the past decade or two, especially in the area of brain research, and I want my notes and lectures to reflect those changes.

When a text changes, so do all of the ancillary materials. The ancillaries are available to students too, and that’s a good thing except that teachers have to discover the access codes and course codes so that they can give this information to the students. This knowledge is available from the book representative and/or the publisher’s website, and accessing it gets to be problematic when you can’t remember your user name and password combination…or when the rep changes from year to year. After locating the materials, the instructor then goes through some downloads and uploads (to the course sites), and occasionally the downloading aspect causes some challenges when zip files cause computer issues. My trusty laptop is still suffering after effects from two weeks ago.

Am I complaining? Maybe just a bit…but it’s helping me to see the light. Learning and adapting can be Fun with a capital F except that well, it’s beginning to be a hassle. I love learning. At the same time, maybe I need to get out of the way and let the younger generation have a go at it. I’ve had my day in the sun, the teaching sun.

I’ve been listening and watching the signs of change that have been unfolding in my life. What about you? Have you been given hints of the changes before they arrive? Are you paying attention? Are you listening?

How When to Fold ‘Em

I can’t say for sure when it began, this feeling that it’s time to move on. I first noticed it earlier this summer at Horry Georgetown Technical College, Conway campus. I had gone there for a book signing, and since I had a few minutes before the signing was scheduled to officially begin, I went for a stroll through one of the buildings where I used spend a lot of time. My office(s) were always in that building, and for a couple of decades, that’s where most of my classes were held too.

That summer afternoon I located the office of an old friend, and as I approached the door, I saw that it was shut, and I could hear a conference call taking place on the other side. Disappointed that I wouldn’t get to chat with my former colleague, I turned away and began walking towards the hallway. That’s when I saw a young woman of about 30 looking at me.

“Ma’am, can I help you find something?”she asked.

“No thanks,” I told her. “I’m not lost.”

I realized with a little twinge that I had been working at the college before that child was even born and that I had stood in that spot on plenty of yesterdays. In fact, the doorway where she stood was outside of the office where I been interviewed by Tom Reid, the man who hired me to teach four sections of English. He got promoted and moved to a bigger, nicer office with a window view. I knew several other people who later occupied that space, including a friend of mine who held the position of dean of students on an interim basic. Sure glad walls can’t talk! They’ve have some stories to tell.

Then I went for a stroll down the main hall of the 200 building and I saw every classroom filled with high school students who are part of an early college entry program. I passed the lecture room and remembered that we used to have faculty meetings there. It’s ludicrous to think about such a thing today. There are so many employees and so many departments and so many campuses!

Gee Whiz. So many changes. Back in the day, none of us dreamed that Automotive Technology would fall by the wayside and that Nursing, Dental Hygiene, and Culinary Arts would become popular programs. There are even online faculty who never set foot on campus. Twenty years ago, I wouldn’t have known what online meant. Something straight and to the point?

On my way back to where the book signing was to take place, I couldn’t resist walking down a narrow hallway where I once had an office. There was a young woman working there who looked up as I passed by. How many hours had I spent on that very hallway and how many people had I glanced up at with that same look of, “I hope you aren’t going to interrupt me” on my face? Where were my former buddies, my hall mates?

Back at the bookstore for the EVENT, I mentioned to one of the employees that the bookstore used to be the library. She was a polite young woman who said, “Oh really?” I knew she was just being mannerly and that she didn’t care one iota about the many changes that had taken place at the college. But me? Well, I could feel the ghosts of students and employees of yesterday all around me. Where was BB these days?

I didn’t sell many books that day, but I did get to talk with several former colleagues and meet some new people. But best of all, the events of the afternoon awakened some unconscious thoughts lurking just beneath the surface. That afternoon signals the beginning of my humming some lines from Kenny Rogers’ song, “You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em….”

What about you, Dear Reader? Have you ever had feelings or inner “promptings” telling you when it was time to move on to another chapter in your life?