My blogging activity was slowed last week by my new yet old pursuits: attending staff meetings, creating Blackboard Vista class sites, and getting a syllabus ready for my three sections of English 101 Composition this fall at Purdue University North Central (PNC).
As I prepared the course schedule, I started wondering, "Why did you get back into this?" I considered the hours of planning, the scaffolding of learning in the classroom, the promise of essay grading ahead, and, of course, the lure of that big part-time college instructor paycheck. Oh $38/hr. OT on my legal proofreading job, how I miss thee! Previously teaching for 17 years, I knew what I was in for, so no more whining.
It isn't just brown-nosing to state that my new PNC colleagues have made me feel welcome. I've already been invited to attend department Tech Writing committee meetings and be in a select group of instructors piloting the e-book version of the freshman comp. textbook Engaging Questions, including its assessment tools and exercises. But enough of the blabby shop talk.
At least the butterflies were still there on the first morning of the semester. This isn't a bad thing. It made me realize I wasn't taking this new opportunity for granted. Besides, I missed being able to make a direct impact on students' lives. Writing is a necessary skill to practice, especially to keep up in our hypertextual online world. Not all of us are going to be novelists, but as a writing instructor, I could help people discover another important means of expression. Find their voice. Here I was, with another chance, and it was exciting.
Today my classes discussed the importance of critical thinking. Students brought up real life issues from their own varied experiences, and were already making connections from their lives to the rhetorical principles in the academic world. Though some looked like they needed more caffeine, most seemed engaged and interested in the discussion. Afterwards, I walked into the blazing hot afternoon, and thought this is doing something that actually makes a difference.
Proofing a legal prospectus--as lucrative as that can be--doesn't bring such personal satisfaction.
I love that you are writing about this. Thanks for sharing it.
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