In some of my recent entries, I have been quite blunt when addressing some of the negative issues that have arisen in my classes this semester. It’s time to balance these disappointments with the positives that have been going on this semester.
1. I have loud classes. Over the course of my six years at Wayland, every single class I teach has a very particular personality. No two classes have the same dynamic. The classes that most challenge me as a professor are the ones in which the students sit quietly with no questions and very few answers to my questions. I really can’t say I have any of those this semester. Each course has a majority of students that are actively involved in the class. I ask a lot of open ended questions and almost never are they left unanswered. It’s very exciting to see so many students recognize where they are not understanding the concepts. Sure, it slows me down, but if they learn the topic and we have to drop some topics at the end, they’ve learned something and that’s what matters to me.
2. My office hours are full. When I am deep in a research project for my own professional development, that fact can be frustrating. But I have always said that my students and their learning are more important than any of my research. That is one of the selling points of Wayland Baptist University and how it surpasses so many other colleges. This semester and in fact, increasingly so from each previous semester, I am having a constant flow of students asking questions in my office hours. I pray they keep this up because the one on one interaction I have with my students is one of the great highs for me as well as one of the greatest benefits to their learning.
If any students have a chance to read this, I emplore you: Bother me! In class, in my office, in the halls…. Any question you have for me, bother me with it!
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