I always think of my uncle, Luke. A high school English teacher of over 50 years, he has dealt with ALL OF IT and has somehow maintained such a giving, benevolent spirit. How? How did he manage not to succumb to the cynicism that seems to hover around me every time I start grading?
To be honest, one of the reasons I signed up for this course is because I’m afraid that I’m losing the joy in teaching (which directly effects the kindness in teaching) and I refuse to put that on my students’ shoulders. I need to find a new approach that will resonate with the students and with myself. Me being excited about the material is *not* enough. I am reading book upon book about interactive learning, but much of it is either failing in practice or not implementable in my classroom.
Much of my own experience with learning was fear-based — do well or else. That’s not something I want to emulate. But I’m hopeful that this session will get me thinking more creatively in how to achieve the learning objectives in my courses.
