This frank, insightful question from my eldest made me laugh and reset my attitude. It also reminded me that I had a stash of dried mangoes along, so we passed those around, and between between the attitude check and the snacks, I soon found it much easier to keep my sense of humor. Good thing--because when we arrived at the piano teacher's home after 20 minutes on the road, one of the girls realized she'd forgotten her piano books, and we had to invent a different kind of piano lesson.
Several of our Dordt College students, faculty, and staff returned earlier this week from AMOR trips to developing nations like Haiti and Ethiopia--places where food isn't taken for granted. Their testimonies were reminders about how much we have to be thankful for, and a reminder to keep in perspective the challenges that are sure to arise in a day's work. It can be easy to feel frustrated when things don't go as smoothly as we had hoped. But as one professor pointed out, it's a privilege when the problems we face are the glitches that arise when we do something like starting another first week of school.
Don't get me wrong: I'm not dismissing the difficulties of starting a new semester. The first weeks take a lot of energy. As we start new classes, we're working with new people on ideas that are new to some (or all) of us, trying to figure out how to find joy in doing that. We're consciously trying to get to a place where some of those interactions are easier, maybe even second nature, so that we have energy to focus on the ideas, practices, and habits of mind that we are trying to explore together. And that's just what happens inside the classroom. Behind the scenes, we also need to ensure that everything is ready, and that's complicated, too: we have many people, processes, systems, and technologies to deal with as we ensure that the books are available, the projection is working, the classroom has enough chairs, the students can log in, and so on.
But that's the point: we know that the first week (actually every week) of the semester will bring challenges both inside and outside the classroom. As Marilyn Lampert has explained, dilemmas aren't what cause problems for teachers: they're a dimension of the very fabric of teaching. Surprises and challenges are to be expected and welcomed because it means our work isn't routine and that we have daily opportunities to be creative, to solve problems, to make connections--and to do these things with grace. Think of it this way: our work as educators gives us the satisfaction of "the creative challenge and stimulation of the work itself, and the change to keep learning"--the very things that lead to a sense of reward and flow in our work (Goleman, Working with Emotional Intelligence, p. 106-107).
Getting ready for each day and week of learning/teaching is like getting ready for a backcountry hiking adventure. I know that my hike up the mountain will take plenty of energy, will probably bring a few surprises, may require some creative problem solving. There may be times where I need some mental discipline to remind myself that this, and not a boring treadmill, is the kind of adventure I'm seeking.
I would never go hiking, let alone lead others up a trail, without ensuring that I had plenty of energy-rich food in my backpack. I want to make sure that I don't get exhausted--or even move into the hangry zone (which eats the joy out of the situation for me and everyone in my path!). Staying fueled, and planning and providing for how to so, are all part of the work, part of my responsibility....in hiking and in learning/teaching.
And that's why staying fed--physically, emotionally, spiritually--is on my mind.
Don't get me wrong: I'm not dismissing the difficulties of starting a new semester. The first weeks take a lot of energy. As we start new classes, we're working with new people on ideas that are new to some (or all) of us, trying to figure out how to find joy in doing that. We're consciously trying to get to a place where some of those interactions are easier, maybe even second nature, so that we have energy to focus on the ideas, practices, and habits of mind that we are trying to explore together. And that's just what happens inside the classroom. Behind the scenes, we also need to ensure that everything is ready, and that's complicated, too: we have many people, processes, systems, and technologies to deal with as we ensure that the books are available, the projection is working, the classroom has enough chairs, the students can log in, and so on.
But that's the point: we know that the first week (actually every week) of the semester will bring challenges both inside and outside the classroom. As Marilyn Lampert has explained, dilemmas aren't what cause problems for teachers: they're a dimension of the very fabric of teaching. Surprises and challenges are to be expected and welcomed because it means our work isn't routine and that we have daily opportunities to be creative, to solve problems, to make connections--and to do these things with grace. Think of it this way: our work as educators gives us the satisfaction of "the creative challenge and stimulation of the work itself, and the change to keep learning"--the very things that lead to a sense of reward and flow in our work (Goleman, Working with Emotional Intelligence, p. 106-107).
Getting ready for each day and week of learning/teaching is like getting ready for a backcountry hiking adventure. I know that my hike up the mountain will take plenty of energy, will probably bring a few surprises, may require some creative problem solving. There may be times where I need some mental discipline to remind myself that this, and not a boring treadmill, is the kind of adventure I'm seeking.
I would never go hiking, let alone lead others up a trail, without ensuring that I had plenty of energy-rich food in my backpack. I want to make sure that I don't get exhausted--or even move into the hangry zone (which eats the joy out of the situation for me and everyone in my path!). Staying fueled, and planning and providing for how to so, are all part of the work, part of my responsibility....in hiking and in learning/teaching.
And that's why staying fed--physically, emotionally, spiritually--is on my mind.
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