The semester is over, the year is almost up and I'm just realizing that this blog is almost one year old! Well... one year from when I remembered that I had a blog. :)
I have been less active this semester and I'm really really going to try harder next year to do more than one post per month. I'm not sure if it's that I'm just used to the shenanigans of students so I don't feel the need to vent about it as much, or if I'm getting apathetic, or even if it's just that I'm more patient.
Truth be told, the semester kind of flew by for me. I am regretful that I feel like I didn't connect with this semester's class as well as in the past and that has kind of bugged me. I'm still trying to pinpoint why it worked out that way and why it bugs me so much.
I've also been very aware of how quickly people are coming into and going from my life, especially students. Again, this is the nature of the job and working in an academic environment, but unlike friends from childhood, high school, college or post-college life, it will be difficult to keep up with most of them. We're not Facebook friends, we don't follow each other on Twitter, and most of them will move on and not look back.
I am insanely curious to know how they're all going to end up. I know that when I was a senior in college, I never could have predicted my life would have gone the way that it has...
I may not have known where I was going to live, but I knew where I didn't want it to be (the north or a big city, obviously)
...and I was SO SURE of what I wanted out of life,
...and who I wanted to be with,
...and of course NONE of that really worked out the way that I thought.
Showing posts with label Molding Young Minds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Molding Young Minds. Show all posts
Monday, December 26, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Mentors
This week I had the pleasure of going back to Duke, which I always love! I was asked to be on an alumni panel for the engineering school.
Yes, you read correctly. I was asked to be on an alumni panel.
I KNOW. It's crazy right?! I mean, I know I give advice to students almost every day as a part of my job, but usually it's along the variety of "Can you force add me to this class?" or "Which of these advanced electives is the easiest?" or "What do you mean I can't graduate on time?!"
I honestly never thought that I would actually be asked to be on a panel of alumni doling out pearls of wisdom for students on my stellar career. I was a pretty middle-of-the-road student at Duke and I've had anything but a conventional path after leaving there. But it turns out that I have had some pretty useful experiences to reflect on.
One of the questions was about mentors. At first, this one tripped me up a little bit. Without a clear career path, I've never really sat back and thought of who has been most influential in my professional life. I've had some good bosses, but I wouldn't say that any of them really shaped my future. Then I thought of one of my professors who clearly affected my life: Dr. J. He kept me interested in engineering, he was the first college professor to show that he cared, he was a great teacher, and he was respectful, funny, and smart. I had him for 2 or 3 classes and it was in one of these classes that I had my first all-nighter.
Actually it was an all-four-nighter. I was awake for four days. Straight. OK, I took one 1-hour nap and one 2-hour nap in that time, but I was awake for 93 out of 96 hours.
Diet of choice? Doritos and diet snapple.
Hallucinations? Numerous. My friend Cat's favorite was the one where I thought there were fairies all around my room. Yes, I know they weren't real but that doesn't mean I didn't see them.
But it was all worth it. The project I was working on turned out great (even though I sacrificed studying for a final exam or two along the way) and it was probably the most satisfied and accomplished, academically, that I felt in my whole time there. It wasn't because I had my best grades that semester, but because someone showed that they believed in me when I didn't. I was frustrated with the project and Dr. J didn't coddle me, but he knew how to bring out the best work in me. He turned someone who was slightly apathetic into someone who was extremely determined and motivated.
Sometimes our biggest accomplishments and character-builders come from just building relationships and taking time to let people help beyond just directing your work or teaching you facts in a classroom.
From the second I got on that campus as a freshman, I felt a lot of pressure to be successful. And it was such an incredibly competitive environment that it made me question and, frankly, underestimate my own intelligence. My confidence went from shaky to almost zero. That's where Dr. J came in and whether he realized it or not, he encouraged me to believe and see that I was as smart as he thought I was.
I don't know what he's doing now (though I do know that he's no longer in academia) or if he realizes how much he affected my life. My best way to pay tribute to him is to try to pay it forward and try to bring out the best in others. I'm not the smartest teacher that my students will have, but I hope that I can help them be the best that they can be, because you never know when that middle-of-the-road student will be on the verge of calling it quits or thinking that they're less than they are.
Yes, you read correctly. I was asked to be on an alumni panel.
I KNOW. It's crazy right?! I mean, I know I give advice to students almost every day as a part of my job, but usually it's along the variety of "Can you force add me to this class?" or "Which of these advanced electives is the easiest?" or "What do you mean I can't graduate on time?!"
I honestly never thought that I would actually be asked to be on a panel of alumni doling out pearls of wisdom for students on my stellar career. I was a pretty middle-of-the-road student at Duke and I've had anything but a conventional path after leaving there. But it turns out that I have had some pretty useful experiences to reflect on.
One of the questions was about mentors. At first, this one tripped me up a little bit. Without a clear career path, I've never really sat back and thought of who has been most influential in my professional life. I've had some good bosses, but I wouldn't say that any of them really shaped my future. Then I thought of one of my professors who clearly affected my life: Dr. J. He kept me interested in engineering, he was the first college professor to show that he cared, he was a great teacher, and he was respectful, funny, and smart. I had him for 2 or 3 classes and it was in one of these classes that I had my first all-nighter.
Actually it was an all-four-nighter. I was awake for four days. Straight. OK, I took one 1-hour nap and one 2-hour nap in that time, but I was awake for 93 out of 96 hours.
Diet of choice? Doritos and diet snapple.
Hallucinations? Numerous. My friend Cat's favorite was the one where I thought there were fairies all around my room. Yes, I know they weren't real but that doesn't mean I didn't see them.
But it was all worth it. The project I was working on turned out great (even though I sacrificed studying for a final exam or two along the way) and it was probably the most satisfied and accomplished, academically, that I felt in my whole time there. It wasn't because I had my best grades that semester, but because someone showed that they believed in me when I didn't. I was frustrated with the project and Dr. J didn't coddle me, but he knew how to bring out the best work in me. He turned someone who was slightly apathetic into someone who was extremely determined and motivated.
Sometimes our biggest accomplishments and character-builders come from just building relationships and taking time to let people help beyond just directing your work or teaching you facts in a classroom.
From the second I got on that campus as a freshman, I felt a lot of pressure to be successful. And it was such an incredibly competitive environment that it made me question and, frankly, underestimate my own intelligence. My confidence went from shaky to almost zero. That's where Dr. J came in and whether he realized it or not, he encouraged me to believe and see that I was as smart as he thought I was.
I don't know what he's doing now (though I do know that he's no longer in academia) or if he realizes how much he affected my life. My best way to pay tribute to him is to try to pay it forward and try to bring out the best in others. I'm not the smartest teacher that my students will have, but I hope that I can help them be the best that they can be, because you never know when that middle-of-the-road student will be on the verge of calling it quits or thinking that they're less than they are.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Happy New (Academic) Year!
Top 10 things that make me grumpy at back-to-school time:
1. The town and university have an uncanny knack for starting construction approximately 3 weeks before the town quadruples in size.
2. The impending doom of listening to lame excuses. Do students think I'm that naive? Do they believe themselves? Tip: Before you give me an excuse, try it out on your roommates/siblings/dog. If any of them burst out laughing, don't try it with me.
3. Most of the drivers on the road have had their license for 5 years or less, turning the town into, more or less, a student-driving closed course.
4. To quote a colleague, "Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."
5. Weighing the cost/benefit of going to a bar that is fun and plays good music, yet is crowded by sweaty, wasted college students who scream your name from across the bar. Yes, I can hear you and yes, I am ignoring you.
6. Gross public bathrooms. On campus, in restaurants, and especially in bars. Seriously - who potty trained you? And how long ago?
7. I am your advisor, not your mother. I will not do your work, look things up or make phone calls on your behalf...and neither should you mother, by the way.
8. Pedestrian traffic jams.
9. This. question. "So, do you work in the summer?"
10. Bouncers that give you a hard time even though you're (technically) old enough to be their mother. Yes, that is my real ID. You should not question it for the mere reason that no one under 21 would really have the cajones to use a fake ID that says that they're 37.
 |
| So. Not. Ready. For. This. |
Top 10 things that make me happy at back to school time! :)
1. Liveliness!! Nothing beats the energy of students coming back from summer break. This is the only time they're excited about doing work.
2. On campus eateries are actually open, which pretty much triples the number of places to eat in the 'burg.
3. More people to talk to. Followed up closely by...
4. More people that listen to, and with any luck, care about what I say.
5. A new TA to harass! Teaching assistant, personal assistant...same difference, right?
6. The return of college sports and rivalries...and tailgating. :)
7. Seeing what kind of fun new outfits and hair styles the students are trying to pull off this year.
8. Being thankful that I don't have to study or do homework on Sundays anymore.
9. Music, frisbee and sports on the Drillfield.
10. VISITORS!!
Heeerree we go!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, May 16, 2011
They call it commencement for a reason
Oh, what a week!
Last week was exhausting yet exhilarating. Grading a never-ending pile of final papers (and yes, I read all 137 of them) by day, relaxing and milking L's last days in the 'burg by night. It was certainly not a sustainable pace for me, but I don't think it is likely to happen again in quite that way.
On the academic side, I was at times really frustrated with students who I knew could do better, but for whatever reason chose not to put the effort into their final papers. But on the other hand, I was super proud of the students who really pulled together something great at the end of the semester. [This part of the week will probably happen again. Every semester, in fact.]
On the social side, I was at times so happy to feel like my (true) self - laughing too loud and razzing friends sarcastically. But on the other hand, I knew that all the revelry was for a reason. It was the end-of-semester euphoria...a sentiment shared by students and (frankly) professors alike.
To be clear, for all its insanity, it was not my "real life" in the 'burg. But for one week, at least, it was.
And so ended the 2010-2011 academic year. All in all, I would call it a successful one even though the classroom continues to provide endless challenges for me. Student apathy is certainly rampant and as a result, I'm usually surprised when students are shocked that I take a real interest in their lives.
Even though I may joke about it, I think that some of them are among the brightest and most talented people I have met. Why wouldn't I want to be a part of that? I could honestly talk to these folks (or even just listen to them) forever.
Of course it's not all sunshine and roses...not everyone is going to love me and/or my style. Maybe they want more law, less ethics. Maybe they don't want to hear about professionalism from someone who they think is only a few years older than them. Maybe they think I don't know what I'm talking about. Maybe they're thinking that they are engineers for a reason - they don't do well with memorization of definitions or they hate writing.
I've learned to not obsess over it. Some of my colleagues feed on the negative feedback and some of them just don't care. I admit that it crushes me a little bit when I get a bad review, but luckily with such a big class every semester, I am usually able to drown out the negative with the positives.
And thus begins another cycle for those of us here. In my academic life, I will continue to strive to be a better educator, friend, and colleague. I will try to be more patient and positive. In my social life...well...I'll try to get a social life in the wake of L and D's departure. :)
It's not the end, it's just the beginning...
So stay tuned. I predict good things for the 2011-2012 year!
Last week was exhausting yet exhilarating. Grading a never-ending pile of final papers (and yes, I read all 137 of them) by day, relaxing and milking L's last days in the 'burg by night. It was certainly not a sustainable pace for me, but I don't think it is likely to happen again in quite that way.
On the academic side, I was at times really frustrated with students who I knew could do better, but for whatever reason chose not to put the effort into their final papers. But on the other hand, I was super proud of the students who really pulled together something great at the end of the semester. [This part of the week will probably happen again. Every semester, in fact.]
On the social side, I was at times so happy to feel like my (true) self - laughing too loud and razzing friends sarcastically. But on the other hand, I knew that all the revelry was for a reason. It was the end-of-semester euphoria...a sentiment shared by students and (frankly) professors alike.
To be clear, for all its insanity, it was not my "real life" in the 'burg. But for one week, at least, it was.
And so ended the 2010-2011 academic year. All in all, I would call it a successful one even though the classroom continues to provide endless challenges for me. Student apathy is certainly rampant and as a result, I'm usually surprised when students are shocked that I take a real interest in their lives.
Even though I may joke about it, I think that some of them are among the brightest and most talented people I have met. Why wouldn't I want to be a part of that? I could honestly talk to these folks (or even just listen to them) forever.
Of course it's not all sunshine and roses...not everyone is going to love me and/or my style. Maybe they want more law, less ethics. Maybe they don't want to hear about professionalism from someone who they think is only a few years older than them. Maybe they think I don't know what I'm talking about. Maybe they're thinking that they are engineers for a reason - they don't do well with memorization of definitions or they hate writing.
I've learned to not obsess over it. Some of my colleagues feed on the negative feedback and some of them just don't care. I admit that it crushes me a little bit when I get a bad review, but luckily with such a big class every semester, I am usually able to drown out the negative with the positives.
And even though this whole professor thing is relatively new to me, it has brought many "positives" to my life. For the third year, I worked at the spring commencement ceremony for the College of Engineering and it's something I actually enjoy. Graduation is just such a happy time! The proud parents, the elated students, the beaming faces all over campus. What you'll notice is that even though it may be the last time many of them see each other and most are approaching the great unknown of full-time employment, the overwhelming emotion is pure joy.
"There is a good reason they call these ceremonies 'commencement exercises.' Graduation is not the end, it's the beginning." ~ Orrin Hatch
And thus begins another cycle for those of us here. In my academic life, I will continue to strive to be a better educator, friend, and colleague. I will try to be more patient and positive. In my social life...well...I'll try to get a social life in the wake of L and D's departure. :)
It's not the end, it's just the beginning...
So stay tuned. I predict good things for the 2011-2012 year!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Loser Like Me
I am a nerd.
Not in a cool "Glee" cheerleader kind of way, but really really nerdy.
Oh sure, it was more obvious when I was a slightly chubby kid with braces, odd little haircuts and big coke bottle glasses. But despite my straight teeth, decent hair and LASIK-tuned eyes, I still love math and corny music, I'm still not really athletically inclined (really!), and I still get awkwardly shy around people I don't know.
OK, OK. I know I left engineering and (sort of) came back, but let's be honest...I've always been a geek deep down. Even when I was working at LLS, I was WAY more into the budget numbers, scheduling and coordination that most of my co-workers. Truth be told, I enjoyed it when they asked me about the construction sequencing of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project, as we gazed out of the windows from our office on Route 1 in Alexandria. When we would go out to training runs, I would tsk tsk at the poor drainage on some of the trails and point out how a very simple grading modification would eliminate all the ponding. So while I never thought I'd be back in the engineering world, I can't say I ever stayed TOO far away from it.
One of the things that is cool about working with engineering students is that I see myself in a lot of them. Going back for my Duke reunion this past weekend brought back so many of these feelings, and I was glad my "partner in crime" Cat was there too. We were alike in many ways...we were female civil engineering students who excelled in high school but felt very middle-of-the-road at Duke.
We were still fairly motivated, but became beaten down by the ultra-competitive nature of our fellow students. We called each other "slacker," killed time in class by making up games (remember, this was before laptops!), and slept through more classes than we cared to admit to our parents (sorry mom!). We even calculated how much of our parents' money we wasted every time we skipped class. We joked about it a lot, but secretly, I think we were both pretty disappointed that we weren't getting straight A's with one or two B's anymore.
Cat was going to do anything BUT engineering and I was going to grad school because I had no idea what to do next and I wanted to put off the "real world" for a little bit longer. Fast forward 15 years, and she's the only one of our friends who is still a design engineer and I am teaching a civil engineering class at a Top 10 university.
Believe me, NONE of our friends in college would've called that!
So what I really want to tell these students is that it's OK to have no idea what to do with your life. Embrace your inner nerd! Have confidence in your intelligence...it won't let you down.
I'm not saying that it will always be an easy road. Please...did you see that first picture? How could you NOT make fun of that kid?! But being a geek is kinda cool. Really! I feel like people told me that in high school and college, but it's something that I never really truly believed.
Not in a cool "Glee" cheerleader kind of way, but really really nerdy.
Oh sure, it was more obvious when I was a slightly chubby kid with braces, odd little haircuts and big coke bottle glasses. But despite my straight teeth, decent hair and LASIK-tuned eyes, I still love math and corny music, I'm still not really athletically inclined (really!), and I still get awkwardly shy around people I don't know.
 |
| Yup, that's me! |
OK, OK. I know I left engineering and (sort of) came back, but let's be honest...I've always been a geek deep down. Even when I was working at LLS, I was WAY more into the budget numbers, scheduling and coordination that most of my co-workers. Truth be told, I enjoyed it when they asked me about the construction sequencing of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project, as we gazed out of the windows from our office on Route 1 in Alexandria. When we would go out to training runs, I would tsk tsk at the poor drainage on some of the trails and point out how a very simple grading modification would eliminate all the ponding. So while I never thought I'd be back in the engineering world, I can't say I ever stayed TOO far away from it.
 |
| Route 1/495/95 interchange from the LLS side of the Potomac |
One of the things that is cool about working with engineering students is that I see myself in a lot of them. Going back for my Duke reunion this past weekend brought back so many of these feelings, and I was glad my "partner in crime" Cat was there too. We were alike in many ways...we were female civil engineering students who excelled in high school but felt very middle-of-the-road at Duke.
We were still fairly motivated, but became beaten down by the ultra-competitive nature of our fellow students. We called each other "slacker," killed time in class by making up games (remember, this was before laptops!), and slept through more classes than we cared to admit to our parents (sorry mom!). We even calculated how much of our parents' money we wasted every time we skipped class. We joked about it a lot, but secretly, I think we were both pretty disappointed that we weren't getting straight A's with one or two B's anymore.
 |
| Two "slackers" and a classy wine cooler - camping out for the Carolina game in 1996. |
Believe me, NONE of our friends in college would've called that!
 |
| The two slackers are now a professor and a project engineer. Amstel Light has replaced Bartles & James. Upgrade! |
So what I really want to tell these students is that it's OK to have no idea what to do with your life. Embrace your inner nerd! Have confidence in your intelligence...it won't let you down.
I'm not saying that it will always be an easy road. Please...did you see that first picture? How could you NOT make fun of that kid?! But being a geek is kinda cool. Really! I feel like people told me that in high school and college, but it's something that I never really truly believed.
Trust me. "Soon enough you'll figure out, you wanna be...a loser like ME!"
Monday, February 21, 2011
Everyone Could Use a Holiday
"Raise your hand if you think it's the engineer's fault? ... Raise your hand if you think it's the contractor's fault? ... Raise your hand if you're not paying attention? ..."
Yes folks, this actually came out of my mouth during class today.
And yes, everyone is ready for spring break.
As I looked out into the abyss that is my warehouse-like classroom, there were a lot of things that went through my head. I confess that most of these thoughts had absolutely nothing to do with what I was talking about. Honestly, this happens to me a lot. I mean, it's not so crippling that I lose my train of thought, but it happens often enough that I have (easily) come up with a list of my top 10 thoughts in class (outside of the material I'm teaching, of course). Here they are, in no particular order.
1. "Dude, wake up. I can see you sleeping."
Seriously? At least TRY to fake it.
2. "Wow - a packed house. They must think I'm giving a pop quiz today."
Because after 4 semesters, sometimes I truly believe that's the only reason they show up.
3. "They look bored. Why are they bored? Because I'm talking about the law? Should I crack a joke? Will they get it? Do I look as weird as I feel?"
This probably goes through my head about 80% of the time that I look up.
4. "Oh my gosh...I just made a reference to something that happened when I was in high school and they weren't even born yet."
Yet another reminder that I am sadly not as young as I feel or look.
5. "Are they gonna get this OJ Simpson reference? Do the words, 'If the glove don't fit, you must acquit' mean anything to them?"
See #4
6. "Hey kid. Get off of Facebook."
Self explanatory. Although in their defense, I probably would have done the same thing in my class...if Facebook, twitter, email (hell, even laptops) were as widespread then as they are now.
7. "I hear you talking and I know you're not talking about proximate cause, vicarious liability or supervening illegality."
I get that it's not the most interesting stuff. And I know you're dying to talk about something else with your buddies. But the least you can do is IM, gchat, tweet, etc. etc. Don't talk to each other in a volume so loud that I can hear you across the room. It's not that hard people.
8. "I wish I knew more people's names."
I know some faces, I know most names, but it makes me sad that I can't always put them together. I feel really strongly that the students don't go through college feeling anonymous, so this one makes me pretty sad.
9. "Please pay attention to me. This is on the exam and I will feel guilty when/if you all don't get it right."
At the end of the day, I know I can only do so much to get them to actually listen. But I get a MAJOR guilt complex if students don't do well on my exams. Rather than blaming it on them not paying attention in class, I blame it on myself. I need to get over this.
10. "I hope I'm getting through to them and they're actually learning."
Despite, (or maybe because of) all the goofing off, I have to say the most gratifying thing for me is when they say thanks or say that they actually enjoyed the class. At times, I know it's difficult to sit through...I even bore myself. But I think that makes it even better when they email me after they've graduated with a story about how they handled an ethical dilemma at work or how they used some of my resume and interview tips to land a job. I know I've actually gotten through to them. And that's a really great feeling. :)
AAANNNDDD... just to cap it off, a GLEE reference!! When I originally saw this particular episode I found Gwyneth Paltrow's character, Holly Holiday, pretty irritating. Then I realized that I may just want to be like her. Aside from hanging out w/Mr. Schuster (which is incentive enough), she gets to spend class time busting out in Top 40 songs and dancing around the room with the students, then going out for tacos!
You go, Holly Holiday!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)