It’s All About Perspective

By Jenifer L. Moore, Ph.D.closeAuthor: Jenifer L. Moore, Ph.D. Name: Jenifer L. Moore, Ph.D.
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About: Jenifer L. Moore, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor/Elementary Program Coordinator in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education at the University of Montevallo, Montevallo, Alabama.See Authors Posts (2)
 

Like many of you, my first year as a college professor was comprised of unexpected events, challenges, and opportunities. One such instance which could be classified into each afore-mentioned category occurred during the unique first-year time span in my career.

As an assistant professor of elementary education at a small teaching-focused university, I am expected to be somewhat of a generalist; meaning that I must be capable of teaching theory, pedagogy, and practical application in any subject area within the confines of the elementary program. I was originally hired to teach elementary mathematics methods and was extremely comfortable in this role as I had taught the course previously as an instructor at another university. However, because my university needed a resident reading specialist, I was offered the opportunity to complete the 18 graduate hours in this area. Always eager to resume my role as a learner, I readily launched into a summer of intense continuing education.

During that hectic summer, I underwent three intellectual awakenings that would revolutionize the way that I approached the design, development, and execution of my courses. First, I developed a renewed appreciation for the learning process. Second, I cultivated more realistic expectations for my students. Finally, I rediscovered the intricacy involved with maintaining the delicate balance between my roles of self, student, and faculty member.

Renewed Appreciation for the Learning Process

Since I was navigating through the multifaceted convoluted realms of university professor and student scholar, it was logistically necessary for me to enter the world of online learning to complete four of the six required courses. As somewhat of a traditionalist when it comes to pedagogy, I had only taken one course in the online format in my student career, preferring to interact with other students and the professor directly. However, this aspect of this enlightening process proved to be simple enough because of the well-designed courses for which I had registered. The remaining two courses were taught in the lecture format to which I was more accustomed. It was during these courses, especially that I regained an appreciation for the learning process.

As teaching professors, we allocate the preponderance of our time to the development and improvement of course content and presentation of material. However, when I was once again able to process the information without the responsibility of also presenting it I felt an intellectual renewal. By being given the task of analyzing the information solely for the sake of learning, I was able to view the information with a less urgent and deeper perspective. This was, quite possibly, the most beneficial outcome of my experience. As a result, I realize the importance of realistic student expectations.

Realistic Expectations

An additional effect of this uncommon experience was that I regained an awareness for the tremendous demands with which students are faced regarding course expectations. Students enrolled in multiple courses must comply with expectations involving formatting, attendance, assignments, and assessment policies for several professors simultaneously. Committing each separate professor’s requirements to memory and perfectly executing each is quite challenging and takes a tremendous amount of organization and proactive research.

As we experience each semester, we as professors are well aware that many students seem unable to meet our expectations fully or sometimes at all. Revisiting the role of student made me acutely aware of the magnitude of requirements (which are sometimes counter intuitive) that students must meet for each professor throughout the course of one semester. As a result of this new awareness, I consider each assignment more circumspectly and always question the practicality and feasibility of my requirements with renewed vigilance.

Reallocation of Time, Energy, Resources

A final product of that frenzied summer was that I gained empathy for the challenges of full time students and employees as they strive to balance the roles of individual, student, and employee. As the courses progressed, it was exceedingly taxing to maintain a high level of performance in each area of my life. Being somewhat of a perfectionist, it was wrenching to acknowledge that I could not be everything to everyone. Therefore, I prioritized (which can be easier for an older, more experienced individual with fewer social obligations); faculty first, student second, self third.

In actuality, it was not my most relaxing summer, but I successfully maintained the integrity of the courses I taught, completed the courses for which I was registered (with all As), and even found time for a trip to the beach. The obligation to reallocate time, energy, and resources to accomplish multiple goals was an invaluable reminder of the complexities that are common to the role of a student.  As a faculty advisor to students, I now am especially in-tune to the challenges students face when reallocating time, energy, and resources.

In conclusion…

I reflect upon that summer with great appreciation for the opportunities that were afforded me and the goals that I accomplished. I feel extremely fortunate to have experienced this awakening so early in my career in higher education as it has made me more empathetic and responsive to my students’ needs. As teaching professors, we have the unique obligation of nurture our students first and our own scholarly agendas afterwards. This experience has helped me while simultaneously developing intellectually and professionally.