When I was as an undergrad, I felt that I really just need about 10 weeks, not 16 weeks. I figured that 10 weeks that I had understood the "gist" of whatever course offered, and the final five weeks were either gnashing the teeth in those courses I struggled with, or just coast for that final exam in those courses I were stronger.
When I was a graduate student, I felt that by the 12th week, I was "finished" -- I really didn't want to get those final four weeks and the droning voices of those professors (grad course professors tend to be even more monotonous than in undergrad courses. I don't know why). Every semester, I hit a wall at Week 12 and had to force myself to drive to the campus, walk across the lots, climb into the buildings, sit in those seminar seats, and listen for three hours.
First year students in community college students have made a make-or-break week along Week 11 or so. The ones who found themselves too deep with work, family, transportation, and college work -- they've walked away. I miss them, really. Others are still and courageously fighting for the last few weeks, with some amazing hope that they'll not only survive, but succeed in their courses. I respect them, too.
I'd recommend that all of us -- including the professors -- stop for a few minutes and look at the real mission and place ourselves in each others' position. I'd recommend that we actually pull out the syllabus and read the whole thing and then make something new out of it. For me, I'm going to take the syllabus apart, take my coloring pencils, and doodle shapes and figures along the margins, figures respond to the texts, and re-examine how I interpret the syllabus at Week 12 differently that I interpreted it as I wrote it. I'll place those pages on the wall for the rest of the semester.
I also want to re-read student writing from the first projects and reflect how much they've progressed not only as writers, but as college students, and ideally as community citizens. Looking back at the history of student work from point A to current point B shows that we do amazing work -- how our brains relate with our bodies in social spaces like classrooms and personal homes and how learning -- even college learning -- is more miraculously than we appreciate. I'd recommend students go back to their first assignments from every course and look how much they've advanced, how much they've changed.
I'd also recommend that we consider the big questions. Community colleges are highly politicized and multiple powerful forces pull and push against young (and older) students, unaware of these political forces. I'd recommend students should try to stop and look at the big questions about our community -- justice, fairness, generosity, mercy -- needs these students to be successful and to change the community. I'd recommend that students should remember these big questions to the professors and to the administration. We are community colleges and we need to act like it -- a college of community. This blog always positioned itself that students must be more critical in the classroom. By so late in the semester, students know enough works and what doesn't work in the college. Students need to be engaged in the work in the college. Some professors will listen and some will not. Some administrators will listen and some will not. But being silent means that nothing will change.
So, we need to reboot the semester. Hard reboot. Clear the stale memory cache. Delete any malware. Reinitialize for the final weeks and look at the big questions, one more time. Then we dive deep for the rest of the semester. Best wishes, really.
When I was a graduate student, I felt that by the 12th week, I was "finished" -- I really didn't want to get those final four weeks and the droning voices of those professors (grad course professors tend to be even more monotonous than in undergrad courses. I don't know why). Every semester, I hit a wall at Week 12 and had to force myself to drive to the campus, walk across the lots, climb into the buildings, sit in those seminar seats, and listen for three hours.
First year students in community college students have made a make-or-break week along Week 11 or so. The ones who found themselves too deep with work, family, transportation, and college work -- they've walked away. I miss them, really. Others are still and courageously fighting for the last few weeks, with some amazing hope that they'll not only survive, but succeed in their courses. I respect them, too.
I'd recommend that all of us -- including the professors -- stop for a few minutes and look at the real mission and place ourselves in each others' position. I'd recommend that we actually pull out the syllabus and read the whole thing and then make something new out of it. For me, I'm going to take the syllabus apart, take my coloring pencils, and doodle shapes and figures along the margins, figures respond to the texts, and re-examine how I interpret the syllabus at Week 12 differently that I interpreted it as I wrote it. I'll place those pages on the wall for the rest of the semester.
I also want to re-read student writing from the first projects and reflect how much they've progressed not only as writers, but as college students, and ideally as community citizens. Looking back at the history of student work from point A to current point B shows that we do amazing work -- how our brains relate with our bodies in social spaces like classrooms and personal homes and how learning -- even college learning -- is more miraculously than we appreciate. I'd recommend students go back to their first assignments from every course and look how much they've advanced, how much they've changed.
I'd also recommend that we consider the big questions. Community colleges are highly politicized and multiple powerful forces pull and push against young (and older) students, unaware of these political forces. I'd recommend students should try to stop and look at the big questions about our community -- justice, fairness, generosity, mercy -- needs these students to be successful and to change the community. I'd recommend that students should remember these big questions to the professors and to the administration. We are community colleges and we need to act like it -- a college of community. This blog always positioned itself that students must be more critical in the classroom. By so late in the semester, students know enough works and what doesn't work in the college. Students need to be engaged in the work in the college. Some professors will listen and some will not. Some administrators will listen and some will not. But being silent means that nothing will change.
So, we need to reboot the semester. Hard reboot. Clear the stale memory cache. Delete any malware. Reinitialize for the final weeks and look at the big questions, one more time. Then we dive deep for the rest of the semester. Best wishes, really.
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