Reflections on a Long Academic Year

Yesterday, I turned in my final grades for the semester. While there are still some final workshops, meetings, and celebrations in the coming days, another academic year has ended.

This one was full of learning for me. It was a weird cocktail of embracing and fighting reality while trying to always focus on what matters most to me. 

A Growing Family

Anyone who has not been a Posse Mentor can not fully appreciate what this responsibility entails. Each mentor approaches it differently, but the ten students I spend time with weekly are viewed as extended family members in my heart. They know I’m there for them in ways that I can’t be for all students, and watching them all struggle and thrive this year kept me going on the darkest days. 

It baffles me that their first year of college is complete, and they are now sophomores. Some have found love. Others have started new clubs. They all start counting at seven and have far too much on their plates, but it is part of their DNA to be leaders, so I stopped harping on that and embraced their desire to make change in so many ways. I can’t wait to see some of them on their home turf in a few weeks, since I miss them already.

Missing Management

Being asked to serve as Department Chair for the first time was horrible timing. But we all know that challenges are never given to us on our schedule, so I dug in and did the work.

I learned a lot during those few months. The biggest was how much I miss being in management. I enjoy managing a team and helping drive success. Granted, it also reminded me how frustrating it is not to be high enough to make the most critical decisions. I’m thankful I was given this opportunity since higher education has many outdated thoughts on hierarchy. Helping to kick another brick out of that ivory tower makes all the meetings worth it. 

Spring Semester Was HARD

For the longest time, I thought it was just my classes, but the more people I talked to, the more I realized we were all experiencing it. This spring was hard for most of us.

It shouldn’t be surprising that we are presented with a new crisis in our country every day. So much of what makes us a great nation is being dismantled and destroyed. New threats arise every day, so you can’t blame anyone with a heart for being distracted from the work in front of them. Many students have decided to give in to the AIs instead of thinking for themselves. The level of engagement, conversations, and original thoughts plummeted. 

With a few more volatile years of this on deck, I am actively thinking about ways I can combat it in my classrooms. How best to provide the support and structure for success is always at the forefront of my mind, but it needs to change and evolve for these times.

Need for a Summer Focus

Last summer, I had just completed my Master's Degree and was determined to exist for a while rather than try to accomplish anything. I need to focus this summer to survive, so I’m actively working on figuring out where best to spend my time.

After quick trips to New York and Detroit and doing a deep refresh on all of my courses, how should I spend my time? I’ve got a bunch of miniatures I’d like to print and paint. As always, there is a deep desire to write and photograph more. But, outside of that, I still don’t know. Perhaps I thought that writing this might shake some dust in a corner and reveal something. It hasn’t as I type these words, but still, I click away searching. 

I’m Doing The Right Thing

While I miss many things about my career before academia, I have zero questions about doing precisely what I was meant to do. 

I’ll never be rewarded with tenure and the job stability that comes with it, but I have an ever growing list of students I know I’ve impacted. Just yesterday, a student I met a few years ago in a class gave me the most thoughtful thank you gift and note I’ve ever received. This was not an advisee or even a student in my major, but I helped them. That is why I do what I do. Why I fight for what I fight for. I do it to help young people succeed. That means different things to different students, but every decision I make is to help as many students as possible. I must be doing something right to be recognized as one of the top three professors again by the senior class. 

With all that is happening in the world, it keeps me moving forward. Knowing that I can help another young person find their way in the world just a bit better gives me enough positivity to keep my brain balanced from all the other things happening. Yes, I miss the creative brainstorms, the keynote stages, and the late-night conversations with friends in far-off places. That is nothing compared to a student pouncing into my office to share great news, seeing the lightbulb go on when a topic clicks, or the hugs at graduation.  

I won’t truly be on summer break until the end of next week, but I am determined to get out of the house today. Find a micro adventure to keep my mind occupied. If the sun is out where you are, I hope you feel its warmth today.