Motives CAN eat!

Next week Impromptus speeches start and for the very first time my students are... not freaking out. Last semester my students experienced multiple panic attacks, within themselves and then with each other. It was extremely difficult for me to calm the students last semester, for I didn't even know how to properly prepare them. I mean we received some training on how students should organize their impromptu speeches and how to grade them, but not really on how we can prepare students for them. The only experience I have had with impromptu speeches is when I attended community college; I would sit there and watch the debaters go head-to-head, but never partook in the activity. I personally feel that impromptu speeches are the worst! So how do I sit there and tell my students what is required of them if I wouldn't ever do the assignment myself. Worse, how do I tell my students how to do an assignment if I personally do not know how I'd mentally prepare myself. So my students last semester had no motivation to do the assignment and no interest to see the value of it. I fed them panic instead of motive.

Not this Semester! I am happy to say that I have prepped my students to do the impossible just by providing my students with material, instruction, and positivity so that they have a sense of competence through the experiences and learning situations last week(Barkley, 2010). I was motivated to get my students motivated and in a state of confidence. How you ask? First, I stressed the purpose of the assignment, gave them a valid reason to engage in such activity (Barkley, 2010). This added interest value, making students a lot more engaged and motivated. I then, gave them examples of what an impromptu speech should look like by doing two of them myself(different topics), I let them even pick the topics. Students are more likely to enjoy something if you enjoy it. I'm not saying that I enjoy impromptu but I made it look enjoyable, and my students loved it! Third, I told them how I felt in the moment of doing the example speeches. I told them that I too have speech anxiety and how nervous I was but when I have fun with it nerves went away. Letting students know how human you are is one of the most effective teaching strategies I know. Telling them how you feel and doing the activity yourself reassures students that it is doable and everything will be okay. It shows that you care. It shows that you support them. It shows them that they CAN. After showing my students how human I am, I show students how to meticulously break the assignment down so that they know exactly what is expected. In this process students are broken up into groups and they workshop and practice example speeches. After student workshops I ask for volunteers to show examples in front of the class. After example speeches have been given I open the floor to respectful and constructive feedback from their peers and myself.  The final step is complimenting and giving them words of encouragement and wisdom. This creates a safe and fun learning environment where the students feel confident to tackle one of the hardest speeches known to mankind. Now, students are excited for speeches and so am I! And all it took was for me to feed them motive, and they ate. (Motive-ate)

#Thosewhocan

Hell Month is upon us (SpOoKy)

Oh me oh my, the Texas weather as we approach the beginning of October makes wanting to stay inside and remain focused feel impossible.



There is so much to love about October - the pumpkins, weather, candle scents, festivities... This October I'm a bit spooked, and not by something Halloween related. Instead, I'm anxious for my first fall season in graduate school.

As I mentioned in my first post, October is considered the "Hell Month" of the graduate semester. The true chaos of the month doesn't hit until towards the end, but my schedule places most of my outside-of-grad-school-and-TAing-life events at the same time. In preparation for these things, I've been working really hard to get ahead of the game both in preparing weeks in advance for my classes I teach and reading for the classes I take. Despite how hard I'm trying to get ahead, I feel like I'm falling behind.

As I've been working on my lesson plans in advance, something I struggled with last semester has been more apparent for me lately. For me, one of the most difficult aspects of teaching is infiltrating various teaching methods, such as activities, peer teach, discussion, etc., in a diverse way. Dannels and Dewey encourage defying the stereotypical classroom climate of the teacher lecturing and the student regurgitating information because students are more likely to engage and learn more. I 100% agree with the research behind that statement, but often leading critical thinking exercises make me anxious because I worry about my students having questions I won't be able to answer.

As I reflect on my teaching during my first semester, I realized I focused way to heavily on me giving lectures and my own examples, when I really should have been giving my students more independent freedom with deciphering materials and making personal examples to share with the class. My anxiety of seeming unqualified took precedence over my students' potential engagement. That is why this semester, I am making a point to incorporate activities and critical thinking exercises that go outside of my comfort zone. It's about so much more than just my comfort as an instructor - it's about trying my best to set my students up for success, and that includes offering them an environment that caters to how they best engage and being prepared myself to answer questions the best I can, and following Dannels advice of being authentic to withhold credibility when I'm unsure or don't know an answer. 

So far there has been a massive improvement in my students engagement this semester as opposed to last. I plan to #keeponkeepinon working my hardest for my students' success and to give them an opportunity to flourish.

#dontpanic #reengage

You Think I Don't Notice?

So the other day I came across a situation where I discovered one of my students were using Snapchat during class. This one is sort on me in the way I let the students use their phone in class but that was for having access to the Revel book.

I've notice some of my students using their phone but I give the benefit of the doubt since they are times I asked them to look up information or refer back to the textbook. Anyhow, that day I notice two students on their phone, but as I mentioned I gave them the benefit of the doubt. It wasn't until I saw the UNT Snapchat story and I recognized one of my students on there. I re-watched the story and heard my voice on that video. It is one thing to see students using their phones but it is another thing when they are not paying attention especially since I was giving important information to them. So I went to my peers and seek advice on how to approach the situation without sounding like a complete ass since I was the one who stated in Day 1 of class they can use their phones. So what I ended up doing on the next day of class I mentioned the incident and reminded them of why I let them use their phone in class and not to think they are slick enough to get away with it. I can tell and will find out when using the phone for other purposes. I also didn't mentioned who it was but I could see the reaction of those two students who knew I was talking about them.

None of them used their phones the rest of the class period ;D

#WhatAmIDoing #Nicetrybutno

Thanks Bro!

This past two weeks I've been stressed. Funny right? It's only been 5 weeks into the semester and I'm already stressing, the only thing that calmed me was that I was not the only feeling it. Here's the thing, I usually can deal with my stress, I usually talk to my brother and I make sure that my stress doesn't intervene with my work. Well at least that is what I thought.

It all started with my usual stress of balancing my school work, and actual work. I was on roll on getting things done and trying to make sure I started to work on the following week. I know that's is how it should be, but for me it was different because I faced an issue with my brother on visiting home that weekend. I won't go much into detailed but basically he added another level stress onto me to the point I waned to cry. I hardly cry so when I do I like to isolate myself, but I couldn't because I was about to teach 2020 in 10 minutes. So I asked my myself "What am I doing?" Then quickly thought of Dannels how she mentions on how to deal with outside stress into the classroom. I knew I didn't want myself stress to effect the class, so I pull myself together and thought of a few goals I had for the class. I mentioned my goals to the class so I can keep myself intact and get the information through the students head. I also thought of how I'm going to make the discussion interesting. Luckily for me the classroom is pretty good in engaging so I didn't have to worry much. At first all I could think of was the situation I had with my brother, it wasn't until my students and I were discussing the questions on the perception quiz they took. It was funny to hear their answers about their partners. Even more funny because the answers they came up with based on the perceptions they had of me.

None the less, my students made my day, that I had forgotten about the situation for the rest of the day. I would of thought that I would had the support of my family especially my brother since they are always calming down and to think the about the ending picture. So thank you brother for adding more stress that I needed that day.

#WhatAmIDoing #Justkeepmovingforward

The Mighty Morphing Power Changers

Congratulations on surviving the first month of school! I wish you four more! I wanted to post this blog a lot earlier than this but I couldn't quite get around to it, my apologies. A theme that is reoccurring while talking with many you is the notion of how to negotiate power in the classroom. All nine of us are fairly new to the whole being the leader or the face of classroom/s of 20 students or more. I will assume that we are all familiar with the hegemonic masculinity power structure, that excludes women and people of color, in the very country we live in. And in my second semester as a TA, there are and has been some students who attempt to preserve and re-inscribe power from the concept of hegemonic masculinity. In this  blog I want to share with you all of my fears and how I continue to battle these fears as a Black man, by using Deanna Dannels, "How CAN I negotiate power?" chapter.

This struggle of power follows us in classrooms and continues to structure control and hierarchy towards systems, bodies, authorities, race, gender, and sexual orientation. In all my time being a TA, every semester, every time walking into a classroom, I wonder how I CAN establish some form power in spaces where I am still often the minority. The word power used in the last sentence refers to being the leader, facilitator, the authoritarian if needed, in classes I teach. How CAN I battle negative ideologies that are inscripted upon my material body by american society? Ideologies such as furtive, ghetto, untrustworthy, dangerous, violent, evil, and uneducated. I mean there are about 38,000 students from all over the world, that come from different backgrounds, that attend this university and there are still places in this world that those students come from where the color black is still not respected or human. If this power is teacher-student relationship in which the students delegate power power to the teacher(Dannels, 2015), then what are ways I CAN negotiate power, given the sociocultural influence my students already possess?

Despite the on going systemic hardships minorities face today: the events of Charloettesville, the aftermath of the acquittal of Jason Stockley in St. Louis, to President Trump calling a black athlete a "son of a bitch"my worries increase. I'll admit, when first reading this book I wondered who was my author. When looking up the author I found that the author is a white woman that teach at a university that has a 73% White student, 6% Black student, 5% Asian and Hispanic student population. So i wondered how relevant and effective is this book for a racialized teacher in times that we still dehumanize people of different ethnicity than the dominant. I told myself I would finish the book, hear Dannels out and it turned out to be a very good read. Dannels identifies 5 types of power reward, referent, legitimate, coercive, and expert power. Reward power and referent power help me the most with being concerned on how to negotiate power in the classroom. Reward power, the perception of  a potential reward is used to reach out to my students who are struggling with class content and my students who are grade orientated learners. When I have extra time in class I invite my students to ask for help on their assignments. Usually we are able to tackle the hard content and the reward that is given is a good grade. Lastly , I use referent power. Since I do not have a whole lot in common with my students I still try my best to be transparent and a site of support. I say things like "I was an undergrad too...", "You can do it", "You are all very smart", "I want this to be fun for you", "I feel the same way", and "You are not alone" to motivate them and let them know that I care; and when both powers are successful I then know that I CAN!

#Thosewhocan

Humor Me

In order to prepare for impromptu speeches next week, I asked my students to describe a professor who did a very poor job public speaking. Most of the students had horror stories about Ferris Bueller-esk monotone, uninspired, lackluster instructors. Although none were as bad as Karen’s horror story of sitting at the front and reading the textbook the whole time. I then asked my students to think of a professor they really liked. What did he or she do to capture their attention? Almost every single student said "he was funny", or "she made me laugh." Based on their comments, my students were even willing to overlook major teacher transgressions if the teacher was humorous. Both Dannels and Plax and Kearney mention humor as an essential element of student engagement. Right now, I am working on understanding what this means for me as a teacher.

I usually attempt to insert funny pictures and dank memes into my PowerPoint slides. This seems to be working out pretty well. I don’t have as much trouble incorporating humor into my second class. They actually tend to appreciate it and feel comfortable enough to laugh and engage with me. My first class is a little more difficult. Two students in particular tend to be very disruptive and give me negative nonverbals (like eye-rolling or scoffing) when I try to be funny. I  personally think humor is also a form of with-it-ness. An instructor needs to identify and pay attention to what kind of humor engages a class, and what kinds of humor detract from learning. I need to find out what kind of humor my first class responds best to. I also need to consider I may not be able to engage them, and they just need to deal with my dorky sense of humor.

#reengage #freshsparklingappropriatehumor #don'tpanic

Bad Grade ≠ Bad Student

"Students are more receptive to feedback if they are reminded that their work, not their identity, is the evaluative focus" (Cohen, Schapire, & Singer, 1999. Dannels 2015).

Well ain't that the truth.

via GIPHY

Students need to know that the purpose of a grade is to evaluate their work, and not who they are. Even the best students have bad days, but that doesn't constitute a bad student. At the same time, people who typically don't perform well can have their moments of brightness as well. Students are more likely to respond positively to feedback and correct their mistakes if they know that it's strictly their work that is being evaluated. If students feel like it is their identity that is being evaluated, that's when you would see negative behavior and performance patterns start to form.

I can't help but think of the self-fulfilling prophecy concept while analyzing this quote. This is because I think a lot of students do think that their grade is a direct reflection of who they are because they classify themselves as either a good student or a bad student. For example, say a girl goes all the way through grade school constantly making good grades and being praised for her academic abilities. In her head, she sees herself as a good student because that's what people tell her, and her grades can back that up. Then, this same girl gets to college and she finds herself in a class that covers content that is completely new to her and she receives a 'D' on her first paper. In her mind, her initial thought would most likely be something along the lines of, "I'm such a good student, how did this happen?" So does this bad paper mean that she is now a bad student? Does this completely discredit all the hard work she has done to get to where she is now? In her mind, yes, that's exactly what it means. That is why it is so crucial that teachers play their part in ensuring that students know that it's their work that is being evaluated and not who they are.

I think that being in a teaching position offers a unique opportunity to change someone's attitude about themselves. I have many students who see themselves as good students and constantly perform well. However, I have had some of these same students come to me visibly upset about the grades they are receiving online. From my perspective, here's what they need to know. Is tanking a 15 point quiz the end of the world? It sure isn't. Does it suck? Of course it does, but it's one grade and it is not a reflection of who they are as a person. Spend a little extra time on the next quiz, and bounce back. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone can correct them if they are given proper, constructive feedback that ensures them that who they are is great and that they possess the ability to do great things.

One more time, a bad grade doesn't reflect a bad person. You know what to do!

#keeponkeepinon

SO much to do, so little time

Y'all, there is just so much to do. I almost thought that this week might be the end of me. Should I be feeling this way when I'm supposedly taking the easiest courses I will take in my graduate career? The semester just started lol This week I had what feels like an overwhelming amount of assignments to do. I had to formulate an entire syllabus (of course y'all know that part) AND create an exam/one week's lesson plan. It honestly made me question how actual professors do this every semester. Nope. I also had to direct a performance for two images, create a script prompt book, read a small book, read 3 journal articles, write a response on the 3 articles, and play catch up with my blogs. It doesn't seem like a lot but we all know it IS, especially when they're all due back to back. And don't even get me started with all the grading I have yet to complete. 

Anyway, let's focus on my biggest assignment for this week. The syllabus. Goodness gracious that assignment took me forever to finish. I'm not going to lie, at times I felt incompetent (#HoustonWeHaveAProblem) but at least I pulled through. Yay me. Anyway when I thought about it, I remembered to look over the Creating a New Course journal article and decided to try and accomplish some of the goals described when creating my own syllabus. 

I made sure I...informed my students of the "scope" of the work, identified the sequence in which the work will follow, and described the tasks by which success will be achieved. This was the "easy" part and of course it was a requirement for the assignment so no biggie, it's the thoroughness of the syllabus, the lesson plan, and the exam questions that were really bugging me. It was hard y'all! At least we are all done with that part and don't have another huge assignment to do, we can finally relax...Oh wait, we have to read another book and three more articles before we have to complete a 2nd reaction paper.

Sorry to burst your bubbles, there is no rest in Grad school, get used to it. #DebbieDowner

-Mari <3

Let's turn this S#*! around

Oh Em Gee! So much work. I'm not stressing out, you're stressing out. I feel that I am pretty organized and so things are getting done. The only thing that I am having a really hard time on is grading. #HoustonWeHaveAProblem

90 grades x 3 essays/REVEL assignments. How am I going to catch up? I want to be an awesome instructor but I'm sorry, my assignments are a bit more important at the moment. Balancing my work life and school life is becoming a little tough, I just hope that I can figure all this shit out before midterms when my students start freaking out. On top of it all my babysitting arrangements have changed so that's cool AND I'm officially moving to Denton on Monday. Yay! It's cool and all, except for when you start thinking about packing, organizing, and the gas that going back & forth multiple times will take. All of this PLUS completing assignments and lesson planning/grading. Can I just hibernate? Like, for real? 

I might just die. 😟 Anyway, that was my little rant.

How is teaching going? I feel pretty good about my students, most of them are getting things done, completing their assignments, and asking questions. I love that they care.

So, my 3rd class of the day started off as my favorite, and they are the ones that almost always have a 90% completion on assignments. How is it that they are becoming my least favorites? I don't know when it happened but at some point, they started becoming disconnected.

Due to this change, my public speaking anxiety has increased (in this class only), my other classes are awesome. Seriously, wtf happened?

Their disconnect has made me become really nervous every time I teach them, I literally cannot wait to get out of there. There are good days, don't get me wrong, but what the hell man?? They're seriously gonna make me fail them all. LOL JK. Some of them are actually perfect angels. 

So, how can I turn these anxieties around? I looked back to the Dannels text and thought to myself, this needs to change ASAP. What tools can I use to work on my teaching methods for this section? I've acknowledge & analyzed my concerns and I am ready to commit to changing this awkward and uncomfortable environment (I might be reading a little too much into this).

Dannels mentioned following a process:

-I promise I will acknowledge my teaching questions & concerns.

-I will be open to interrogate how & where my anxieties originate from.

-I will become eager to consider options for addressing my teaching questions/concerns.

AND I will force myself to be ready to imagine new possibilities on who I am as a teacher & what I want for my classroom.

As the text says, 

I need to "dig beyond the surface" so that I can find the root of my problem. I got this! I WILL figure it out.

This class WILL turn back around and become one of my favorites again, or at least be on the same level as the other two. I have faith in them.

-Mari <3

Your Stress Is Stressing Me Out

I can honestly say that I was not stressed out entering my first week of graduate school. Sure, I was nervous about teaching for the first time, but I was excited to start something new. I was also excited to start taking classes again and to get back into a routine rather than sleep until 3:00pm everyday which is basically what my summer consisted of. I would say for the most part I'm a pretty easy-going person, which has been helpful to me in taking on the dual role of teacher & student thus far.

Enter the stress that consumes approximately 90 students about a subject they know little about, in an environment they are new to, and surrounded by people they don't know. In the first two weeks of teaching, I probably fielded about 6,452 (give or take 6,400 or so) emails about things that I thought were pretty simple. What do you mean you're already confused? Now I’m confused. Being the person that all of these students looked to for help suddenly left me feeling like I hadn't done my job well enough. That is something that stresses me out. Am I the one causing the stress these kids are feeling?

I made sure to tell myself that it's still early in the semester. Students are stressed for a variety of reasons, ones that go way beyond the classroom. My advice to them? Just relax. Keep going. It's too early to feel like you're drowning in work and that your grade is a lost cause. Just keep doing what you're doing to the best of your ability and you will be just fine. My advice to myself? Just relax. Keep going. You can't take the stress of 90 people and make it your own stress. Instead, use their questions, comments, and concerns to make your classroom a better place.

Keep going. Keep doing what you're doing.

#keeponkeepinon

via GIPHY

Just Make It Out Alive...

Happy Fall, beautiful people!

We're kicking off week 5 of the fall semester as we speak. It's currently the end of September, which means all the fun fall-time vibes are taking over my world (it's my favorite season). I've already made a Pumpkin Pie Swirl Cheesecake and purchased my puppy four fall time sweaters/shirt... and her Halloween costume. October is my favorite month of the year. I love the festivities and the weather and the food. October in graduate school is apparent known as a "Hell Month" - it's been translated to me as being the hardest month of the semester due to both grad student and teaching responsibilities.

Bummer.


For today's blog post, I'm going to address the importance of your mental health and confidence in the classroom. Thinking about the upcoming chaos of October and the middle of the semester approaching, I can't help but reflect on my mental state of mind last semester, and how it would feel having to go through it a second time, only this second time it would be during my FAVORITE PART OF THE YEAR. I feel it's important to encourage graduate students and educators alike to take occasional break from work, work, work and to care for your mental health. I'm also going to address confidence in the classroom because for me personally, my mental health almost always impacts my confidence.

Last semester, my first semester in both graduate school and as a teaching assistant, I felt panicked and anxious just about all of the time. Seriously. Any time I had to lecture, grade assignments, whether or not my feedback was sufficient, when I was asked a question I was not 100% confident in...

You get the drift.

My first semester of being a graduate teaching assistant wasn't pretty. I felt pressured to spend all of my time in my schoolwork and in materials for the classes I was teaching. I refused to go out and socialize with my friends, family, and peers. Seriously. I N-E-V-E-R left my house. I was always anticipating things I hadn't done yet that needed to get done, no matter how far in the future they really were.

My mental health was in turmoil and I was suffering from a bad case of Impostor Syndrome causing a lot of anxieties in the classroom. I constantly felt panicked by responsibilities, unprepared for the amount of authority I was given, and my confidence in myself was tragically low. I felt a new form of relief when I finished my first semester - I still remember my heart sinking when I submitted my final grades.

It's finally over. You made it out alive. It's done.

After many talks with my good friend Jayme, who is currently embarking on her first semester of being a graduate teaching assistant (Go Jayme!), I was able to decide exactly what I want this first blog post to cover while still addressing the theme #dontpanic. I wanted to make my blog post relevant for those who may be struggling in their first semester, or any semester really, of their teaching career. 

First and foremost, take care of your mental health.



Seriously folks, your mental health is important for your students' success and your success, both inside the classroom and out. I know the pressure, responsibility, and stress of being an educator can be A LOT to adjust to. #dontpanic if you have to put off writing that response paper another 2 hours to meditate. You and your brain deserve a break.

I've been where you are, learn from my mistakes. I'm told the first semester is the hardest. As the full swing of the semester begins, I can think of nothing more important than self-care.

Tips from Rudi:

• Meditate (your brain is a muscle, too! give it a break!) 
• Try to get as much sleep as you can
• DRINK WATER
• #dontpanic if you go have fun for a few hours on Friday but still haven't finished that assignment due on Monday. Don't be afraid to say yes to the occasional social outing to take a mental break. 
• Try to find a few friends in your department to do activities with. It makes me feel a lot more comfortable knowing my coworkers are taking a break, too. 
• Do what you need to to take care of yourself - especially if it means asking for help 

I promise once you complete the semester, you will feel so proud of yourself. However, if you need help, including professional help, please reach out. Your well-being matters. 

Second, be confident in the classroom. 

One source of panic I experienced last semester was fearing my students could tell I wasn't confident and didn't feel qualified to have the quality of their education in my hands. That, and my wardrobe directly mirrored my confidence. I immediately dressed super relaxed because I thought it would make me look more comfortable in front of the class. Big mistake. I remembered back in my undergraduate years, I used to say "dress well, do well", and decided to go for it this second semester. I traded in last semester's black leggings and a sweater for clothes that made me feel confident and empowered. I dress like I accept and respect the authority given to me, which is actually a point Deanna P. Dannels makes in her book Eight Essential Questions Teachers Ask.

Of course there is more to credibility than just outward appearance, but we will cover that at a later date. For now if you haven't already, you should give Dannels' book a read! Anyway, as I said earlier, my mental health will play into my confidence. Unfortunately, that confidence can impact your students. Why should they have confidence in my abilities if I don't even have confidence in my abilities? For me, faking-it-till-I-make-it is how I switch to a persona that is confident. 

For me, this includes: 

• Actually brushing my hair
• Wearing make up (to each their own, make up just makes me feel more confident)
• Throw on an outfit that makes you feel confident. This will radiate in your classroom.
• Brushing over the course materials with a coworker
• Double checking I have all class materials

Dannels says to not panic when the unexpected happens. As it gets deeper into the semester, #dontpanic if you need to take a mental health break or if you completely blank on the definition of a key term in front of your students. Remember to take care of yourself and to fake-it-till-you-make-it by trying to act confidently. Reach out to a friend, be a friend, and kick major pedagological butt.

#dontpanic

My Plan Was to Make a Soccer Pun, I Achieved My "Goal"

It’s only Week 4 and while I keep telling myself, “It’s fine, everything's fine”...it is so not fine. I feel as though I am playing catch-up everyday with my coursework and my students are driving me absolutely bonkers. While I keep getting getting back up, life just keeps knocking me down.

↑ Welcome to Grad School, right?

While trying to spark some ideas of what I wanted to share in my first blog post, I decided to skim through Eight Essential Questions Teachers Ask by Deanna P. Dannels in which I found a statement that profoundly struck me. “If the material is not your first choice and you really are disengaged, focus on the students: See what you can learn about them by how they engage the material. You have a room of people to get to know, so focus on getting to know them and see the content as a vehicle.”

Wow.

It all made sense to me! The reason why I am constantly feeling excessively stressed out and disengaged is because I am forgot the reason why I wanted to come to graduate school… to grow as a person using communication. If you’re still confused, let me break it down issue-by-issue:

1. “I feel as though I am playing catch-up everyday with my coursework”. We’ve all been there: You have a million things that you don’t care about due, yet you spend your entire Sunday sitting there thinking about how much you have to do instead of actually doing it. Then, for the next 11 weeks you’re playing a sick game of catch-up with your courses. #Relatable But, at some point in our lives we’re going to have to do something we wouldn’t choose to do. On the other hand, how we choose it is completely up to us. I told my students on the first day of class that I am aware that while communication studies may not be their thaaaaang (yet), there are many ways in which you can connect your interests and/or major to this class. Therefore, even if the material is not our first choice, focus on the students (in this case, that’s us!). Adhere to your own interests and try to incorporate them into everything you do. Your thoughts matter!
2. “My students are driving me bonkers”. Just the phrase itself speaks volumes about how I viewed teaching. It was teacher vs. students, and I couldn’t win. As a young woman attempting to teach an intro course, I constantly have the men in the classroom challenging my authority and the women in my classroom throwing sassy remarks in my face. These behaviors turn me off and up until now, I didn’t notice that my reactions were the reason they were still treating me this way. If a student is constantly a problem, I have less of a desire to get to know them. In other words, I am disengaging from them. I was displaying favoritism of my students in the most subtle way. For example, one of my female students constantly rolls her eyes at me during lecture and talks to her friend. Last week, however, I had her present her Identity Collage in front of the classroom. During her presentation, I asked her questions about different pictures and showed an interest in her life. The following class periods, the same female student has lost her eye rolls and has become completely engaged in everything I have to say during lectures and activities.

Being a college instructor is very similar to being an athletic coach: You are guiding a group of people to achieve a common goal. This can be done through assignments/practices, tests/games, and adequate resources. While these are all valuable to achieving this common goal, it's not everything. If you show each student/player that their part matters and that they are contributing to something larger than themselves. Now, that’s the ultimate goal.

#Pedagoalie

That Would Be Great...

Dannels differentiates between student participation and student engagement. Student engagement refers to the students' willingness to participate in activities, course material, and with each other. Students engaged in the course material willingly contribute to discussions, give unsolicited responses, and show interest in the information. I intend to focus on student engagement this semester for two reasons. First, I have a combined learning community of business majors and student athletes in my first section of 1010. These students have already expressed their concerns about the relevance and overall value of the course material to their lives. Rather than staring blankly, my students are complaining about the course and questioning every activity. I am also concerned about student engagement because I want my students to understand the importance and impact of communication in their everyday lives.

            

Dannels suggests instructors use immediacy, humor, and technology in the classroom to engage students. I have recently focused on immediacy in my efforts to engage my classes. Learning my students' names is currently one of my priorities. Each class day I attempt to use my students' names when I call on them or speak to them. If I do not know a student's name, when he or she raises her or his hand, I ask the student to tell me her or his name. Dannels also comments that engagement is a "jointly constructed process" (p. 93). My students cannot engage if they feel I am not committed to them and engaged in the course as well. In light of Dannels' comment, I tried an experiment last week. It was the second day of class and I was addressing the concerns they had written the first day. Once I worked through their biggest concerns I told them I was committed to their success. I went on to explain I considered their success to be much more than academic achievement. I wanted them to grow as students, communicators, and as people. I warned them they would not grow unless I pushed them, and when I will not accept late work or give a lower grade, it is because I have high standards for them.

I let them know I am invested, now I have the rest of the semester to prove it.

#reengage