Reflections on the Challenge

I am amazed that I succeeded in writing nine posts. There were times when I thought I wasn't going to be able to provide a quality post with the time constraints in the middle of the semester. I will confess it was worth the frustration to put my thoughts on the ether. And, boy, was I embarrassed by the typos--most produced in the rush of the moment, others from simple carelessness!

Time was indeed the crucial issue. At first, the topics came easily with each new issue that arose in my classes or in my teaching. By the end, I was mentally scrounging to think of something to reflect upon. Then when I found a topic, I had to consider potential links, photos, cartoons, etc. Thus, each post needed to be invented by the Thursday before and often took at least four edits.

I liked the challenge, but nine weeks in the middle of the semester was difficult. Because I am a "Golden Retriever" personality, once I got started there was no way I was going to quit, even if it meant a late night or pushing aside some other responsibility. Ask my husband...or my dogs! Seriously, how important can laundry be when weighed in the balance against insights and creativity? Of course, there are some responsibilities for which I am always finding excuses to delay.

Actually, this exercise reminded me of an earlier time when I used to write my reflections at the end of each semester. In these reflections, I would analyze what worked, what didn't, and what needed to be changed. Often I would include ideas for the next semester. Unfortunately, I had given up on this practice about three years ago because life kept getting in the way. It seemed that when each semester ended, I was already rushing into the next phase in life, whether that be the holidays or family demands during the summer. I was especially surprised and chagrined this semester when I tackled my "to do" filing about two weeks ago. At the bottom of the stack were items from last spring. Yes, indeed, six months later I was finally getting my filing done. This example, and the dust upon my desk and shelves, reflects how I have difficulty choosing the most important over the most immediate.

Like my students, I often need a deadline to ensure things get done in a timely manner. Thus, I appreciated the challenge of the imposed deadlines, but I recommend that the challenge be shorter than nine weeks. We have come to that time in the semester when students are stressed by the looming end of term with its major projects and finals. This is when I know I need to be as patient as possible to provide a sense of level-headed sanity in the midst of their chaos, but if I am as stressed as they, patience is in short supply.

I want to thank Todd for setting up the challenge, and for all of the awesome goodies along the way. I hope more instructors will get involve next time because I really appreciated the opportunity to read about what others were thinking and experiencing in their teaching. Thanks to you all who participated! I learned a lot from your musings, and I was challenged to examine and rethink what I have been doing in the classroom.