Safety

Some months ago, about September I think, I read an essay describing a young boy’s reaction to realizing that he was adopted. Although he had always know that was the case there was an incident when he was 5 or so in which he felt a great loss at not knowing his “real” mother. His mother comforts him and explains it this way:

“And in a sure sign he knows that what he’s hearing is correct, he begins to cry hard. In a little while I feel him exhale long and slow, his back relaxing against my hands that are holding him in place like bookends: Your body begins here, and it ends here. You are safe.”

Perhaps you can imagine that feeling, that you're emotions are contained, that you won't fall apart with the strength of feeling. As parents we are called on often to convey that sense of security, as friends and partners creating safety is the ultimate gift we can give.

I've been thinking about safety lately. We had an incident at school, that while ultimately not serious, had the potential to be dangerous. Contemplating how to handle an explosive situation makes you think a little more seriously about safety and all of its forms.

I don't see myself holding a student as they cry, but I have been known to pass the box of tissues, offer a pat on the arm, or lend a sympathetic ear. How do I make a student feel safe in my class? How important is that when I'm teaching statistics, anyway? Many students feel intimidated by material that they have learned to fear, that is to say, anything involving numbers. They doubt their own abilities, they lack confidence. They need to think that any question will be treated with respect and answered with dignity. They need to feel that I won't laugh at them, shake my head, arch my eyes.

Offering safety is something we can think of doing every day in all of our interactions.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/magazine/05Lives-t.html

"Choking"

I read an interesting article on "choking" yesterday. This is the all too familiar feeling of failing just when it matters the most--flubbing a job interview, missing a winning shot, failing an important test. You know the feeling....

Why does it happen? Worry apparently. Worrying makes it harder to access the information needed to perform and impairs the brain networking, creating information logjams. Cool. Try not to worry in a pressure situation....right.

Those who have the most potential to succeed are actually more likely to choke. These people rely more on working memory and prefrontal cortex areas of the brain. Under pressure, this region of the brain doesn't function as well as it should. Students who are less likely to use this region actually are less impacted by pressure. (This doesn't mean they will perform better, just that their performance will be less affected by pressure!)

What to do? Practice under pressure. Focus on the outcome, not the mechanics. Don't dwell on past failures. All three of these strategies can help deal with the stressful situation.

One suggestion I particularly liked was....WRITE....writing about worries and stressful events can help increase working memory and prevent other parts of your life from distracting you under stress. A mere 10 minutes of writing before a big event or regularly for 10 minutes a week boosts brain power!

All of this comes from a book by Sian Beilock, a University of Chicago psychologist and his book, Choke.

Rain and Books

It is a cool rainy Monday in November. The perfect kind of day to curl up with a book. I've always loved reading, and reading under a warm blanket on a cold rainy day is the best kind of reading. But, I'm at work and not warm and not reading...Maybe I need a sick day!

spaces

I've been thinking again about office spaces. I've been in my "new" office for just about a year now, and it looks very lived in. But, in the meantime, I've also moved into another temporary office in the Dean's suite. Someone remarked the other day that it looked too "sterile." There is quite a striking contrast between the two places.

My upstairs office is long and narrow, it reminds me of a shoebox. Along one wall are windows, but the view is not particulary attractive. It actually looks best, I think, at night when you can see the lights of the city below. One of my favorite things is to sit in my office at the end of the day with the lights out and look out. This only really works from about November to February when it is dark at 5 PM, but it is worth the winter to have that feeling of floating above the traffic and noise. Even though the office is large, I've pretty much huddled at one end. I have a desk along the wall with my computer and another desk parallel to that one. I sit between them, walled off from the office. I keep some toys on my desk for students to play with when they come in. Most don't, but a few will pick them up. My favorite is a set of magnets that you can stack up, balance, and arrange. I like to fiddle.

My downstairs office is squarish and has two Stickley cube chairs...and a footstool? Why the footstool I have no idea, it came with the office. The walls are white with some University artwork. I'm not quite sure what makes it seem more formal, but it does have less of an inviting feel. I haven't put too much effort into the place because I'm not sure how long I'll be staying there. That may be part of the reason for the sterility, since it is a temporary space it feels impersonal. If I stay there, I will need to make it more my own.

Writing an exam

I just finished writing an exam for my MAX 201 course. I hate writing tests, hate grading tests, hate giving tests, although I must say I never really hated taking tests. I was fortunate to be a good test taker. I was pretty good at deciphering what the instructor wanted me to know, learning it, and repeating it back in a form and format that pleased them. This ability extended to standardized tests as well.

In the past I could not understand why others were unable to do this. But, over the years, I've seen enough good students struggle that I am more sympathetic. When I write a test I try to find questions that will test if the students understand what we have been talking about. I try to de-emphasize the memorization part of learning and emphasize the understanding part. Usually, if a student understands the material they are able to apply it to a new situation. Coming up with examples that are close to what we have discussed, but not exactly the same is tough. Add on the fact that I will need to read and evaluate 50+ of these tests and efficiency sometimes trumps a truly comprehensive exam.

Student complaints

One of the facts of life of teaching is dealing with student complaints. As an administrator I also get to deal with the student complaints that either the instructor did not satisfactorily address, or with the students who are too afraid to approach their instructor.

In my own classes most complaints are around grading--I was unfair, the question was unclear, the answer ambiguous. Sometimes I am wrong, I misread an answer, I deduct more points than I should have, I missed something on the page. Those are the easy ones. I'm happy when students bring my mistakes to my attention and allow me to make amends. Sometimes I don't believe I am wrong. I am looking for an answer the student did not provide Usually the student is willing to accept my explanation and we can move on. Also, not too unpleasant.

Complaints about attitudes, classroom climate, or other students are harder to deal with. Again, as an instructor, I can usually listen objectively and will try to rectify the situation. More often, though, I hear these complaints not as the instructor, but as an administrator. Here, it is harder for me to intervene. What I have learned over the years, though, is that what students want most is to be heard. They would like things to change, but more importantly, they would like someone to care about their experience. I spend a lot of time with these students listening, offering tissues, and listening some more. After hearing their concerns I will ask what they might like to see happen. Often they don't want anything more than what they just experienced--someone who listened and took their views seriously.

Listening, caring, respecting....that is what most of us want to receive from our friends, partners, and co-workers. It seems only reasonable that our students would want the same.

Rhythm of the Fall Semester

I've been teaching for over 20 years now and have slowly come to recognize the rhythm of the fall semester. Spring has its own feel, but the fall semester seems to follow a very predictable pattern.

The early weeks are full of excitement and energy. Everyone, students and faculty, are happy to be back in the classroom.....really. The material introduced in the first few weeks is often the material we know best, the background, the introduction, the motivation. It is easy to be enthusiastic in class.

After a few weeks we all fall into our routines. We remember what days we are teaching, when we need to set aside time to prepare or grade. We start to attend committee meetings. Things are not so exciting, but we are comfortable with the progress.

But slowly the pressure builds. We move towards midterms. The weather deteriorates. Each fall we seem to hit a wall about the third week of October. Depression sets in. How much longer do I have to do this?? Faculty are tired of their classes, students are tired of the work. Everyone feels overwhelmed and overburdened. We can't seem to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

This followed by a few frantic weeks in November. Instead of depression there is a sense of dread. Committees are sensing the end of the semester and want to finish their work. Classes are in the middle of the hardest material. Students now know exactly where they stand in class and are worried. I'm not sure which is worse, the October depression or the November dread.

The pace quickens as Thanksgiving nears. People want to finish the semester before the break, but there is at least the hopeful promise of a four day vacation before the final push. We come back from Thanksgiving refreshed and with the end in sight. Although there is a lot to do, it feels manageable.

The first few weeks of December are spent finishing up. For faculty this is an easier time than for students, I suspect. Although our penance comes the next week while we are grading. But, grading in front of a fire with Christmas music is more tolerable than the May grading when the sun is shining and the promise of summer lies ahead.

Right now we are in the Dread Days of the fall. Everyone is tense and on edge. Thanksgiving looks far away. But it will come, it always does.

Nature

I've just returned from a weekend trip to the Rocky Mountains. The weather was beautiful, 60s and sunny. There was a dusting of snow on the upper peaks, but the lower elevations were snow free. I was amazed at how blue the sky was, especially against the white snow of the mountains. A month ago I went camping with my sisters and nieces. It was another wonderful weekend--warm and sunny, with a touch of rain overnight. There aren't as many mountains in Indiana, but the Shades park has gorges and a small river running through it. Growing up I spent many hours in the Indiana Dunes, walking in the dunes, playing on the beach. I went to camp in the summer, canoeing, camping, and sleeping in a tent.

I've found that I need a fair amount of fresh air to be happy. I try to take a walk every night, even in the winter...maybe especially in the winter. There is something about the feel of air on my face that helps me relax, focus my thoughts, and clear my mind. I've often felt that if I could only walk long enough I could solve all of my problems.

What is it about fresh air that is so relaxing? Could I survive in the city? Would I wither and die?