I've been searching for it for over an hour now- one of my favorite cartoons on higher education. It shows a split screen panel with two professors. On one side, a tenured professor stands behind a lecturn, lecturing while his students drool and fall asleep. On the other side, it shows an adjunct professor excitedly moving through the class as he shares something. While it's not always true, it has made me think, because the people we enjoy most as teachers are often those who are passionate about and enjoy what they do.
A few weeks back, I was in the Department Chair's office dealing with one of our voluminous problems this semester. I told him that I was actually excited to come to work on Mondays, and he told me "that's almost the definition of success". People can tell that I like what I do, and I think some of them catch the fire because of my enthusiasm for and understanding of the subject matter we discuss.
Frequently when I substitute for other instructors, the students invite me back any time. I'm not saying the other teachers are bad; what I think is true is also true of so many other industries that the longer one is there the less clearly it comes across that you like your job. I think they enjoy the class because I like my job, that for me it's more than work, it's an adventure.
Not everything we do at work is fun. It's work. Work can be fun, however, and I have tried to show them and discuss with them things that are relevant to their lives even if they never study anything scientific again. When you can show them how it matters, I think they value it more.
Very few people love what they do. Many people do it for the status or the money, which is just another way by which they obtain status. Some of them do what they do because they don't know what else to do or don't think they can do better. A few do whatever they can find for work. I've been in all of those camps, but for once in my life, I actually have a job I enjoy that satisfies my soul and compensates me adequately for my time and effort. When you love what you do, the work day is easy and passes quickly. When you love what you do, other people pick up on your positive energy, and the time is better spent even if they never get as excited as you are.
Maybe it's just because I'm new to teaching. A close acquaintance of mine who teaches high school described most of us as active and engaged, and one of the professors here remembers being as excited and engaged as I am. I'm starting to think that the young professors are well liked not just because they're cute, which is true of me, but also because of their energy. I make class fun. Share your love of what you do. Who knows what will happen as a result?
1 comment:
Agreed 100% -- especially with the part where you are young and cute! ha! (OK, you are!) But I love teaching, and part of what I love is the chance to excite someone else about something that is dear to me.
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