Getting Down to Business

Last week students arrived on our campus from places near and far. They carried their laptops, iPhones, hopes, and dreams with them. Like me, many are the first in their family to attend college and that is no small thing. During the upcoming weeks, I will critique their essays, learn their stories, grade their speeches, and savor the work. I will become humbled by their determination and courage to claim a spot for themselves within the community of their choosing.

We will talk about writing, read and discuss essays, and then write - a lot. We will talk about audience, speech development, and Monroe's Motivated Sequence. Hopefully, we will laugh and not take ourselves too seriously. This fall marks my eleventh year of teaching at the college level. Experience has taught me much, but most importantly, to slow down and enjoy the journey. Each semester is different, each student is different, and each year I am different too.    

So on the first day of class, my students and I eyed each other across the room. They checked me out. I checked them out. Then we rolled up our sleeves and got to work.