"What week of the semester are we in?" I asked my class on Tuesday.
This question was met with a lot of blank stares. On student attempted to answer "uhh...five?" she asked tentatively. I shook my head. No one seemed to want to venture another guess, like if they ignored it it would go away.
Unfortunately that was not an option. "Seven," I told them scanning the room, "We are at the halfway point of the semester."
I saw some eyes widen, heard a round of gasps, and watched heads shake in disbelief. "Oh my God,"one student exclaimed.
No kidding I wanted to say, feeling the panic rise inside of my own body. Instead I tried to reassure them that it was ok. I told them I was not reminding them of this in order to evoke a round of anxiety, but rather to help them understand the importance of reaching out for help if they were struggling with any of their classes.
And let's face it, who doesn't struggle. Whether it is time management, study habits, procrastination, overwhelm, not understanding the material, roommate problems, work, and various other commitments. We are all struggling on some level..
I handed out a midsemester check in sheet for them all of them to fill out. I want to know how much time they spend studying in each class. What is their favorite classes, their least favorite. What resources they would like to know more about. I want to know how they are doing, what can I help them with. Most of all I want them to understand that we are all in this together, the struggle is real, and ignoring or isolating is not an answer.
It is also a good reminder to myself that I need to acknowledge the things I am finding difficult in my new position and allow others to support me. There is an amazing amount is support for faculty on campus and I need to take advantage of that. In the end it will help me be the best teacher I can be for myself and my students.
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