There is something so refreshing about the fall semester at NDSU.  It is the beginning of a brand new year with many new faces – students, staff, and faculty.   It is also a chance to catch back up with those I have not had an opportunity to see all summer.  It is a homecoming of sorts – but better.  There is a promise at the outset of each semester of the potential of the journey; and, each year that journey is filled with different twists and turns.

I am excited to see where the journey will lead me this year.  I am excited to get the opportunity to meet a group of new students in my classes while still seeing familiar friendly faces peppered throughout.  I am excited to get back to the dialogue that is the thread that they will carry with them beyond their studies and into their professional careers.

I love my job.  I love my students.  I love my field.  While I am always happy to have the summer off to relax and regroup, I miss the part of my life that is tied to the energy and enthusiasm of the future.  That is what my students are – the future of emergency management.

There is a saying that goes something like this: Those who cannot do – teach.  I beg to differ.  Here is what should be said of those committed to teaching: Those who teach realize how much more they can ultimately do by teaching.

Teaching may not be the best paying career from a monetary perspective, but it is where one becomes the richest.   There are some things that are worth more than money (that is not to say that I don’t support increasing the salaries of educators) – we all may need money to live, but to live a truly fulfilled life we need to know that we contribute to society’s well-being.  Therein lies the real riches for educators – we invest in others and the dividends we get in return are the knowledge that we were able to help build futures – one student at a time.  As I said, I love my job.

Where will the journey take me this year?  I am not sure – but I will keep you posted. 😉

Day one thousand one hundred and forty-one of the new forty – obla di obla da

Ms. C