One of the things that college faculty become well-acquainted with are excuses. After teaching for a few years you recognize that the same old excuses come up again and again. I don't pay too much mind to excuses. My students know there are limits to my flexibility and my patience. They know that I will [...]
Tag: teaching
An E Ticket Semester…
Today was my first day of teaching in the Spring 2013 semester. In the spring I teach two of my favorite classes - Disaster Response and Business Continuity & Crisis Management (BCCM). These classes both require heavy student engagement, and as such, the class dynamic is very important. I always hold my breath a bit [...]
You can’t duck the facts.
Today was Family Day at NDSU. Families of NDSU students were welcomed to campus to participate in a number of activities with their NDSU student. The Department of Emergency Management had a couple of tables filled with lots of free emergency management "stuff" and of course our preparedness icons - the rubber ducks. I have to [...]
How educators get rich…
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 [...]
Go ahead, leave a mark…
I have been meeting with students non-stop for the past three days. I pretty much insist that they come in and meet with me during finals week (since I have no final exam), and they always oblige. These little meetings allow me to take some time to really connect with them one on one to [...]
I grade, therefore I am.
I am in the throes of end-of-the-semester grading. Oh joy. I am not a huge fan of grading, but I am an educator at a higher education institution and with that identity comes grading. I wish I could just give all my students a simple pass or fail based on their commitment and effort, but [...]
Personality +
Every class has its own personality and its own set of personalities. Over the course of a semester the personality comes into its own and by the end of the semester it is typically ripe. Today was the last day of my regular classes this semester. On the last day of my classes the students do a hot wash [...]
THE NEW FORTY 