Entertainer

In my last post, I expressed dread at the thought of attending my night class. I was tired, cold, and wanted nothing more than to go to bed.

I am pleased to report that the evening's class was a success. As I see things, once I enter the campus, my negative attitude must subside. I must bring energy, a positive attitude, and enthusiasm for the subject with me to class. It is my job. With that in mind, no matter how negative I might be feeling or how exhausted I may be, I tend to suck it up. I transform when the period begins. I make things work. This is exactly what I did the other night.

From my perspective, teaching (at least at the college level) has more to do with one's ability to entertain than anything else. When I walk into the classroom, I am more of an entertainer than I am anything else. I tend to follow the text pretty closely. Therefore, my students may be able to obtain the same information simply from reading the text and researching the topics included in it on their own. Thus, for my course to be considered a real success, my students must buy into me.

I doubt I have much to say that is too profound. I do, however, have the ability to provide information from multiple perspectives and am willing to push people beyond their bounds of comfort or traditional thought processes. I tend to spend a lot of time trying to apply class information to real world situations. Afterall, I find the course pointless if the information presented cannot be applied to one's real life. In many respects, I suspect many of my students come back each period because they appreciate me. I think they tend to think I am a little whacky and often come to class simply to see what I will say or do next. Will she say something absurd? Will she tell us stories about the psych ward? Will she share a law enforcement tale with us? Will she have us engage in another silly class experiment?

The fact is that due to my age, my students often don't know what to expect from me. I walk into the class each day dressed like a twenty-something year-old with a coffee in my hand. I do not yell when someone's cell phone goes off, but instead either bop my head to the rhythym of the ring tone or simply answer the call on my student's behalf. I comment on the flirting I observe. I call people on their shit. I am very real. I am very me. I used to try to be more of a traditional instructor, but that doesn't work for me. I find that when I have fun, so do my students. It is a cool cycle to be a part of.

In many ways, teaching gives me a high. Although I am typically anxious prior to the beginning of class, I always make it through each period. More often than not, I have fun. Teaching, for me, is rewarding. It is also optional at this point, which makes it even more special to me. It is a hobby that monopolizes my life. It is a lot of fun. It has forced me to grow as a person and allows me the opportunity to meet cool people. Perhaps it even allows me to have some influence on the future.

The thing is that cold, hungry, tired or whatever, I always have it in me. The other night I left my class so rejuvenated that it took me hours to calm down. It was awesome. I need to remember that feeling. I am lucky to be in the position I am.