Spring Break is over and the countdown toward the end of the year and the closing of the residence hall has started. As much as I love my job and my students, I have to admit, I love closing. By that time of the year, I'm just ready to finish it - ready to get everyone out of the building - ready to have a little bit more of a social life again - ready to be done, take a break and then get a fresh start with a new staff and a new group of residents.
But before I start dreaming about the future, let's take a look back to the past week - Spring Break. In September, I had this "awesome" idea to go on a service trip with my residents. It sounded great! What better way to put our theme - "CHANGE - Emerging Community Leaders" - into action and help our residents achieve some of those learning outcomes we have.
It all sounded great until maybe two weeks prior to the trip. I didn't really have the time earlier to get things ready for the trip, so suddenly I was hit with all these last minute preparations. From communicating with the Habitat for Humanity (HFH) host affilitate and figuring details about our accommodations and other arrangements with them to preparing some team builders and service learning activities to buying supplies for the group (work gloves, coolers, etc.) and myself (e.g. steel toed shoes).
I was running around like crazy and while I didn't want to admit it to myself, I really wished that I had never come up with the idea for this trip and would just get to spend spring break staying at home, relaxing, maybe reading a book or watching TV, or even using a day or two to catch up and maybe even get ahead with work...sleeping in late...oh, it all sounded so tempting!
Looking back: the trip was worth it. I had a good time. The students gained a lot from it. The HFH affiliate really appreciated our help. And we had tons of fun - at our days off when we went to Philadelphia and Washington D.C. as well as at the construction site when we learned how to "flush" "4-by-2's" and build a wall.
Part of me still wishes that I would have had that week off. This week back - it's only been three days but it feels like a lifetime again - has been superbusy. With ACPA coming up in addition to all the building-related and committee-related tasks I need to accomplish, I've been putting in lots of late hours.
Some of my RAs and I talked about whether or not we'd want to do a trip like that again. And the RAs strongly felt like we should do it again next year. I agree with them - but I'm also hesitant to give up my spring break again. It's tough. I want to do this for my students - as well as for myself - but is all the stress really worth it?
I know it is - at least I believe it is - but the self-ish part of me wishes I could just sleep in for a couple days. :)
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
On students' stupidity, professional development and the goodness of my heart
What a day!
I broke up a party. No, that's not right. I walked in on the aftermath of a party. I was walking through the hall - knowing that a lot of partying and drinking would be going on today. On my first round, a few rooms stood out to me as rooms we should keep an eye on. I decided to walk through one of my male corridors again (their RA was out of town, so I figured the corridor may need a little more attention). That time, as I'm walking through, a student exits the room. He barely open the door, squeezed through and was clearly trying to block me from being able to look into the room. It couldn't have been any more obvious. He also reeked off alcohol.
After that, I just went into "ResLife routine" - asking him to open the door, getting the students' IDs, having them take out (and recycle!) the empty cans and bottles (there was over 50), asking them to dump out the rest of the alcohol (another 20 cans/bottles).
But here's the thing: for one of the students, this may be his third alcohol violation. We have a policy here that states that if you're found responsible for your third violation, you will be, at minimum, suspended for one semester.
I've worked in ResLife long enough to realize that I did what I had to do and that it was the student, who put himself into this situation. But that's what I just don't get. After you were found responsible for two violations and knowing what the policy is, WHY would you put yourself in that situation??? Especially on a weekend where you know more staff is around because there are traditionally more alcohol incidents. I mean, I realize that for some students alcohol is part of the college experience, but is it really worth risking your chance to continue going to college??? I mean, seriously, don't be stupid!!!
Another interesting aspect of my day was a conversation I had with a central staff member about professional development. I've been struggling with figuring out how I could continue working on my professional development. I am going to conferences regularly; I'm involved in some committees at my institution as well as through national organizations. But it feels like there's something missing. I don't feel like I'm doing enough to challenge myself, to continue learning. I've asked my supervisor for feedback, but didn't get much concrete suggestions on what I can work on. Everyone tells me I'm doing a good job. But there has to be more, right?
Maybe I just need to commit more time to reading articles and books on my own. I don't know. But there has to be something else that I can do.
Last but not least, let me tell you a story of what happens when you have these "great" ideas and decide to do things out of the "goodness of your heart." Last Fall, my staff and I talked about how "cool" it would be if we organized a service trip for residents in our building over Spring Break. Well, I'm the type of person, who - once we've come up with an idea - follows through and makes it happen. So I did. And now, in two days, I'm leaving on our trip.
I'm not ready. I haven't had time to think about things I need to buy and bring, packing, figuring out directions and other details, organizing evening events, and and and. And part of me wishes I could just spend the break sleeping in, reading, relaxing and doing nothing.
I know I'll have fun once we're on the road, but right now, I'm not all that thrilled about going and about all the things I still have to organize.
Talking about that, I should get going. Wish me luck!
I broke up a party. No, that's not right. I walked in on the aftermath of a party. I was walking through the hall - knowing that a lot of partying and drinking would be going on today. On my first round, a few rooms stood out to me as rooms we should keep an eye on. I decided to walk through one of my male corridors again (their RA was out of town, so I figured the corridor may need a little more attention). That time, as I'm walking through, a student exits the room. He barely open the door, squeezed through and was clearly trying to block me from being able to look into the room. It couldn't have been any more obvious. He also reeked off alcohol.
After that, I just went into "ResLife routine" - asking him to open the door, getting the students' IDs, having them take out (and recycle!) the empty cans and bottles (there was over 50), asking them to dump out the rest of the alcohol (another 20 cans/bottles).
But here's the thing: for one of the students, this may be his third alcohol violation. We have a policy here that states that if you're found responsible for your third violation, you will be, at minimum, suspended for one semester.
I've worked in ResLife long enough to realize that I did what I had to do and that it was the student, who put himself into this situation. But that's what I just don't get. After you were found responsible for two violations and knowing what the policy is, WHY would you put yourself in that situation??? Especially on a weekend where you know more staff is around because there are traditionally more alcohol incidents. I mean, I realize that for some students alcohol is part of the college experience, but is it really worth risking your chance to continue going to college??? I mean, seriously, don't be stupid!!!
Another interesting aspect of my day was a conversation I had with a central staff member about professional development. I've been struggling with figuring out how I could continue working on my professional development. I am going to conferences regularly; I'm involved in some committees at my institution as well as through national organizations. But it feels like there's something missing. I don't feel like I'm doing enough to challenge myself, to continue learning. I've asked my supervisor for feedback, but didn't get much concrete suggestions on what I can work on. Everyone tells me I'm doing a good job. But there has to be more, right?
Maybe I just need to commit more time to reading articles and books on my own. I don't know. But there has to be something else that I can do.
Last but not least, let me tell you a story of what happens when you have these "great" ideas and decide to do things out of the "goodness of your heart." Last Fall, my staff and I talked about how "cool" it would be if we organized a service trip for residents in our building over Spring Break. Well, I'm the type of person, who - once we've come up with an idea - follows through and makes it happen. So I did. And now, in two days, I'm leaving on our trip.
I'm not ready. I haven't had time to think about things I need to buy and bring, packing, figuring out directions and other details, organizing evening events, and and and. And part of me wishes I could just spend the break sleeping in, reading, relaxing and doing nothing.
I know I'll have fun once we're on the road, but right now, I'm not all that thrilled about going and about all the things I still have to organize.
Talking about that, I should get going. Wish me luck!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
On Technology
Last week, my laptop stopped working; well, it just won't charge anymore. At first, it still worked if I pushed the cord in far enough and wiggled it around a bit, but then it completely stopped working. Resigned, I decided to go to BestBuy and see what could be done to fix it.
Now I've only had my laptop for a year. Officially I got one, so I could use it for conferences. In reality, I wanted a laptop, so I could sit on my couch and watch TV while getting some work done or maybe talking to friends online. In the past year, my laptop has become more and more important in my daily routine. Initially, I would bring it out on weekends; then I started using it occasionally during the week. Soon I would turn on my laptop the second I left the office in the evening and spend the rest of the day checking e-mail, chatting online, surfing the internet and playing sudoku.
I was obviously aware that I used my laptop a lot, but I didn't realize how "addicted" I was until I didn't have it anymore. This past week hasn't been easy. It started last weekend: I had to do evaluations for the graduate students we interviewed. The evaluations were due Monday at 8 am. Faced with the choice to either sit in my office for hours and write evals or sit on my couch, watching TV while doing it, I picked the second option. But without a laptop that meant writing all the evaluations by hand. Now I'm not anti-writing by hand, but when I write fast, I don't have the nicest handwriting. Would everyone be able to read it? Probably not. So I spent some painful hours trying to write very nicely. And because I had procrastinated all weekend, I found myself staying up almost all of Sunday night in a desperate attempt to get all the evals done by the deadline.
The rest of the week wasn't any easier. When I left work at night, I couldn't do much without my laptop - I really had to leave work. "Good for you," you may say. "Stop being such a workaholic!" Well, yes, maybe that was a good thing. But I also didn't get much done this week. Toward the end of the week I realized that I'd fallen behind in several aspects of my job and decided to spend some extra hours in the office. I also haven't e-mailed any of my friends in a while and I just now (at 1:30 am on a Saturday night/Sunday morning) updating this blog.
How did I survive without a laptop before???
Now I've only had my laptop for a year. Officially I got one, so I could use it for conferences. In reality, I wanted a laptop, so I could sit on my couch and watch TV while getting some work done or maybe talking to friends online. In the past year, my laptop has become more and more important in my daily routine. Initially, I would bring it out on weekends; then I started using it occasionally during the week. Soon I would turn on my laptop the second I left the office in the evening and spend the rest of the day checking e-mail, chatting online, surfing the internet and playing sudoku.
I was obviously aware that I used my laptop a lot, but I didn't realize how "addicted" I was until I didn't have it anymore. This past week hasn't been easy. It started last weekend: I had to do evaluations for the graduate students we interviewed. The evaluations were due Monday at 8 am. Faced with the choice to either sit in my office for hours and write evals or sit on my couch, watching TV while doing it, I picked the second option. But without a laptop that meant writing all the evaluations by hand. Now I'm not anti-writing by hand, but when I write fast, I don't have the nicest handwriting. Would everyone be able to read it? Probably not. So I spent some painful hours trying to write very nicely. And because I had procrastinated all weekend, I found myself staying up almost all of Sunday night in a desperate attempt to get all the evals done by the deadline.
The rest of the week wasn't any easier. When I left work at night, I couldn't do much without my laptop - I really had to leave work. "Good for you," you may say. "Stop being such a workaholic!" Well, yes, maybe that was a good thing. But I also didn't get much done this week. Toward the end of the week I realized that I'd fallen behind in several aspects of my job and decided to spend some extra hours in the office. I also haven't e-mailed any of my friends in a while and I just now (at 1:30 am on a Saturday night/Sunday morning) updating this blog.
How did I survive without a laptop before???
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