Most surprising…It wasn’t necessarily the content of the reading that surprised me, rather just how often I found my mind wandering back to my own college freshman year! I would pull myself back to the reading and, ultimately, catch myself off in remembrance mode again and again. Then I would make myself laugh because it was like an inner struggle between teacher and student—I have been assigned this analytical reading, yet I keep reverting to “childish” behaviors. Therefore, I think Nathan experienced the same hardship (for lack of a better word) in trying to become a student again when she is truly a teacher/researcher. I believe that all of us will attempt this same notion while teaching; we are researchers at various levels and will constantly use various research methods in order to teach. How often have we mentally stepped back, attempted to analyze our students and the current teaching and learning styles, and made necessary modifications to “relate” to our students the best we can? All of this makes me wonder how 2011 and 2012 compare to Nathan’s 2003 (32-33) and Moffatt’s 1970 (32) averages on the amount of time that students actually prepare for class. Would knowing this change how much time we spend trying to decipher our students’ actions or lack thereof and modifying our pedagogy for student success?
Least surprising…I am least surprised that despite what Nathan did—residing in the dorms, being actively involved in dorm/school activities and events, adjusting personal speaking and grooming habits, etc.—she, was never truly one of “them.” I think there is a misconception that because she was “native” to this university system and area, she would be completely accepted at some point. I felt that this should have been least surprising to Nathan, as well, who refers back to her experiences as a research anthropologist. Several times she discussed the similarities of working in and adapting to overseas villages, yet never truly being accepted as a native. Did Nathan really expect the underlying acceptance to be any different being within her own University? I have to wonder how many of our own students feel. Do they have similar feelings and experiences regardless of the actions they take to try to fit in? I think these feelings and experiences are escalated from non-“native” students and, by this, I truly mean anyone who is not attending the University with a pre-selected identifying group (i.e. past friends, clubs/groups/fraternities/sororities, etc.) and even higher for students who are from another state, region, or country. When Nathan talked about U.S. students’ views and knowledge of other countries (84-89) and international students’ views of U.S. students, I think there are a lot of generalizations (and expectations) from both sides. I can understand someone’s frustration with “ignorant” questions, but how do people learn if they don’t ask questions? Don’t we tell our students that there aren’t any “dumb” questions, yet I did find it very interesting just how ignorant and self-absorbed some students view other students. I hope this doesn’t encourage them to get all their information from the internet or totally absorb themselves in books for this knowledge and miss out on the great opportunity to learn through direct communication.
Advice to a new college student…Be yourself, but allow yourself to experience new _ (fill in the blank—experiences, cultures, ideas, opportunities, etc.)! This is difficult when you look at Moffatt’s Undergraduate Cynical style (143). Personally, this question hits me at home—literally! My son is a high school senior who will graduate in May. My struggle is two fold—first, as a parent, I don’t want him to go too far from home, live at home rather than the dorms, and I don’t know what else; and second, as an educator, I know that the best thing for him to do is to attend a college of his choice (no matter the distance), to live on or near campus to gain experiences associated with campus living, and know that I am here if and when he needs me. This still brings me back to the first line of this section!
Advice to a new college instructor…Always be a researcher, but don’t be aloof! As educators, it is our duty to always focus on our students and to evaluate the situation. We are researchers by nature. I applaud Nathan for dedicating her time to research students within the University the way she did. However, many of us cannot afford this luxury (although I would not consider repeating my freshman year as a luxury J). For many of us, we will have to “settle” for interacting with our students, taking a lot of mental notes, and always being willing to make suitable adaptations to our teaching style. One of the hardest things for me as an instructor is to get out of my comfort zone and to continue to grow. Habit/comfort works for me, but does it truly work for my students? I, also, struggle with the line for compassion that Nathan talked about on page 135. I have always tried to be compassionate, but I often wonder if or when I’m being taken advantage of. It seems as though compassion means that I have to do extra work and the student finally does the original work or task they were assigned. How do you know?
A possible change in perspective of undergrads…After reading the insight from Nathan’s freshman year, my perspective of undergraduate motivation, nature, and tendencies are still fairly solid. I know I possibly sounded harsh in the ‘least surprising’ section above, but I didn’t mean it that way. I was actually glad to read about Nathan’s experiences and observations that had very few real surprises. It was hard to put the book down. I actually couldn’t wait to see what happened next or if a surprise was truly waiting for me. I perceive myself as a very observant person. I observe and react to my students’ spoken and unspoken cues and their interactions and reactions around others and course content. I analyze these observations and dissect my pedagogy. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any ending in sight and I have to wonder if I am actually decreasing my effectiveness as a teacher because of the constant effort needed to keep up with undergraduate characteristics.
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