Girl, Wash Your Face!

New book I have been reading for a week or so by Rachel Hollis.

It reads very similarly to some of those I have read and studied for the OBS from Proverbs 31 Ministries.  The difference, however, is the lack of scripture references and God connections.  This is not to say that there isn't a little bit of faith based ties, but the emphasis on the Bible is not there. 

As I have made my way through the chapters, something sticks out to me in just about every one of them.  I like Rachel's style.  She not only focuses on the ideas that we struggle with, such as being a good mom or achieving dreams or setting goals, but even as you are thinking, "oh yeah.  Here we go again with the same old topics"  her presentation is not the same.  No, not at all.  She shares, and I mean really shares, her personal experiences.  She tells it like it is.  She is honest.  She is frank.  She ties it all together, then she offers suggestions on how what works for her to make what she has said work in her life.  And it works. Ha!

Sometimes I think that I read a book, complete a Bible Study, and in a few weeks I have forgotten about it.  Why even bother, then, often crosses my mind.   But she mentions how she has attended many seminars, listens to podcasts, reads various blogs, and hears motivational speakers. If there is just ONE thing that she remembers and applies to her life to make an improvement, then it is worth it. I like that way of thinking because I tend to remember just a few things, a couple that apply well to my life, or hit home when I am listening or reading.  I guess I have been gaining more than I thought through my many OBS.

Tonight I read her chapter about being able to write (as in publishing her books and her blogs).  She had always enjoyed reading reviews of her books because of the praise she received, the connections readers made to her words, and how they were moved by the shared instances from her life experiences.  Then one day she read a 2 star review and struggled with everything the person said, wondered how she could change the reader's mind, and finally realized that not everyone would like everything she wrote.  And it was ok.  One of her end-of-the-chapter items was to stop reading the reviews.

This is one of the 'hitting home' points.

Ivy Tech asked students to review their instructors at the end of each semester.  Adjuncts and first year instructions were evaluated in all of their classes.  As tenure grew, then the number of classes polled became smaller and at times, non-existent.   I was always glad to have my classes skipped on the review process and was overjoyed the few semesters that none of my students were asked to participate.

Why?

Because when I first started at Ivy Tech, I read some of the reviews and looked at the rankings.  I became very discouraged when I saw low marks on 'organized classes' since I spent so much time planning, had a schedule that I followed for each class and had stacks of handouts separated and stacked in separate piles in my office a week ahead.  How dare those students say that! 

Then there was those who marked low on 'maintains a safe classroom.'  That one totally baffled me because there was nothing dangerous in any of the rooms in which I taught.  Unless a computer was to fall over on a student or a chair tip because a student was not sitting correctly, no casualties!

Other criticisms including not returning papers in a timely manner or not answering questions or failing to explain the assignments for the next class, all of which I knew were not true.

Even worse was listening to other faculty sharing the wonderful remarks their students had written about them or looking forward to reading the reviews so they could learn their weak points and make improvements for the next semester.

Fiddle-dee-dee. (I am watching Gone with the Wind right now--can you tell?)

I decided to stop reading the reviews.  In fact after I had to print a few of them for my portfolio (and I printed only the good ones), I sent the emails to the trash can without opening them.

Shame on me!

But really.  When I KNOW that I explain the process of writing over and over, post a powerpoint on Blackboard, and create a discussion board post about it, then have several students say they never heard of it and needed more instruction on it, I see that as THEIR problem, not mine.

So I stopped reading them.

I teach the way I teach.  I adjust when I feel my students are not comprehending what they need to know.   My teaching methods were never set it stone because I tried different activities for different types of students so that I could reach them.

But my point about this whole discussion is this.  If you know what you are doing and know that your motives and methods are sounds, then continue to do what you have been doing.  Could I please everyone?  No.  Would all of my students like me?  Of course not.  But I wanted them to learn to become better writers, and if that goal was accomplished, then I was successful.  It didn't matter if they filled out great reviews or offered 20 suggestions for improvement.  I did what I knew how to do, and I was good at it.

So there.

Onward to more of the book on the drive to Michigan tomorrow. I hope I finish it before it is due to Overdrive!