Next Phase

 So, for the two of you who might have stumbled upon this, a quick note on some new happenings.

I've been pretty frustrated in my work situation for the last year or two and the frustrations are increasing, not decreasing.  

In September, I had a sudden thought that I wanted to do more to help people in their lives as they are living them and realized that the work I do in the classroom is frustrating because I feel confined to a particular way of helping people live their lives.  And it's not a way, I realize now, that's giving me fulfillment.  So, I decided to start exploring what else I might want to do and landed on something adjacent to 'coaching' (and, in fact, it might simply be coaching).  Namely, I want to help people think about their lives moving forward, what they can be doing to give their lives meaning and fulfillment.  To the extent that I can do this in the classroom, my feeling that I also (and primarily?) need to be teaching students, texts, arguments, etc. has gotten in the way and so the meaning and fulfillment piece is always a bonus but what I really want to happen.  

I'm not sure if the coaching will mean, simply, that I change how and what I teach or if it will mean something more.  But it's a move I've got to make.

I just finished a 4 day workshop designed to help participants reflect on their lives and figure out next moves and things that became startlingly clear: (a) things have to change — I'm stagnating where I am; (b) the level of under appreciation that I feel is overwhelming; (c) where I am is simply not the place it was 10 years ago.  Ten years ago it was a place that encouraged the growth of faculty as leaders and treating faculty with a level of respect and equality.  Now the focus is on simply staying afloat and, apparently, treating faculty (and staff) with respect and equality is unnecessary (or an impediment) to that.  (d) I may need to move to a different part of the country.  I spend a fair amount of time thinking about the fact that I should be getting outside, walking, etc. but it feels like such a chore when it's cold.  I so want to live somewhere where I can, regularly, hike and do so without having to psych myself up.  (e) I need to spend more attention to my heart (what I want, who I want to be).

So, if you're a current student of mine, expect a shift in my interactions with you in and outside of the class as I become more intentional on working with students to that which has been my goal all along -- helping you find fulfillment in your lives.