Category Archives: Education

The (New) Plan

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Okay, so I’ve had a bit of a career crisis (bonus points for the alliteration) but I’ve got a new plan.

My career goals haven’t really changed — I still want to teach at the college level — but I’ve been re-evaluating how I’m going to get there.  My initial plan of working in higher ed. until I can earn my degree(s) just isn’t working out for me.  Also, I’ve had a shift in teaching interests which has me starting from scratch on choosing a master’s degree program.

I’ve decided to try my hand at freelancing full time.  I’m actually more at peace about this decision that I thought I would be.  I had an interview scheduled with Lon Morris College last Friday (which pretty much was a done deal) but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.  I just couldn’t see myself taking a job that wasn’t going to get me to where I wanted to go.  Sure, it would have been a stable income, but people should LIKE what they do for a living, right?

So, Part 1 of my new plan is to focus on building up a client base and pile up some cash.  To supplement the unstable freelance income, I’ll be looking for a part-time job.

If Part 1 wasn’t exciting enough, Part 2 should be!  Over the past few months as I’ve been running, my fascination with health, exercise, and fitness has been rekindled and now I’ve become consumed by it.  I’ve often thought “It would be great to have a job where I could wear athletic clothes all the time; like a personal trainer.”  Well, I’m now at a point where that could become a reality!  There are a few gyms in the Tyler area that are looking to hire certified personal trainers, so I’ve begun looking into becoming certified.  I really like the Cooper Institute’s certification program and will probably go that route.

Now for Part 3.  I’ve started looking into graduate programs at the University of Texas at Tyler.  Specifically their M.Ed. in Health & Kinesiology.  Unfortunately, I’ll probably have to take some undergraduate leveling courses since my undergrad is in Speech Comm and I chose physics and astronomy as my two science courses.  I hated biology and chemistry in high school which is why I avoided them in college.  At that time I really didn’t care about cells and chemical reactions but now I can’t get enough — in the context of health and exercise of course ;-) .

So there you have my 3 part plan.  I’m excited to see how all of this pans out!

Oh, and when you get some time, check out my latest web project — LIFE, Inc. — at www.lifeleading.com.

And the Winners are…

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Ryan, Angela and Abigail!  According to the 2000 census, the bachelor’s degree was the highest degree earned for 15.5% of Americans 25 years old or older – so Ryan’s answer of 15 percent is sorta right.  24.4% of Americans held at least a bachelor’s degree which would make Angela’s and Abigail’s answers of 21% and 27.8% equally 3.4% off, so they win too!

Thanks for participating in my little quick poll — I’ve got some ideas floating around in my head and needed some real life input.

So what do they win?  They get to find out my “big news” before anyone else… that is unless you are not one of the above mentioned and are reading this post prior to their reading it.  But how would we ever know?

I’m moving… to Tyler, Texas!

The last few months have been very frustrating for me work wise, and church wise which has not been good for me physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually (hey, that’s MOST of Dr. Towns’ “Life Quotient Formula”!).  After a lot of careful thought and prayer I made the decision to head back to East Texas which is where my heart is.

So what will you be doing in Tyler?  Good question!  I’m still working on the whole job thing.  I’ll let you know more when I know more.  I feel my calling is in higher education and my ultimate goal is still to teach, so whatever I do it will be closely related.

That’s it for now — more details to follow.

Published!

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Sort of.  This is an article I wrote for our office’s monthly advising newsletter.  Still working away at that portfolio…

Advising Through Storytelling

Academic advising requires both the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel and the creativity of an artist’s brush stroke.  Just like a great musician, an advisor has to have “soul” as well as a firm grasp of theory.  While the technical aspects of advising can be taught, the creative side has to be developed.  Storytelling is a practice that can help develop even a seasoned advisor into an true artist.

Stories connect with people on an emotional and intellectual level and can help people make sense of complex situations in ways that other forms of communication cannot (Daft, 2005).  In a profession where effective communication is much more beneficial than efficient communication, a good story might find itself a place on an advisor’s shelf next to the general bulletin.

This does not mean advising sessions should turn into story-time.  Stories can be simple and as short as an analogy or metaphor.  The medical field can be used to explain the difference between faculty and academic advisors.  An academic advisor is like a general practitioner while a faculty advisor is like a specialist — both are well trained professionals, but the specialist focuses on a specific area (the major/career field) while the general practitioner has a broader focus (graduation/student development).  A student could use this analogy to remember which advisor a question should be presented to.  It could also be used to explain the benefits of a dual advising system.

Stories and analogies can also help to avoid stress.  Rather than becoming frustrated with students over an issue that has been explained multiple times, step back and recognize that there is an obvious misunderstanding.  Just as speaking louder rarely adds clarity in a situation involving a difference of languages, repeating the same information in the same manner will rarely result in the student understanding your point.  Instead, see this as an opportunity to be creative and draw on your own personal experiences and acquired knowledge to paint a better picture.

No analogy or story is perfect.  It should not substitute but rather supplement the idea or point you are trying to convey.  While storytelling can be a great tool in any advisor’s tool-box, sometimes facts, figures, and requirements just have to speak for themselves.

Daft, R. L. (2005). The leadership experience (pp. 364-365). Mason, OH: South-Western.

A beautiful thing…

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…happens to a chicken at 350 degrees.  The aroma is amazing which is only surpassed by the melt-in-your-mouth flavor.  Heat + Meat = Tasty.

Today was one of those days I thanked God that I can run.  A cool front moved through bringing some rain, but more importantly a break in the 90+ degree weather.  It was the PERFECT weather to go running in after work.  I HAD to run today — to forget about work.  Where did this sense of entitlement regarding higher education come from??  You do not have a right in this country to earn a bachelor’s degree — it is a privilege.  A privilege that only about 15% of Americans enjoy.  No, we will not “bend the rules”.  You EARN your degree like everyone else or go home.

Anyway, on my run as I was forgetting about my stressful students, I looked around and marveled at what God had created — the trees, the sky, the horses, the little rabbit and the birds and then I thought about me.  How awesome must this God be that created me, and you and mankind.  The human body is a phenomenal work of art, a finely tuned machine that is capable of not only functioning under extreme stress but it is also capable of becoming stronger.  I have the choice to either make this body stronger or let it waste away — in the end, it doesn’t really matter but between now and then I’ll have to live with the consequences of my choices.

I run because I can;  Because I have two legs and a healthy heart and a great set of lungs.  I think of the parable about the master, the servants, and the talents.  Though they were given differing amounts, they each had the ability to produce MORE with what they were given, and the two that did were rewarded.  There is no reward for status quo.  I have the PRIVILEGE to be active — I’m not entitled to good health, but it is my responsibility as a steward of this body to return it in a better condition that which I received it.