Lately I've been thinking a lot about what I'd like to do when I grow up. You'd think that going to graduate school for the second time around would mean that I have that part figured out, but I don't really. Sometimes it weighs heavily on me, and other times I kind of shrug it off and think to myself that I still have three more years in my program. What's really crazy is that I am only one course away from completing the course requirements for my masters degree, and that I'm actually almost halfway through the requirements for the PhD. The hard part isn't the coursework, however, it's the thesis and dissertation. But I'm not too worried about it.
Back to the lecture at hand...Right now I'm enrolled in a teaching course that my program requires before allowing us to mold young undergraduate minds. It also happens to be one of my favorite courses that I have ever taken.
If there is anything that I'd like to do, I hope it involves some form of teaching. If I'm not going to get the direct human component that a typical psychology graduate degree offers through therapy, then I would at least like to incorporate the human element through teaching. What makes this particular course so great is the professor.
As an undergraduate student in the psych program, I had always heard good things about Dr. Slife, but he didn't teach any of the courses that I was interested in so our paths never crossed. Now, after seeing the way he interacts, I just love the guy. He's the only non-member among all of the psychology faculty, but he's also the one who wears his religion most visibly on his sleeve. He's unapologetic about his Christianity, but not in an abrasive or overbearing kind of way. He's one of the most authentic people I have ever met. He swears on occasion, which for whatever reason, I find endearing as long as it's not overdone. He asks incredibly insightful questions. But my favorite part about him is that he challenges your assumptions without putting you on the defensive. I have never been in a classroom setting where it has felt so inviting to explore and discuss topics of conversation. He's just amazing. He's everything I want to be as a teacher.
What's been great about the class is that it's been very validating for me in this role. In the class, I have had some opportunities to lecture to get criticism and praise, and my reviews have been really great. And outside of the classroom I have had some lecture opportunities as well and those evaluations have been excellent. I guess it's just really nice to hear that in this setting, because while it's nice to hear from people in church that I taught a great lesson, I tend to write off all of those compliments because sometimes as members there is just a pathological niceness about us that I'd rather just overlook in those instances. In the class and in my evaluations, they're supposed to be critical, and generally, I've done quite well.
Here's the thing about teaching - I just love explaining. I love asking probing questions, and I love seeing connections being made. I love helping a person engage in understanding, even if it's boring stuff like analysis of variance or the reasoning behind repeated design experiments. Have you ever asked me about advice for the GRE? Or want my advice on marathon training? I just love feeling like I have something of value to offer someone and helping them learn from my experience. I just eat that crap up for whatever reason.
These last couple weeks have been really cool because I don't think I've felt more motivated since being in this program. I've been getting stuff done early. I'm emailing all these different professors looking for opportunities to do research. I came up with a plan last week for the sequencing of the courses that I'll be taking and which ones I'd like to aim for through my completion of the program. I'm currently putting together a map for the ideal experience I'd like to have here at BYU, what experiences that would include, the classes I'd like to teach, and the skills I'd like to gain. And then I recently had evaluations from my committee chair and the professor I TA for, and I was expecting mediocre reviews, but they turned out to be great. Although I don't necessarily have the clearest idea about where all this is headed, I feel like I'm putting myself in a good position to be successful with whatever direction I do eventually settle on, and that's pretty satisfying.
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