The first time I meet with a class that I will be teaching, I am acutely aware of first impressions.  I no longer fear them, but I am aware of the impact they make and the judgments that can become incorporated into the dynamics of the class. I have a long established habit I have developed as a result of the many ‘first impression’ moments I have in my life.

I can’t help but wonder:  How will we impact each other’s lives, if at all?

I recently am discovering just how seamless my life has become.  I have segued from a life that compartmentalized work from social life from family to a life that presently has me teaching the same topic to my Anatomy & Physiology students in adult education as I am teaching to a multi-generational Sunday school class (and myself).  Along the way I left my hometown, my dream job at the Zoo, started into a new career, met my amazing husband, started a business, raised two astonishing daughters, jumped ship to start teaching and am just about to add two unique young men to our family as son-in-laws.

All along the way – first impressions.

I just sat through my first experience with our nursing program’s graduation rehearsal.  These ladies have been working towards this upcoming event for the last 19 months.  They have learned, cried, laughed, argued, questioned, tested, and succeeded — together — for 19 months.  They’ve also taken care of their families.  Held down jobs.  Given birth. Had surgeries.  Endured deaths of family members.  And so much more.

The confident, sassy, laughing, talkative group that just walked out of this rehearsal is a far cry from the cautious and self-conscious group I met last Spring as we began their six week course in Medical Readiness.  At that time I was the sassy, talkative person working hard to ooze confidence.  They slowly shared their fears.  They conquered the process of learning.  They built friendships, found study buddies.  In short – they became nurses.

Do they know that they influenced a decision that lead me to a full-time job focusing specifically on student success?  As we work with each other, and that is what teaching and student-ing really is, working with each other — do we realize just what an impact we make day in and day out?

My take home is this:  Be alive inside your life.  Be active and full and aware.  Feel.  Listen.  Laugh, for goodness sake!  Look someone in the eyes when you meet them.  Shake a hand.  Throw a compliment and mean it.  Notice what you can notice.  Share what you dare share.  Get in.  Get a little dirty.  Life is messy – so is learning!

And first impressions are all about learning.  I embrace the crazy things that students tell me about their first impressions of me.  I feel successful if I’m NOT what they expected.  If I at least stretch the walls of the box they try to put me into.

And I look for surprises.  And challenges.  And new ways of thinking.

I hope I connect.

 

 

28 Sep This entry was published on September 28, 2016 at 9:25 pm and is filed under Learning. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.