As many of us in the U.S. celebrate Thanksgiving this week and take time to reflect on the people who make our lives richer and more meaningful, I want to take a moment to recognize those who have made my past year at IUB rewarding.
First, I want to thank my students in my first-year seminar course this fall. They were wonderfully inquisitive, thoughtful, and excited about their first semester here at IUB. They embraced reflection as a key skill for learning, and they became good at teasing out elements of the hidden curriculum in their classes and other aspect of life at IUB. I appreciate their patience with me teaching this class for the first time, discovering together which approaches and assignments best supported their learning and which could use some work. Teaching this class reminded me why I do this work in the CITL, and these wonderful students truly helped me become a better teacher and a more reflective educational developer.
Second, I am grateful to my faculty colleagues who partnered with us on workshops, learning communities, and other projects throughout the year. I learn so much from you all, and I continue to be inspired by your talent and your dedication to your students’ success. I particularly want to thank my colleagues in Merchandising, Chemistry, and Accounting for the opportunity to work with you this year on larger initiatives, and to all those who presented at our Celebration of Teaching in October. A particular (and rather meta) shout-out to Joel Wong and Angie Wong, who led a wonderful session about the role of gratitude in supporting students’ learning and well-being.
Finally, I have to express my gratitude to my CITL colleagues. As many of you know, they are wonderful thought partners in advancing excellent teaching at IUB–intelligent, dedicated, insightful, and supportive. In short, they are great collaborators whom I have come to admire greatly, and they help me grow as a professional and colleague every day. I couldn’t ask for a better team.
I’ll close with a plug for the CITL’s Thank-a-Prof program, an opportunity for students to express their gratitude to instructors and teaching assistants who made a difference in their lives and educations. I invite you to share this program with any students you can, since advancing a culture of gratitude in our community lifts us all.
Thank you for being such great partners of the CITL and for making my work more rewarding and enjoyable. Best wishes for a successful close to the fall semester.
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