It's a humbling experience

It’s a humbling experience to be back in the classroom again — as a student.

After I graduated from Bethel College, I wasn’t sure I’d ever want to take another class. I was ready to spread my wings. Ready to work and not study something endlessly. I wanted to live and do instead. So, that’s what I did.

After seven years in my chosen field, I was asked to teach. The thought of sharing the lessons I’d learned (some the hard way) sounded exciting. So I found myself standing in front of the classroom, rather than sitting in it.

Now things have come full circle. I’m simultaneously a student and an instructor. While it’s been difficult, it’s been good for me.

I think it’s a great thing for every instructor to remember what being a student is like. In my poetry class at St. Thomas I’ve had to question what it is my professor wants from me. I’ve had to puzzle out what she expects in my weekly papers. I’ve looked at the syllabus and wondered how I will ever fit that much homework in between my other responsibilities.

I’m a bit like a fish out of water here. I’m taking the first poetry class of my life after having been immersed in journalism for 10 years. It’s a bit disconcerting. I’m not sure I have anything to add to the conversation. I certainly can’t read a poem as I do a news story. Somedays it feels like everything I spent the last 10 years building no longer matters. Considering that I teach at a college populated with many students returning to school after a long absence, this lesson is also good for me. Difficult, but good.

One thing I did learn as a journalist is that everyone and everything we come in contact with broadens our horizons if we let them. My perspective is changing constantly these days. It’s good for me.