The Third Time

I noticed last year that we do nothing to orient our new graduate students to the culture of the institution, to our expectations for graduate work, and to the support systems we can offer them. I brought this up to the department chairs, and asked if we could arrange something. They said they all had their differences from one another, and indicated that they do their own orientations. I wanted to make sure there was a system that would reach all the new students, and pressed the issue with them. I took it to the full faculty meeting and asked everyone to please systematize their orientations for their new students. "It's up to you all," I said.

Off the went to do their own planning. And then the chair of the most complex department got back in touch with me. "We want YOU to do the orientation for our students," she said. "You did such a great job with our visiting accreditation team last year. Can you do a version of that for our students?"

Next thing I knew, I was on deck to orient all the new students for all the academic departments in our school. I'd be doing it four evenings this week so as to catch them all, since they come in for classes once a week, Monday-through-Thursday. Well, now.  I put my presentation together, and thought it was very good.

Until I finished the first session.

Teachers are taught to be reflective about their practices, and it didn't take me much reflection to know that I had done a less-than-satisfactory job on the first evening. I had talked too much about this, too little about that. I was under-estimating what the students already knew. I been too rambly and had gone too long. I probably sounded stupid. When I thought about the students' possible take-away messages, I squirmed.

But as I get older, I am doing better at turning away from self-critique sooner, at giving myself grace. "Not so good," I told myself with a comforting mental pat on the shoulder. "But maybe I can do better tomorrow evening."

"How did it go?" my secretary asked me when I walked into the office this morning after Orientation Number 2 had taken place last night.

"Better," I said. "But I'm still not there.  Maybe tonight I'll get it right."

She chuckled. You've gotta love an optimistic person, right?

Well, tonight it clicked. I still went a little long, but this time I felt like I connected with the students who were there. I hit my timing right. I made them laugh. And I gave information and answered questions that would make their lives better, as new graduate students.

Whew.

It's so good to know that the third time's a charm. Or the fourth or the fifth.  But eventually, I'll get there.