Dear Debbie,
Far be it from me to complain about a Terry class, but I often wondered why "College Students in America" was the first class we took in Higher Ed. It seemed very early in the program to be playing around with survey research, to be reading theory, and to be expected to do presentations (well, maybe that was just me). I think most of my cohort will agree that as important as we now realize Perry and Chickering are to our careers, we really didn't get it at the time. Perhaps it was a warning that in higher education, as in life, you have to be on your toes and recognize what is going to be important before it passes you by and you lose the textbook.
Part of the reason I haven't written in the last few months is because
things keep happening that I really want to write about in the moment, but when after some thought I conclude that I shouldn't. On the one hand, confidentiality is something
I've never struggled with before, but this is the first time I've had to
be confidential about things that are, at their heart, really good
stories. I don't want to risk breaking that confidentiality, and so the world is robbed of some pretty hilarious stories. On the other hand, I'm afraid that a lot of what I have to
share would sound an awful lot like complaining (or would, actually, be
complaining).
I've been in this job for about four and a half months, and I really enjoy it. I do. I've had some crazy things happen, of course, I've lost a lot of sleep and had a lot of conversations that I never thought I would be having. Deep down I feel blessed - I truly do. I am a young professional who wears jeans and a t-shirt to work. Going to college sporting events is
part of my job. I interact directly with college students every day. I earn a real paycheck that covers my student loans, car payments, insurance, the occasional coffee drink, and a trip to Half Price Books each month. What more could I ask for?
I suppose a better way to think of it is to call my struggles and complaints "growing pains." As a TA and then a graduate assistant, I thought my world was pretty big. After all, I was having interesting, educated conversations with people about really important things like student development and biblical interpretation, I was encouraging critical thinking in a college classroom, and I was mentoring students. I felt like I was prepared for anything higher ed could throw at me. The last few months, however, have taught me that I did have a pretty big world - in theory. Every step I take seems to make the horizons of what is possible - and even probable - expand exponentially. I am realizing that as prepared and effective as I was (or thought I was) as a graduate assistant, I have a lot to learn every day about what it takes to be an effective RD.
I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that this is a permanent job, that I have really moved away from Pittsburgh and Geneva and my family, and your regular company. I think it's denial that keeps me from writing or calling more often - I keep expecting to walk onto campus, settle into my chair in the office, and observe the goings-on. It's probably never going to be like that again, is it?
I hope you're doing well, and I'm sorry if I rambled... although why that would be a surprise I'm sure I don't know :) Remember to celebrate Pi Day tomorrow!
Cheers,
Ceci
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