Week 7: You are Valdosta State to our students

For me, this is nice to think, but we are a team. And, even though I have been at Valdosta State University since 1999, I feel like a small part of Valdosta State University. I am a Professor in a program in a college in a university. I teach graduate students-MSW students. Our students come to class in the evenings and on weekends.  Sometimes I don’t feel like a true teacher because I don’t teach four days a week a couple of times a day, but I especially do my time with the online course preparation and grading.

I get to know students that way-and one of the items for this week is “Make it a goal to talk to at least 20 students this week.”  Do the students I teach count? And, then there was the guy on the stairs asking for directions.  Doing these weekly posts has made me more mindful of the students.  Sometimes I wonder if students want relationships with us?  Professional relationships, mentoring relationships-yes, and even if they aren’t holding a big sign that says, “I am a student, mentor me” this is our role. To show them how to be professional and to guide them in this academic, professional and adult world we are living and working in.

So I guess in that way I am VSU, and I am a professional social worker.  And, for some of our students- not only are the faculty VSU, but our building, our floor and our classrooms are VSU. I believe I have a responsibility to push the students out beyond our classrooms into other programming and educational experiences at VSU and in their communities.

Now that I am done with the seven weeks and themes, I have some more up my sleeve. So stay tuned. I usually post on Wednesday or Thursday of each week.