“Just Show Up…with intentionality, recognizing that the words you use, the actions you display are going to have an impact on someone whether you intend that to happen or not.” These wise words were shared by Pharmacy Professor Kim Jones during a 2022 chapel service and resonated deeply with me as she shared of a …
Category: College Teaching
Write This Down
Write This Down! These words leapt from the pages of Scripture this morning, echoing one of the discussion themes from yesterday’s dialogue group among faculty. As Cathy described a classroom experience where a student maintained crossed arms and a blank stare throughout her presentation, never once attempting to take any notes on information they would …
Soup Question
As the result of a friend quoting lines during a recent conversation and his encouragement to revisit a twenty-year-old movie, the educator in me not only found renewed energy to face the upcoming semester, but additionally discovered applications to an ongoing interest in the concept of Appreciative Inquiry and the struggle with students asking Lazy …
Bench Warmers
Whether or not you are familiar with the world of sports, I think most people have a general idea of the meaning behind the phrase Bench Warmers; however, if it needs explaining, the dictionary defines it as “a reserve player on an athletic team.” Many decades of my life have included warming the bench of …
You’re Invited!
Being the introvert that I am, there are times when I slit an envelope from the mailbox with my little opener, read the words “You’re Invited!” and cringe. Most of the time, however, a wave of gratitude washes over me that someone cares enough to include me, that a friend might actually cherish my attendance …
Hearth Places
In January of 2010, our campus opened the Bowld Commons, a space where residential students might gather and engage in activities ranging from sports to meetings. Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of teaching in the Bowld, gathering for GO Trip planning, engaging in conversations with students, and many other activities such as chili …
Enjoy the Process
As your eyes examine this post, another year will be coming to a close, and a time when many choose to Enjoy the Process of reflecting and evaluating the last 365 days; however, for most educators, I believe this contemplation occurs more often in August, in what Christina Bieber Lake coins “the month that shall …
Be A Spoon
One of the amusing challenges in working with Emerging Adults is navigating how to sprinkle a dose of reality into their lives without destroying a professional dream. In one classroom assignment, students are expected to create a personal budget for a first-year employee with a bachelor’s degree for their aspiring career field. It’s fairly simple …
Mentoring Communities
When my friend and colleague, Laci reached out on that cold January day a few years ago, she had no understanding at that time what her call was unleashing. Perhaps she regrets that call now, but since we are still chatting regularly, my hope is that she still finds our conversations as beneficial as I …
Life Lessons from Benji
by Dr. Kelvin Moore, Union University, from 2021 Fall Faculty Workshop My wife and I live on a road. We don't live on a street or in a subdivision. Five additional houses, four of whom were family, exist on this approximately mile and one-half road. The road is country and county, we don't live inside …