Have you ever stood in front of a group of people, whether as the sage on the stage in a college classroom, as a small group leader, or as the supervisor in a business meeting and experienced that sinking feeling when you ask a question and no one says a word? That awkward silence continues, …
Category: College Teaching
Skillful Teaching
In the Logos at Union University located on the second floor in the east end of the beautiful domed building is an area where the Center for Faculty Development places materials that might be of interest to our faculty. The only downside to visiting this space is that when my intention is to locate one …
The Hospitable Leader
Recognizing that other people may not track with my philosophy that one should view an athletic event or a college classroom as an opportunity to demonstrate hospitality, my hope is that even those who disagree will be able to connect with the concept of a Hospitable Leader. Author Terry A. Smith invites us to ponder …
The Hospitality Room
For those of us who routinely are a part of a sporting event, whether as a volunteer or an employee, we understand the importance of the hospitality room where we can refresh ourselves with snacks and visit with colleagues during intermissions of play. During the more than two decades that Jackson served as the host …
Circle Not a Square
Novel experiences, like navigating the COVID pandemic, create opportunities to illuminate the creativity and flexibility of individuals and communities in surprising ways. Concepts once imagined as impossible become achievable and people prove themselves resilient and persistent. A willingness to consider strategies in a new light creates a new normal and life continues to happen. From …
Rent to Own
Growing up I remember television advertisements which claimed the tagline “Rent-to-Own” as a marketing ploy; and a quick search of the Internet leaves me to believe there remain a few stores which still offer this service, but it appears the interest has waned. With the current options for transferring payment through technology like Apple Pay, …
Flourishing Thinking
On this journey to examine ways to equip and engage Gen Z, specifically in the college classroom, much of my interest has zeroed in on processes such as active or experiential learning activities such as gamification, virtual simulations, and student-created content. As I’ve pondered what strategies might be successful in my classes, research on tinkering …
Lose the Prescriptions
As a health educator who supports the use of pharmaceutical medicines to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease, I admit to wrestling sometimes with where to draw the line between behavioral habits and the use of chemicals. When I make a choice to consume high-fat fast foods over fresh fruits and vegetables, I understand the …
A Flourishing Generation
At the university where I teach, each semester we are provided with opportunities to participate in dialogue groups with other faculty members and administrators which I find both insightful and challenging. Since the spring of 2011 where the group discussed Tim Elmore’s Generation iY to the fall of 2016 when the group read Jean Twenge’s …
Probing Conversations
Since we’ve been conversing about conversations in previous posts, I could not omit relevant information from Todd Henry as he writes in Die Empty, which I read in 2017, and continue to return to again and again for the wisdom it provides when considering the qualities of a flourishing life. One of my hopes in …
Flourishing @ Life 