“Gay Mentors in Modern Academe”

The Chronicle of Higher Education recently featured a piece by a student about the impact an openly gay professor had on his own struggle for identity.

Followed by a reflection by the professor himself, the two pieces highlight the important role faculty members can play as role models and mentors to their students — and the challenges that marginalized students can feel on campus and in the classroom:

Yes, society has made great strides toward equality in recent decades, but that hardly means that every gay kid is suddenly going to be just fine on his own. I was lucky that, of all the writing professors on the campus, I wound up in Rob’s class a year ago. I just hope more gay students can find their own “Rob” soon. For that matter, I hope more Robs start actively looking to find those kids, and to help them out.

Read the full text here: “Gay Mentors in Modern Academe”

Embracing Error in the Classroom

Two recent articles raise the question of what it would look like to embrace error in the classroom.  One discusses a British girls’ school that is planning a “failure week” to encourage its students to “embrace risk, build resilience, and learn from their mistakes”:

“‘Failure week’ at top girls’ school to build resilience”

The other, from the Chronicle of Higher Education, challenges the assumption that faculty should always appear all-knowing in the classroom.  Instead it encourages faculty to model for students what it looks like to “try, fail, and persist.”

One professor quoted asserts, ”I personally believe students benefit greatly if they see us struggle . . . They see that it’s OK for them to struggle.”

Read the full article here: “Note to Faculty: Don’t Be Such a Know-It-All”

Community Tours for Faculty

As part of New Faculty Orientation, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Office of Community-Based learning are coordinating a couple of community tours that we’d now like to open up to the full faculty.

These are a great way to get to know your new colleagues and get a new perspective on our local communities. If you are interested in either or both, please contact Corey Dolgon as space is somewhat limited.

 

Tour Number One: Brockton: Its History and Culture
Wednesday, August 24th 4-6 (dinner from 6-7 optional)

For faculty new to the area or particularly those interested in creating or enhancing community engagement in their research or teaching, this two-hour bus tour will be led by local historian extraordinaire, Willie Wilson, Jr. Willie will give us commentary and point out important historical events and locations as we drive around the city.

We’ll also stop at particularly noteworthy sites and get an opportunity to engage with the city’s physical landscape. The tour will end with dinner at about 6:00 and folks can return to the college at 6:00 or stay for dinner and return afterwards. Willie always has a folder for participants stocked with historical maps and other information, too.

 

Tour Number Two: Admissions does Stonehill
Thursday, August 25th 3-4

Again, if you are new to Stonehill or curious how those new to campus are introduced to Stonehill, this trip is for you. This tour will be led by Admissions Office personnel who will show us how they show perspective students around campus and describe campus life to potentially new applicants and their families. If you’re interested in seeing how admissions introduces perspective students to Stonehill, you’re welcome to join us.

 

Community-Based Learning Adds Faculty Bloggers!

Do you teach a Community-Based Learning course and want to share your work with other faculty? Have a great idea for a CBL course but don’t know where to start? Want to know more about what kind of CBL work your colleagues have done?

Please visit the Community-Based Learning blog to read about faculty work with students and the community! Our first Faculty Blogger is Professor Angela Paradise! Read all about how her students teach media literacy to youth at Davis Commons: http://communitybasedlearning.wordpress.com/

Interested in writing for the CBL blog? Please email Kate Rafey: krafey@stonehill.edu