When encountering former students from my classes in ‘library school’, I often start the conversation by asking what they are doing now - in their professional lives - that they had not imagined doing (or prepared for doing) in their MLS programs. The single most common answer is teaching.
So this is my personal ode to the 10 greatest joys of teaching adults:
1) The unimaginable rush you get when you say something and an entire room full of people write it down.
2) Turning on the light bulb (or the ah-ha) moment when you see the class ‘gets it’.
3) When someone tells you they got the job/promotion/project they wanted because of the skills you helped them develop.
4) Explaining something complex or difficult in simple terms and having the class relate to your explanation.
5) Thinking of great analogies to get to #4 above.
6) Starting a discussion where there are lively and differing opinions hotly defended in the most civil possible way.
7) Having someone tell you ‘I thought about what we talked about in class all week’.
8) Hearing (or overhearing) yourself quoted.
9) The first day of class when everything seems possible and the last day of class when we have moved together through the entire semester’s curriculum with demonstrable knowledge and skills.
10) Watching adults color outside the lines – with confidence and capability.
Ta-ta for now,
Anne
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