NFE Reflections Holexa 2007-8
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MCC New Faculty Experience Reflections, My Name, My Department, Mesa Community College, Contact me (mailto:myemail)
My Teaching Philosophy
I have been a “student” of life, energy, peace, and goodness for many years. Thirty years ago, while my husband and I were dating, he posed the question, “What is your life philosophy?” (which ultimately becomes your teaching philosophy). I was 20 years old at the time, he 28, and I had no idea what he was talking about. I responded with something like, “I don’t know, I just wake up and live”. As simple and off the cuff as that statement sounds it is true, it is pure and it is deeper than just a 20-year-old's whimsical rhetoric. Since that moment it has been a hobby of mine to read and study a variety of perspectives on life including those of Thich Nhat Hahn, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Eckhart Toole, Khalil Gibran, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra and many others. I have grown through the application of the words, wisdom and “life philosophies” of these great teachers. I am currently a Dental Hygiene educator life at Mesa Community College. We offer an Associates Degree in Applied Sciences in Dental Hygiene. My teaching responsibilities include didactic courses such as Dental Radiology, Dental Materials, Head and Neck Anatomy and Dental Hygiene Theory. I am also the lead faculty for the first year pre-clinical experience. The pre-clinical lab is a hands-on environment designed to develop the psychomotor skills of the future clinician in addition to stimulating critical thinking processes through oral health assessment scenarios. I like the sciences, I like dental hygiene, I enjoy what I teach but I have come to see that the profession and its curriculum are very narrowly focused. The world is changing. The souls of people and the spirit of communities are calling out for more meaningful experiences. Our American Western culture in particular is slowly discovering that accumulation of money, things, even knowledge does not equate with more happiness, peace, and fulfillment. Dental hygiene is stuck in a very old model. Stuck in details and tasks, and assessments and competencies and outcomes. While many of these are critical and necessary in academia and in comprehensive, competent patient care I don’t believe they should be the only focus. I’m not sure they should even be the primary focus. My vision is to restructure the curriculum of Dental Hygiene and ultimately the professional standards of our organization to be more soul centered. I have seen many broken people come into our program. Some make it to graduation some do not. Broken people are not at peace, they practice negative self talk constantly, and their successes are destroyed by their own inner dialogs. How can those people, even though adequately trained in the science of dental hygiene, having passed all the competencies, and produced the necessary out- comes, treat people with a loving heart when they haven’t learned to love themselves? How can they find peace and joy if never given the tools with which to explore and uncover their gifts? My desire is guide, nurture and develop people who are whole first and who secondarily use dental hygiene as a way of expressing their wholeness. The current dental hygiene education culture is structured in a way that students come into our programs hoping dental hygiene will define them. I want my students to know themselves so well that they can then redefine dental hygiene. Ultimately I do not want to be a dental hygiene educator creating dental hygienists, I want to be a facilitator of compassion, hope, love, joy, gratitude and forgiveness thereby allowing my students to grow into themselves unlocking their hearts, souls and minds. This experience is like wetting a sponge; it will provide an enhanced ability to absorb the scientific and clinical information necessary for the practice of Dental Hygiene. Many of my ideas and visions for my profession are huge and counter cultural. Some would say impossible to accomplish in a science bound curriculum. If I am to consider making any change at all it needs to occur with me first. Gandhi said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world”. Thirty years later I am still trying to answer the question, “What is your (teaching) life philosophy”?
Reflection on Scholarly Teaching and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Very simply: Scholarly teaching is to know your stuff, to have a passion and ownership for your discipline. It is staying informed, continuing your own life long learning. In the area of dental hygiene that means providing evidence based approaches to patient care and not opinions, trends or private practice short cuts.
The scholarship of teaching to me means being able to "read" a class and have the sense to throw things out the window that are not working, no matter how well they worked last year or what the expects say works best. This is a unique group of human beings.
It is analogous to parenting. You can read all the parenting books you want, enroll in parenting classes and support groups, observe the best parents in the country (scholarly parenting) but when your own unique children enter the world and you recognize they are not like any child you have seen heard or read of you throw all the information out the window and trust your instincts (scholarship of parenting).
Understanding of MCC Culture Gained through NFE
I have a clearer picture of many of the college processes. For example Travel Requisition protocol, Faculty Professional Growth, Curriculum Development. It was helpfull to be guided through these. I feel very supported as a new faculty knowing there are many people available to answer questions and assist in my development.
Even though the college was transitioning new leadership, I never sensed defeat or worry. Instead I observed pride and strength and courage and commitment from those who presented various aspects of the college programs to us. I believe through their examples I gained a greater sense of pride in my association with MCC. My original identification was Dental Hygiene faculty at MCC. After this experience I'm an MCC faculty member in Dental Hygiene.
Impact of NFE on my Approach to Teaching
The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer had a large impact on me. If asked to describe myself, spiritual would be my adjective of choice. Mr. Palmer's experiences and life work affirmed there is class room space available for a spiritual approach to teaching. It need not all be competency based. This was uplifting because in my opinion focusing on competencies and tracking outcomes suffocates creativity. Unless of course your life purpose is to write and track competencies and outcomes.
I appreciated the hands-on-build-a-nerve activity. I teach Head and Neck Anatomy and adopted and adapted that activity allowing my students to construct the facial arterial flow. They wondered where in the heck I got that idea!
Reflection on my Experience in the NFE Community
I enjoyed the camaraderie and getting to meet some wonderful people. I loved hearing people express their ideas, present their work, share experiences and frustrations, ask their questions. Often I found myself saying, "Wow, they're smart! I wish I were that smart". Then I'd snap back into remembering I am indeed that smart other wise I wouldn't have been offered the opportunity to share table time with such brillance. Gratitude abounds.
Some of my favorite things: Lunches, Learning my True Colors then being a different color, "When I am teaching at my best...", making a nerve, meeting new people, reading the book, learning how to play WI (my kids think I'm cooler now), technology stuff, learning from others.
Reflection on My Future as a Member of the MCC Community
I hope to be here a long, long time, having fun, sharing joy and knowledge along the way.
I will be a steward to the college and the community it serves.
Sometimes I feel I am a profession within a profession. I will begin my master's degree in contemplative education this summer developing my educational prowess. I intend on using that knowledge to catapult dental hygiene into a new paradigm. My vision is to have a hand in creating the most outstanding dental hygiene program in the nation. I have a vision of writing a new dental hygiene curriculum that will redefine our professional education model.
It will be fun to watch.
