The Most Influential College Courses

A friend recently asked me how many college courses I have taken in my life.  The question made me think and dig out all my old transcripts just out of curiosity.  After browsing through decades of learning, I thought I’d write about my five of my favorite college courses, and I would like to ask you do the same.  Post them in your comments, or blog it and send me the link. 

I’m simply curious what people think have been their most influential courses.  There is nothing more important to me than education; learning has the power to change the world.

Intercultural communication

Not only does a good intercultural comm class teach you about world cultures (how do Americans communicate compared to the rest of the world, for example) but a good class will also teach you about co-cultures.  Co-cultures are the sub cultural categories among a bigger common culture.  For example, co-cultures include race, religion, gender, political orientation, educational level, socioeconomic status and more.  This course demonstrated the idea of being able to detach from my co-cultures in order to understand others better. It presents the big question: is there any really one right in the world? Is there one belief or way of doing things that is the only right way (like in religion and politics, but let’s not go there)? It also illustrated differences in communication styles and that no one way of communicating is superior.  For example, we know men and women communicate differently, but if we demand others communicate in the same way we do, then we’re being arrogant and ignorant about our differences.  I fell in love with this course years ago, and am thrilled to say that I now teach it at the college level.

Shakespeare

It may be a typical class a former English teacher would support, but I don’t think any human being should go without a full, intense study of as many of the bard’s plays as possible.  More so than any other, Shakespeare fully understood human nature, love, authority, gender roles, and relationships, and he loves to explore the dynamics in each of these categories.  It’s one thing to read them on your own.  It’s better to read them with an experienced professor and a class full of curious minded students.  This class resulted in some of the best discussions on being human that I’ve ever had.

Religion in the Modern World

Regardless of your religious belief or lack thereof, I would argue all people should explore religion from an academic viewpoint.  This course explored the belief systems in contemporary America and many academic theories that analyzed not just the specific belief systems but the overall need for belief.  It also analyzed the contemporary world of science and the role science plays in affecting religious belief.  The academic theories opened my mind to a new world of possibilities and explanations.  Today, too many people only believe in what they have learned at home or in a specific church or domination.  If we could understand why we believe the way we do (and why others believe differently), we’d live in a much more peaceful world.

Critical Thinking and Reasoning

This was an entire course devoted to teaching people methods of thinking!  In my classes, we naturally discuss reliability and validity. How many people have you known to share a meme or a news story on Facebook or Twitter without even checking to see if it were true? I’d argue that an entire semester devoted to critical reasoning would be a good addition to college education.  This course not only taught how to argue, but how to analyze arguments through logical appeals, emotional appeals, fallacies, and much more.  Even better, the skills learned in this specific course were applied to the top selling political texts of the time, newspaper editorials, and more.  It sure opened several eyes to the illogic that supersedes logic in today’s mass media and general thinking. 

Controversial Legal Issues

This course is well-suited for the critical thinker concerned about law and policy in contemporary society.  This was one out of two actual law courses I took from a law professor in my first master’s program, and the course set up a variety of interesting issues to be debated.  The primary challenge was to separate oneself from political and religious points of view and examine each issue through the historical precedent of law.  More so than the specific cases, it was the forced detachment from my own personal beliefs that was the most challenging and rewarding aspect of the class.

Even when I look at these five courses, I get a better understanding of myself.  My top five reflect my interest about culture, my desire to be practical and fair to different cultures, my passion for discussing the multiple aspects of human nature, my need to understand various religions and belief systems, my goal to promote and learn stronger critical thinking skills, and more. If you have a chance and see these courses or similar ones listed at your college, SIGN UP!   

So now it’s your turn, and I hope some of you do participate.  What are your most influential courses?  Why?  Post it in the comments, or blog it and share it with me.

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Five Ways to Stay Motivated Teaching

It’s a good month into the fall semester of my fourteenth year as a full time educator, and I want to reflect not on motivating students, but rather on keeping myself motivated. If you’re a teacher, you know the fears we all share: Will we get burned out on the content, the lessons, the students, the reforms, etc? I’ve always appreciated the Oscar Wilde quote: “Each man kills the things he loves.” For me, I’ve worried that if we do too much of a good thing that we lose our joy for it, that it does in fact become work. Let’s not let that happen.

This school year I intentionally created a game plan to stay motivated and energetic, perhaps more so than ever before. Here’s my plan, and I share it with the hope that it may help rejuvenate others too.

Add, change, and/or cut one lesson for each course every year.

I’m grateful to have had some help on this one. My college’s library introduced a program called “One Book, One College,” with the goal to have our entire campus community read the same book and participate in college wide activities. The book this year is Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, and I decided to incorporate it in every communication class I teach. It’s been an incredibly refreshing and rewarding experience. Here are a couple of comments some students made about the book:

At least 3 people in different classes said something like: “I’ll be honest. I didn’t start this until last night, but I can’t believe that I got hooked. I read all of part one in one night.”

  

“I’m not much of a reader. I’ve never really gotten into books, but thank you for assigning this. I can’t believe how good it is. I’m staying up late and losing sleep just so I can read one more chapter.”

In any classroom, there is absolutely nothing wrong with asking students to read more, and the discussions we’ve had in class have provided a refreshing mental and emotional stimulus to our content. It makes me want to add a different book each semester to my classes—to always encourage students to read more and to always have some variety in our classroom!

Attend your students’ sporting events

I made a goal this year to attend one game from each sport in which a student of mine was participating. After attending the first game, I was sure to find the student after and give him or her a compliment. What was even more amazing: they opened up more in class, shared more about their passions, and seemed more focused on our classroom discussions. I had taken an interest in them outside the classroom, and in doing so, they took a greater interest in my classroom.

It also was nice to see other students attending the sporting events, and I said hello to each one I saw in the crowd. They smiled back, and they had this look on their face: “My professor is at a game!?” It’s clearly not something they were used to seeing, and I think it made a difference in letting them know I do care about them.

Promote your students’ interests in class

I decided I would have students do an introduction speech at the beginning of the class where they, in part, share all of their college interests and activities. Similar to the sporting events, I wanted to know my students passions. Now I try to announce any upcoming events related to such student interests, such as a play or musical coming up if I have a student in it, an art show, a radio program, honors society inductions, and so on. It makes students feel more connected to you and your classroom, and quite simply they seem to really appreciate the promotional plug.

The world is bigger than our classrooms. The more I see the big picture and discuss that, the more motivated I am to not teach just teach class content but to teach students.

Leave the classroom

You have that one lesson you’ve taught one thousand times, right? You struggle to remain enthusiastic, right? On an impulse during one such lesson of my own, I decided we needed to leave the classroom. I had students pack up their books and we went and sat outside on a beautiful fall morning. I didn’t have a board to write on, but I asked students to listen closely and write down notes. Then we discussed the ideas, and I think it’s the strongest discussion I’ve ever had on one of the least interesting parts of my class.

Walk around campus and make notes of possible alternative “classrooms.” I’ve found relaxing and peaceful areas outside and inside, and sometimes I also look for the loud and boisterous areas too. We don’t always have to be the teacher at the white board. We can be the teacher anywhere, and a change of scenery is good for students too.

Begin and end class with humor

This should be true of any lesson, and I try to be a “performer” for my students and find ways to incorporate humor in each lesson. Learning should be fun, after all. However, sometimes we need something even bigger. I know we all fight for each precious minute of our classroom time, but I’ve always been a quality over quantity kind of guy. If I can get my students fully engaged and focused, I can do the same lesson in 40 minutes instead of 50.

So sometimes I see a class that looks tired or bored or just unfocused. Sometimes I’m a little tired too. What do I do? I rely on the hundreds of silly YouTube videos I’ve collected over the years.

“Ok, class. We look a little sleepy today. So I’m going to show you a short video that I hope will make you laugh. I want us energetic in class today.” The first video I showed this year was the “Mutant Spider Dog” prank.

We all laughed, and I said, “All right. If we have an energetic class and finish the lesson in time, I may have to show you another hilarious video at the end of class just for fun. Ready? Let’s begin.”

Like extra reading, there’s nothing wrong with extra humor, especially in the classroom, where sometimes we need it the most.

What are your tips to stay motivated and energetic in the classroom? 

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Success after Setbacks: On Overcoming Challenges and Pursuing Your Dreams

There is a ton of advice on accomplishing one’s dreams, and for good reasons: dreams and the pursuit of those dreams energize us and drive our human spirit forward. But nothing can be as disheartening as a setback. Notice, I won’t call it a failure. The only time you fail is if you quit, and setbacks can make us stronger.

If you’re a writer who has received a rejection letter, a dreamer who hasn’t (yet) landed that dream job, or any number of examples, you know what I mean. I’d like to share my strategies for overcoming setbacks.

Take a break

Most writers will agree that after you’ve written something, you need to step away from it for a few weeks to a few months. It’s easy to get excited about an idea or a finished piece of work, and we want to send it to the masses immediately. That’s ok, but if you receive the rejection letters, remember to take a break. There’s no need to immediately dive in and revise. Step away for a bit, and when you do return to your work, you’ll have fresh perspectives and make it even better than you thought it was originally.

The same can be said of many things. If you didn’t get the job of your dreams, many may tell you to work harder and keep at it. You should of course, but why not take a mental break from applications, interviews, and just from thinking about the damn thing. Give yourself a deadline; you don’t want to give up on your dreams. But if you’ve had several setbacks, perhaps it’s time for a two week vacation. Like in writing, you’ll come back and see new perspectives with a rejuvenated energy that may be exactly what you need to accomplish your goals.

Invest in a new creative project

I write a lot. You may act a lot, or draw a lot, or simply work a lot. We want to be successful in each of our goals, but sometimes to keep the creative juices freshly flowing, it helps to tackle a different kind of project. You’ll learn to use different creative aspects and you’ll find strategies that may help you with your biggest desires.

For example, if you’re an actor, why not try to direct a small show? If you’re a writer, why not try to draw (as bad as it could be) visual concepts for your work? Or if you are terrible at drawing (as I am), collaborate with an artist and help him or her discover the full concept of your vision. Don’t you think your vision will also be sharpened?

You could even learn something entirely new. Drop what you are doing, take that break (like my first idea), and learn something new: take a class on a musical instrument or take one semester of a foreign language at  your local college. It’s not a bad idea to browse your college’s catalog and find something different. Maybe a tai chi class will do the trick. We all need to move out of our comfort zones and explore diverse creative interests to strengthen the creativity we need for our current goals and projects.

Walk daily

Sound too easy? It is easy, but the payoffs are incredible. This is something I discovered this summer. I’m already an exercise fanatic. I hit the gym hard 4-5 times a week. But that’s my problem: I hit it hard and lose myself in the workouts. That’s great, and I think we all need that level of intensity too. But I wanted to add something simple that would let me think and get me out of the house, away from distractions and technology, and let my mind wonder. And while I certainly don’t mind a walk or hike with friends, I think you need to have some time alone too. It’s being alone, outdoors, and away from everything that opens the mind to new ideas.

So 5-6 days a week, I take a walk outside for 30-60 minutes, depending on the time I have available. I have two dogs, so they are benefiting from this idea too, but here’s the thing: I don’t look at my phone or computer during that time. I breathe fresh air. I walk in different directions. I try to find paths that inspire me. Sometimes I drive my car to a place I want to walk for different scenery. I think about my work, my writing, my relationships, and more. And almost every evening, I come home and immediately write down a few ideas that popped in my head. These ideas, I have no doubt, would not have developed if I had not taken time to just get the hell out of the house and walk and think and clear my mind from all other distractions. Try it for one week, and I promise it will be something you’ll want to do all the time.

Collaborate

Writing in particular is a lonely job, but when you are going for your dream job, you’re also on your own in that job interview. When you want something, talk to others who have accomplished the goals you are pursuing. It’s only common sense, but sometimes we are shy and don’t want to put ourselves out there.

When I applied for my college teaching position, I contacted the professors at the department in which I was applying. I asked if I could meet with them individually for a 30 minute chat and pick their brains about their work. I wanted to know about their daily routines, what they loved, their frustrations, and the work they did prior to landing my dream job. Those conversations helped, and I did get the job of my dreams. Each person had different perspectives, and I took time to think about all of their experiences and what I could bring to the table too.

I also practiced my interview. I asked friends and colleagues if they would give me a mock interview and provide genuine feedback to my answers. I took nothing for granted, and I wanted to be the absolute best. I’m convinced it’s those steps that landed me my dream job. And now I have to repeat those steps with each new goal, like connecting with other writers, learning about publication, and finding a circle of readers I trust to give me raw feedback on the work I want to succeed.

Create your success story

Finally, I do think we all need confidence from our previous accomplishments. This step is like building a resume, but I think of it as more personal than that. It’s your life narrative, the accomplishments you’ve made, the steps you took to get there, and the methods in which you overcame previous setbacks.

Here are a few of mine, very early in my teaching career. Each one had setbacks.

When applying for my first teaching job, it was obvious the superintendent at the high school where I had applied wanted a coach. I’m not a coach. I don’t have much of an organized sports record. But I won him over by demonstrating my love of that particular school. You have to show that you really love the place where you want to be. I did several things to make this happen, and after my interview, he told a colleague, “Joe’s passion for our school and community is unmatched.”

In my second year of teaching, I convinced a world-wide best-selling author, who normally charges $30,000 to visit schools and speak, to attend my classes for free. That was awesome. You have to understand that of course he said no at first. I was not willing to accept that. It took an incredible amount of persistence, but I  talked best-selling author Mitch Albom into visiting with all of my classes and speaking at my high school.

I took a small after-school martial arts program and built it up to national recognition: We won Black Belt Magazine’s Best Children’s Program in the United States award in 2008. The key to that success was commitment and collaboration. There were semesters in which I had only a few students. I didn't let that stop my enthusiasm. By the end of my leadership of that program, we have over one hundred students involved.

Those were accomplishments all very early in my career, and there are others more meaningful to me from recent years. I tell all of these stories when pursuing a new goal. I tell them to myself first, as a reminder of what can be done. And you don’t have to win any national awards to build your story. Start with the projects, the jobs, and the people you’ve worked with: How did you better the world around you? And how will the accomplishment of your current goal better the world too? That’s the story you learn, and that’s the story you tell to those who will listen.

You’ll conquer all of your dreams, and I will too. It takes a high level of confidence with the highest level of humility. Believe in yourself, and work your ass off.  No great reward is earned without great work.

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Make some noise and make a difference

I hate a quiet classroom. I love laughter and noise.

I think if I had a dollar for every time a colleague shut my classroom door, I could retire by now. Early on in my career, I understand the noise wasn’t always positive. When you first start teaching teenagers, it’s going to be a little rowdy. If I ended class early, they’d talk “too loudly” some would say. One colleague, a friend I still admire, even moved classrooms to get away from me, I’m convinced. My classes were pretty rowdy. There were moments when I humorously screamed to get their attention, threw chairs across the room, or even jumped on desks. Face to face teaching, I believe, requires a performance.

A few years later, I sat down to talk with my high school principal about a variety of topics. One was noise.

“Don’t you think some of our classrooms are too quiet?” I asked.

“Way too quiet,” he said.

I knew I liked him. If all we are doing as teachers is forcing kids to shut up, read, write, take this test, be quiet and listen to my lecture, etc, then students could learn everything they need online. They don’t need a classroom full of other students; they need somewhere where they can sit quietly and be undisturbed and do their work.

How boring.

Students should share ideas, speak freely, even engage in the occasional heated debate. And they should be laughing because real teaching and learning should bring joy, and laughter is a consequence of joy.

Last week, a college colleague very politely stuck his head in and asked if he could shut my door. “Of course,” I said. I typically do shut my door, but we have a new security system at the college, and all doors are now locked when shut. So if I’m missing a few students, I tend to keep the door open in case they are running late.

I smiled when I was asked to the shut the door though. You see, my students were laughing too loudly. That thought made me smile even more.

Sure, I have some classes that look like they are in misery. I call them out for that. “Don’t you think learning should be a joy? If you’re enjoying what you are learning, let me see it on your face. If you’re not enjoying it, I’ll keep working harder, but sooner or later you’ll need some serious self-reflection as to why you are in college. This could be the best time of your life, but only if you make it so.”

I’ll take a rowdy class over a quiet class any day. You see, I can take the energy from those rowdy students and redirect it into class discussion and activity. And when that’s done right, there are no better days in the classroom. But for those who lack energy, it’s so much harder to create it. I’ve thought of bringing espresso shots to class, but I don’t make that much money.

When I first started teaching college, I worried if I’d have the same effect on adults. I’m not trying to say I’m great; I’m saying I have a lot of fun doing what I do. But I do want to be great. Many of my college students are only a few months older than some of my previous high school kids were. There’s not a lot of difference between a senior in high school and a freshman in college. But in college, we do get a variety of ages and students in our class.

My first college class: I had a woman who didn’t smile much. She became my challenge. So many of my students in that class laughed and participated, but she was a quiet one who only listened. She was older than me, African-American, and Muslim. She couldn’t have been more different than most students I had worked with in the past. She taught me something important though: some people do prefer to listen than speak, and that’s ok. After all, listening is a prerequisite for understanding, and as teachers, we must recognize that our students will have a variety of personalities as well as learning styles. She was quiet, and that was ok; I still had a dozen other students laughing and sharing thoughts throughout each lesson. But she bothered me, for in the back of my mind I was worried that she was not enjoying the lessons.

And the end of the semester, at the end of my very first college class, this older woman came up to speak to me privately. She said something I cherish and always will, and she shattered my fears that I wasn’t getting through to her.

“Don’t ever change. Don’t ever let the system change you. Don’t ever get burned out. You are the best teacher I have ever had,” she told me and shook my hand on the last day of our class.

Now I was speechless. Here’s this woman who I worried was not enjoying my class. This quiet soul who listened and rarely spoke unless forced. But the few words she volunteered on her own were some of the nicest words anyone has told me.

If you are out there—and let’s face it, how many older African-American Muslim students have I had? (a few, actually)—and you ever stumble across this blog, thank you. Thank you deeply for giving me confidence that I could teach successfully at the college level to any audience.

So teacher-friends and friends of learning, what were your favorite classroom experiences? Favorite teachers? I’d love to hear your stories too.

Back to school

A silly little poem I wrote and shared on Facebook the day before school started this year, Aug 17, 2014.

Another summer come and gone.

Reflecting on a Sunday evening,

Students and teachers alike

Hope for a school year with meaning.

I’ve set my coffee maker timer.

And I’m ready to motivate.

I hope by 9:00 a.m.

That I’m ready to communicate.

It’s year 14 for me
And I want it to be fun.
But I swear if a cell phone goes off,
That kid better run.

I’m excited to lecture, excited to write.
Will it be the same come December?
Or will Christmas come early
And turn me into a Grinch by November?

Will I change the world?
Will I be clever?
Will I at least get a red hot chili pepper
On Rate my Professor?

I hope for at least some,
My class makes a difference.
I’m sure for at least one,
We’ll be happy to say good riddance.

Some will have drama,
Others will have tears.
Some will have babies,
And some will find careers.

So here’s to another school year,
To the good and the bad,
But when you’re excited on a Sunday night,
You know this job ain’t half bad

Rabbit in Red, my upcoming novel, is quite a different tale than this poem, but I'm excited to introduce you to it. Just a little over a month away!

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Motivate yourself and you will motivate others

The main reason I started writing these posts is to try to motivate and encourage others to get involved. We don’t need to be reminded of the rewards of physical fitness, but we do need motivation to get started and encouragement to keep going.

Here’s my motivational tip for today: If you start a new fitness program or make fitness a regular part of your life, you will inspire someone else to do the same. 

What could be greater than making your own life better? The answer: Making someone else’s life better.

Talk about what you are doing. You are likely to inspire a friend, a family member, a colleague, or just someone reading your Facebook posts. I have been inspired to exercise because of countless others. Some of the best moments in my life happen when someone tells me that they are getting fit because of the things they have seen me doing or heard me talk about.

Start doing something today. Tell others about it. It feels good to let people know when you have just finished a 5K, are working on a home fitness program, or are participating in a group exercise class.  More importantly, those simple comments about what you are doing may inspire someone else to do the same.

One of my favorite teaching quotations has always been the wisdom of Henry Adams: “A teacher affects eternity. He can never tell where his influence will stop.”

The same wisdom is applied to fitness. You start a fitness routine, and it will inspire someone else to begin too. Then that person will motivate someone else, and on and on it goes.

If getting yourself in better shape is not enough motivation to tackle a new fitness experience, then consider the lives of others. We possess the ability—be it in a blog, a conversation, or a simple Facebook post—to do or say something to motivate another person to improve their lifestyle.

I hope you join me in this challenge to motivate and encourage. 

A Formula For Success

As a teacher in either a high school or college setting for the past 11 years, I have certainly heard some great excuses. This year in particular, although I am sure I have felt like this near the end of every school year, I simply cannot stomach any more student excuses as to why they can’t come to class or couldn’t get work done.

It surprises me and disgusts me even more, however, when a student expects to receive a passing grade for doing nothing. I get down at times, wondering what happened to our work ethic. Of course, I have to remind myself that for every one student who makes excuses, there are several more who do work hard. And certainly, there are legitimate reasons why we occasionally cannot do something or cannot attend a class. It’s the ones that make it a habit of doing nothing that frustrate me.

It was a moment like this today, which I don’t want to discuss publicly, that inspired today’s reflection. Why do some people feel they deserve things that they don’t work hard to achieve?

You can’t pass a college course without attending and doing the work, but some people seriously think they can.

You can’t expect to be physically fit if you don’t try to become fit either.  It takes a commitment to be in shape, and we can’t expect it to happen without doing something about it. Now, just like there are legitimate excuses for being absent at school, there are some legitimate excuses in this area too: genetics, for example. 

Fitness, education, career: Whatever you want, you have to work for it. It’s common sense, but sometimes we need a reminder. You want the best job? Work hard.  You want the best education? Study hard. You want to be in shape? Exercise hard. 

To be more specific, I’d like to share a formula for becoming who we want to be that has worked for me: 

VISUALIZE, STATE YOUR GOAL TO OTHERS, PLAN, and FOLLOW THROUGH.

You first have to visualize who you want to be. I knew, for example, that at some point in my life I wanted to be a college professor, so I pictured what that would be like. I imagined the joy I would have in a college environment. I closed my eyes and saw the thousands of adults (even if I am exaggerating) eager for an education to improve their lives. 

After you visualize, you make a goal and you say it out loud to those you love and trust. I told my friends and family that I wanted to be a college professor. I told them this was something I was going to do. Saying it out loud to others helps hold you accountable. They will ask you about, and you will be forced to talk about what you are doing to achieve your goal.

Once you announce your goal, you must plan. What will it take to do this? I decided I needed another degree and that I needed college teaching experience. I planned how I would make those two items happen.

Then you have to follow through. I went back to graduate school to earn a second master’s degree. I inquired about teaching part-time, and I picked up a night class at the college so that I would have more experience.

Ultimately, you repeat this cycle. You simply keep visualizing the goal, keep talking about the goal, revise your plans as necessary, and keep working at that goal. The journey may be very long and full of obstacles, but you keep working. The number one virtue you need here is patience.

Of course, you can connect these steps to virtually everything you want to do. Let’s connect it to fitness.

You first have to visualize the person you want to be. What will your body look like? How will you feel? What will you be able to do? If you get exhausted walking through a store, visualize how you would feel if you could walk all day and not feel tired. Picture yourself in a swimsuit, the way you would like to look. The visualization process is very important to following through with our goals.

Then make a goal and say it aloud. My most recent goal was to complete P90X2 and spend 90 days working hard to finish the program. You better believe I told my friends and family. I put it online, and I talked about it because I wanted people to ask me about it. I wanted people to encourage me to keep working.

Then you plan. My days are very busy, and my commitments frequently vary. I started by making a monthly calendar of all of the workouts I would complete each day of the month. Then every Sunday, before the work week begins, I make revisions as necessary based on new meetings or new commitments I may have made. My calendar is detailed and precise with the time I will exercise and the program I will be doing. I prioritize that time just as I would prioritize an important work meeting.

And of course you follow through and stick with it. No matter what! I had to drive to a work conference that was 8 hours away, but I stuck with it. I revised my fitness plans, but I included fitness while I was gone. I have some 12 hour work days, but I find a way to incorporate my fitness routine: get up earlier, do it over lunch, modify the routine to fit shorter times, whatever is necessary.  

I keep visualizing my goal: to simply be in better shape and to have a more physically toned body. I can mentally see who I want to be, I announce my goal as to how I will get there to others, I plan the specific journey every step of the way, and I do it.

By far, I am not perfect, but I share this advice because if something is really important to you, then this formula works. VISUALIZE, SAY YOUR GOAL OUT LOUD, PLAN, and FOLLOW THROUGH.  

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