Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.
~Author: B F Skinner “Education in 1984” New Scientist 21 May 64

I think of this quote when I am frantic. I get busy, I fall into survival mode, and I find myself in a frenzy. However, when what I learned about teaching has been forgotten, I find myself as a little kid in a big body. I then start to appreciate the human side of teaching….and I am rather learning. I am learning much about my students; that they are people, with amazing stories, with life threatening illnesses, with sick kids, living in a tent, with second chances and hopes a mile long. They don’t all come with study skills or confidence or even an idea what they want to do with their life, but they come to class and they sit quietly or make a ruckus and when I ask them about their goals, some are lofty, such as becoming a Physician Assistant and some are …..merely to make some friends.

That’s when I really learn-that the best I can do is to be human; kind, understanding, patient, helpful.
When my scurry to get my students to learn gets in the way, please stop me. I have met so many amazing, helpful, positive and talented instructors here at NMC, please help to remind me of the human side of teaching-that education is more about building connections than it is merely the learning the terms for the exam.