Teaching

Here's some pictures of the school where I do a little part time teaching. It's a small private college originally founded by a Quaker organization in the late 1800's.

The campus is dominated by a really old (for Wichita) and beautiful building (Davis Hall) that now is used mainly for administration purposes. There is a really nice auditorium in the buiding that has amazing acoustics and they still have concerts there occasionally even though they built a new fine arts building many years ago.

Last Saturday we had a meeting for some of us adjunct instructors and I made it a goal for the week to ride the scooter to the meeting. I also wanted to take some pictures for the blog because I had written a couple of posts, but not yet taken some of the pictures I wanted to include.

This was my second ride on the scooter since the accident. I also had to visit the scene of the accident again since it was very close to the school. It was a little wierd to cross that intersection again, but there was no boogeymen waiting to make a left turn directly in front of me on that day.

My hip is still very sore, but showing steady although slow improvement each day. I plan on using the scooter for the daily commute to work starting immediately.

You know that the severity of accidents is all relative. My own accident was worse than some, but not as bad as many, and not as bad as it could have been. Many thanks to the people that convinced me that armored gear was a good idea.

But I am getting a little tired of reflecting on the accident. It is time to move on to other topics.

But I guarantee you that the experience has changed me and I will be more cautious on the road. I know it may take much longer for my hip and shoulder to heal up. I am just very thankful that the injuries will heal.

I have discovered that my riding routine will have to change a little bit with the new helmet. The new helmet fits in the top case, but not under the seat like my old one did. Therefore all the stuff that I used to carry in the topcase will now ride under the seat. Virtually everything will now be in a different place and the habits I used to have will have to change a bit, but not really a problem, just different.

Both of my children went to school here. My daughter is almost finished with her degree, just finishing up her student teaching this semester. My son graduated a few years ago and is now a high school teacher.

I am so happy that I don't have to write checks to this school anymore. In fact, now they write some checks to me for the occasional classes that I teach here. Sort of like getting them back!

This college, like a lot of others, has some traditional college age students. But. many students here are older and are going back to college to complete degrees that maybe they never finished up. Some local employers pay tuition to help employees get their degrees and the school very effectively markets for students like that.

I have been teaching accounting classes here for a couple of years. My students are not the traditional college age students and are in what the school calls a "degree completion program". They take one class at a time but can generally finish a bachelor's degree in 2 years in many cases.

The classes I teach are for 3 credit hours, but only last 5 to 8 weeks, so the study is rather intense and most of the students work full time as well.

The school has very good facilities and the business school here has good computers and audio visual equipment for instructors and students to use.

The campus is very nice with lots of gardens and other amenities.

As I walked through the campus that day I was accosted by this squirrel. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the squirrels on this campus have a reputation for not being afraid of people. But there is a sinister side to them as well as I later found out that they are secretly in charge of all surveillance activities on campus. So even though he seemed friendly to me, he was actually making sure I was not some sort of terrorist. Walking across campus in armored gear may have set off a silent alarm.

This is the building where my classes are held.

They don't pay their adjunct instructors a lot of money, but there are some other benefits. One benefit for me is that I can use some of my teaching time and count it toward the continuing education requirements that I have for my CPA designation. It saves me at least a few hundred dollars a year.

But the real reason I do it is that it is enjoyable for me and helps to keep me current in my profession and keeps me on my toes.

Then there are those moments when you see a student grasp a concept. Sort of like the proverbial light coming on when they understand something. Dan Bateman at Musings of an Intrepid Commuter has spoken very eloquently of these moments in his motorcycle safety classes. It can be a really rewarding and feel good moment. Sort of like making a difference in someone's life or abilities.

You really get many chances to connect with students. Some of those moments are priceless.

Then again, maybe I am just trying to get some of my money back!

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