So I’d like to kick this off by saying that faculty development day always sucks, if only because of the timing. It’s always right before the semester starts, when there are about a billion more important things you should do with your time. Even the most riveting presentation will seem too long, because dammit, there are syllabuses to write. So with that in mind, I’d like to tell you about a highlight of our staff development day.
It was a 2+hour department meeting. It kicked off with something called “helium stick.” Everyone at each table had to hold on to a very long stick using one finger (need I say which finger I used?) Our goal was to work collectively to lower it to the ground. That sucked up about 15 minutes that I’ll never get back.
For the next 2 hours we watched a series of YouTube videos about the 21st century student. It told us a bunch of stuff we already freaking know, like the fact that students like to text and surf the web and post scandalous things on myspace. Doy.
We’d go around from table to table, sharing what we learned. At one point, a colleague nearly broke down and said in a quivering voice that all of this technology was all well and good, “but if students can’t connect on a deeper level with literature…I believe it will be the death of our civilization.” Ugh. The skeptic at our table summed it all up when he advised everyone to “buy gold and get a panic room.”
To watch the lamest of the videos we watched, click here and try not to sympathy cringe for these poor students who are acting like idiots:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBeWEgvGm2Y
Now you know why I need a sabbatical.
PS: Spring development day was no better. I attended an “Emergency Preparedness Meeting.” Earthquake tips? No. It was hosted by the police department and told us what to do if we have a “shooter” on campus.