The Academic in the Mirror

In one session, for the program I teach, I outline the Peer Observation of Teaching premise and process.  As part of the assessment for the subject, participants write a short paper on their experience, focussing on a question about their teaching.  I provide them with a guide to writing this paper and discuss it in class.  This is an add-on to the course material and my intention is to allay any writing or assessment anxiety.  On this evening, the participants hung on every word; a sign of their fear or confusion, not my scintillating information, I am sure.  I was surprised at the lack of confidence or experience these academics had in writing.  I felt they were making this into an onerous and much bigger task then I expected.  This discussion moved to an ‘assessment’ of teaching and learning literature and became more philosophical than factual.  My position was to defend a body of work and a process that has flaws and other agendas, but it is the one we work within.  I was intellectually exhausted.

At 8.09am the next morning I received an email from one of the participants:

... to apologise for my facilitation of the group’s ‘assessment’ of the (...) literature in last night’s meeting. I think the discussion may have commenced with some fair points, but soon snowballed to a place which was unjustly scrutinising a discipline that none of the attendees had/have any experience. (...) Specifically, my comments particularly on the ranking of the (journals) were not qualified; and I can only imagine my comments do not reflect my true interest and appreciation for education literature – otherwise I would not be enrolled in such a course. I think the (...) program has really enlightened me with regards to learning – transforming my previous perspective of student-driven excellence to my present view that the facilitator may bring excellence out of more than just those that are self-directed. I truly value the course and think you (...) make the course far more enjoyable than I anticipated. Thank you!

Lesson to self:  Don’t catastrophise.  My job here is done.