Aug 25, 2013

New School Year and Trip Down Memory Lane

Every year at this time I get a little nostalgic.  As I met with new students on Saturday and watched them say goodbye to their families and siblings, I could not help but think about that time for me 13 years ago.  I know what you are thinking, there is no way she went to college 13 years ago.  It's true, I just age well :)

I will be teaching a section of University 100, a course for first year students and designed to help acclimate them to university life, and I wanted to prepare a small slide show for them to see what I was like when I was 18 and flew the nest to Ohio University.  I think as an instructor, and as I get older and further removed from them, the students can find it hard to relate to me and to see that I too was once in their shoes.

.....................................

I remember those first days on my own without my parents like it was yesterday.  My first walk up Richland Avenue hill to my 9am class in Bentley Hall. Not knowing a soul and just trying to feel things out.  I remember sitting in that Sociology 101 class and thinking, "what the hell is this guy talking about"?  I was so lost: deviance, social norms, scapegoats.  No clue!  I wrote frantically and just tried to stay afloat.

While I seemed to lack some skills in the note taking and study strategies department, (ironic because that is what I do a whole lot of instruction on now as a professional) I excelled in the social scene.  Wow!  Were those first few days, weeks and ultimately 4 years the best times of my life.  The incredible people that I met along the way, the mentors who coached me to be a great educator and the opportunities that I was provided as a student-athlete.

As I walk on to campus tomorrow morning the goosebumps will come back as they do every year for me at this time.  It's the beauty of working at a University; every year I am one more year removed from being a student myself, but every day I am reminded of my amazing experiences.

Curious what I looked like at 18, and as a Freshman at OU??

Of course two with my college roomie and best friend, Shannon



I had a lot of fun looking for pictures today and even asked Shannon to dig some up.  These two were actually hers as most of mine were not really appropriate to show to to my class.


 photo courtney-post-signature1_zpsa6911a6b.png

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