Starting that first course at the Centennial Campus I knew that I was in the right place. I am still friends with several of my students from that first class. (Side note: One of those students was in the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting and she makes the best sugar cookies ever!) Back then I wanted to be prepared so I had articles upon articles about education and I printed them all out for my students, killing trees left and right. I had PowerPoint presentations for every chapter of the book and used to use them. It was a fun first gig and it was new to me.
I spent several years in public school teaching at two local high schools. In both cases, I got burned. In the first, I had a devil principal who somehow managed to remain in that high school for several years after I chose to leave. The trail of abuse and disaster they left behind was unbelievable. In the second school I had a somewhat similar experience with the assistant principal and, by that time, I decided public school teaching wasn't for me anymore and I decided to strictly focus on my college teaching. (Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me).
Things grew from there, I gained a Teaching, Learning, and Technology course in which I built it from scratch. To the day I taught the last version of the class, I was the only one in Southern Colorado who taught it (and a couple of other colleges required it). Over the years I tweaked it, added new technologies and 21st Century methodologies, and adapted. I was proud of this course as I introduced a lot of ideas and concepts that many of my aspiring educators had not heard of and hopefully use to this day.
After working my butt off for my MA in History, Dr. Carne brought me down to the History department, a la Wayne Artis, and was offered a spot in the department to teach more courses. I started out with World History to Antiquity in my first semester. Over the next nine years I taught a wide range of courses including: Western Civilization to 1650, Western Civilization from 1650, United States History to Reconstruction, United States History from Reconstruction, and 20th Century World History.
I even had the opportunity, for one semester before COVID, to teach my own constructed course for the American Civil War. I was proud of this one, in particular, as it was, once again, completely built from scratch by me and I put my heart and soul into it. Starting that source was more scary than before because I thought to myself 'I don't know if I can fill out an entire semester with the content that I have.' Little did I know, I'd gotten about 2/3 of the way through the semester and realized it was the exact opposite problem and I had created so much content for myself that I had to rush the last four weeks! HA!
At the collegiate level I had colleagues that respected the work I do. I had the exact opposite feeling at the college where my colleagues gave me respect and I was in a like-minded group of individuals (at least on the history side of the equation). Our bi-annual meetings were actually
I did convert over to online courses for the last couple of years. For one reason, I was good at it. I knew how to hold an online course that felt like a classroom experience. I put myself into this teaching because I had heard so many horror stories of bad online professors who would give the information and never do anything with the class other than grade assignments. They didn't structure their courses to be online friendly yet we live in a much more online world, especially since COVID. So I made it a point to respond to each and every discussion at least once and to treat all of my students with equal levels of interest and feedback.
For my education courses, I did everything I could to prepare my educators for their future classrooms. I read a ton of books. I kept abreast of new educational trends and methods. I continually changed my material up. I definitely got away from death by PowerPoint! I didn't kill trees any more. I created an entire classroom of video material / lecture that could be taken in chunks, regardless of if it was a brick-and-mortar course or an online one. I gave students the full truth that education is a both a wonderful and a wonderfully disappointing field. I gave tips and tricks. My goal was to let folks know what they were getting in to.
For my history courses, I ended up focusing heavily on writing. Yes, my courses consisted of only two papers, one Primary Source Analysis and one Research Paper. In both, I gave super detailed feedback and the opportunity for students to improve and improve and improve. In the last couple of years I would record video feedback on each and every paper, each and every time they were submitted, to provide reasoning for my feedback, how to improve, etc. It took a lot of time and effort on my part but it wasn't about that but instead on having my students look at writing with a more critical eye and see how they could adapt and improve. Many a time I received feedback, sometimes long after a course, that my feedback helped them dramatically. I also received feedback that I gave far more quality feedback than even the English department. Yes, it was a lot of work but hopefully most of my students could see that I was doing it to help them.
My course feedback from students and department chairs was always overwhelmingly positive. I can't begin to count how many times I read 'my favorite professor ever' or 'you made me appreciate...' One of my friends and ex-students changed his major to History because of my course and has since graduated from UCCS with his History degree. Another thanked me for helping them write and writing a reference letter for them in their acceptance to Yale. Another of my old students went on to study history at Oxford. It was always heartwarming to read these strings of feedback. I also loved following the educational journeys of my students after they had moved on from my courses. I've seen many become educators and it is a good feeling to know I helped them on their path.
So here we are, eleven years later. Why would I possibly leave the college? It wasn't an easy decision by any means. I had conversations with a colleague of mine as well and the thing is, I was never going to go full time. Not for any lack of want. I wanted full time since the day I got there. There are reasons as to why I would never get full time but as to avoid calling it what it is, I'm just letting sleeping dogs lie. I could have continued to teach part-time but my frustration with the system reached a peak. There have been plenty of things I could complain about in regards to this but it's time to move on.
My wife, Lisa, has been incredibly supportive of me over the years. Education does NOT pay well, in any capacity, and with only a single class for the summer and no classes on the docket for the Fall, I couldn't continue to justify it. She has been the rock in the family holding a solid job and caring for her family. Without her support over this decade, I would never have been able to do what I love. Now it's time for me to help bring home more of the bacon so we can go out and maybe enjoy a vacation here or there.
I have had depression over this. Not a quick, passing kind but one that has deeply affected me. Teaching is my passion. I absolutely love and adore it. It is what I am good at. Choosing to become an educator was a great choice for me. I felt it was my calling. So to have to make the difficult decision to leave it was not taken lightly at all. Now, at fifty, it is time to reinvent myself once again. I did it once going from Information Technology to Education. Now it's me changing from Education to other public service. I still want to help people in some capacity. Pay is nice but helping is nicer.
So, here I am, at the end of my teaching career. Does it mean I'll leave the field forever? Who knows. I'd go back to teaching at the college tomorrow if I could get full time. It would be a no-brainer for me. But after so many years of waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and nothing...
So adieu, professor gig. It was great while it lasted...
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