One of my favorite parts of Interview Days was the round
table discussions with the faculty. In
fact, for me, it was the faculty that really sold the CSP program. I loved that they went by their first names,
seemed passionate about the program, and were clearly interesting people that I
just wanted to get to know better. Most
importantly, I sensed that CSP was more than just a program; it is a family. However,
by the time August arrived, my excitement had transformed into fear. I was intimidated to start a Master’s
program, to go into such small classrooms, and to present both my work and
myself to critique from professors and classmates. Despite these initial fears, the classroom
experience and academics have quickly become two of my most valued experiences
within the CSP program.
Call me a geek, but I love the opportunity to breakdown different theories, articles, and concepts
and to not only have the opportunity to express my own thoughts, but to be
challenged intellectually by other people in the room. Coming from an accounting background, I did
not often have the chance to voice my own opinion—accounting is a science, and
usually, you are either right or you are wrong.
However, student affairs is at the other end of the spectrum. There is an endless possibility of ways to
view a situation and I find that I ardently believe in and want to understand
all those perspectives. This has
challenged me to open my mind and to try to consider the value behind a
multitude of different opinions. Although
this is not always easy, it has one of the most valuable learning
opportunities.
As a result of this, I have quickly come to believe that the
most valuable assets in the classroom are your peers. Instead of pulling from
just my own experience, I am able to benefit from the experiences, thoughts,
and opinions of everyone in the room.
Because of this, creating a safe and judgment-free environment is not just
respectful to your peers, it’s imperative for your own intellectual
development. While we might be working
towards our own individual grades and improved competency, we succeed (or fail)
together. The true secret to a
successful classroom is understanding that we need each other. Some of my greatest moments of growth have
come from having someone push back and challenge me to explain my
thoughts. This can come from classroom
discussion, peer editing, or faculty feedback.
While I will never say that paper-writing is my favorite
thing to do in the world or that I love having piles of reading to do when the
new episode of my favorite TV show comes on, I absolutely love and appreciate
the knowledge I have taken away from my first year of the CSP program. I no longer fear entering the classroom. Instead, I actively look forward to the
opportunity to sit down and explore the world of student affairs together with
my classmates and faculty. However, it
has definitely been a journey.
You get out of the classroom experience what you put into it
and it is about so much more than just a grade (although those are important,
too). It’s about doing everything you
can do to best prepare yourself and to pack your toolbox full of everything
you’ll need to be a successful practitioner.
If that means taking courses outside of the HIED department – do
it! If that means pushing yourself to
take the Ph.D. level class you are really
interested in even though it scares you- do it! While the classroom environment
can be a scary one to enter, the thought of leaving the safety and security of
the classroom is something that I now find much more concerning!
The classroom is a place I will always value. We talk a great deal about helping our
students to learn, develop and grow.
However, it is important to remember that we are all still working on
this as well and for me, the classroom is where it all starts.
-Kirsten Lenthe
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