Over the summer, Ohio State Lima Counseling Services office (LCCS) began a project aimed at connecting our faculty and our students. And so far, the results have been exciting!!
Every year Kyle Schwartz, a third-grade teacher in Denver, Co, asks her students to fill out index cards anonymously completing the sentence, “I wish my teacher knew …” This year, she began posting some of her students’ thought-provoking, sometimes poignant responses on Twitter. She gained attention from around the world, and other teachers have tried her project in their classes as well. It has been a way for Ms. Schwartz to learn about her students, feel connected to them, and for them to feel that they are cared about as individuals. You can check her out yourself on Twitter @kylemschwartz or read some of the news stories linked below.
This year, we wanted to try something similar with our students. We know our students come from a variety of backgrounds and have diverse family situations, interests, and motivations for being on our campus. We also know that it’s important for their academic success to be engaged in the campus community. To that end, Counseling Services has planned several outreach programs for the upcoming year to facilitate engagement.
But first, we needed the faculty’s help! We asked our faculty to set a good example and to also be engaged in the campus community in this way. We gave them each an index card and and asked them to complete the sentence “I wish my students knew …” They could leave the card anonymous, and it could say anything they wished to communicate to students.
Our goal was for all of our faculty to take a moment to consider something (or more than one something) they’d like students to know. Something about them, about teaching, about surviving college, something they wish someone had told them when they started this journey.
Well, our faculty did not disappoint!! They shared with us personal stories, their love for teaching, and much more. We’re posting these bits of insight and wisdom on our Facebook page with the hashtag #iwishmystudentsknew. Keep an eye out for them. We’ll also use them in student events that we conduct throughout the year.
Now it’s the students’ turn. During Autumn semester, we will be collecting similar cards from students and sharing their responses with faculty, administration, and the larger campus community. These will show up under the hashtag #Iwishmyteacherknew.
Want to see more? Check out our Facebook page to keep up with what your teachers have to say, and what other Lima Buckeyes are saying.
More about Kyle Schwartz’s project: (search: I wish my teacher knew)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/