Today is the first day back on campus and I'm reflecting on last semester. I recall running late to class one day. Super late. My assumption was that by the time I got there that the majority of the students would've left. (In undergrad, we'd give the professor about 10-15 minutes, if even that, before we'd dip out.)
I finally made my way to the classroom and what did I find? A full class. I immediately apologized and asked my students if anyone had left. They said a few students, maybe 4 or 5 (out of 45) had left. I asked them why they stayed and waited for me so long. A student responded, "We're here for the lesson." His peers affirmed the sentiment with head nods. Another student from the other side of the classroom says, "Yea, the students that left must've been the same ones who said that they were just taking the course because of GE requirement on the first day. We're here for the lesson." I nearly cried.
Entering this semester with a renewed sense of purpose. Now is not the time for intellectual laziness. I'm diving into my work to help these young people make sense of what's happening around them, and I am forever grateful to be afforded this honor. Let's get it.
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