What A Semester It Has Been

It is really, really difficult for me to believe that this semester is very quickly coming to a close. In fact, our class on Thursday is my last little bit of this semester that I have left. It is even crazier to me that I am halfway done with my master's degree. Man, time flies. But it definitely has been fun.

Without question the best class I have taken this semester has been this one. And I'm not just saying that. I have learned so much from the real life applications that this class has provided me. That, and Sparky's anecdotes.

Today I spent some time looking back through my old blog entries. The variation of topics is really pretty staggering. I first wrote about the college student today, where I found lots of facts and figures from NASPA that helped me figure out more about who we serve as student affairs professionals. I then wrote about free speech, followed by school shootings. I still remember to this day the effect the UAH shooting had on me personally. Then I wrote about restorative justice, student protest, and spirituality - where I found out students are a lot more spiritual than we thought. After a huge change of gears, I wrote about sex on a college campus, an eco-friendly college campus, and student unions. We pretty much covered the gamut of topics in this class, and because of that, I learned so much.

I will take away many things from this class. First, I kind of feel like we all got to learn at the foot of the master - Sparky has been doing this now for such a long time that if you don't listen to his words of wisdom and pieces of advice, you're really foolish. I enjoyed class most when Sparky just told stories. Secondly, I really liked interacting with the other students in the class. I think we can all say we learned at least one thing from one another. We all come from such a varied set of backgrounds that we all had something to teach one another. Finally, I liked the way the course was set up. We didn't have to fiddle with textbooks or lectures. We just talked to one another. That is actually how I learn the best. We just came in, sat down, and talked. Each one of us got our turn, and we all learned something along the way.

I seriously doubt I will have a class this great again. It will be hard to top. I really need to say thank you for the learning experience. I have learned not only more about our profession but about myself, and the type of professional that I want to be.

Sparky asked in class the other day "are y'all sure you want to do this?" I think he was kidding - he had had a long day of meetings - but in all seriousness, this class has reinforced my belief that yes, I do want to do this, and I am excited to spend my life in this profession.

Thank you for a great semester.