Humpday Grumpday blog post time. I forgot to take a picture of the angry polar bears Eugene drew me. Updates later.
Having gotten through almost a year and half at MIT, I still have no clue what the student culture is at MIT, and if you ever hear me say differently, I’m lying to you, and I’m terrified about having to answer these questions in future job interviews, because I honestly think this may be one of the most odd, frustrating, educational, and definition-defying positions I’ll ever hold.
… I don’t…
So, when #satech, the weekly (biweekly?) chat about student affairs, higher ed, and technology, chatted about face to face v. tech communications today, and Tim St. John tweeted this answer out, I needed to step back and take a look at what was going on with my happiness, stress, and frustration at MIT.
Q3 we have to be comfortable calling students out when tone in an email, tweet, etc. is off. Many teachable moments result #satech—
Tim St. John (@timstjohn) February 18, 2014
My initial reaction was panic, because I’ve gotten these emails or been in a similar situation fairly often while I’ve worked here. My next feeling was frustration, because I feel like my emotions and my day get taken over by the moments (which I’m working on), especially the ones that involve yelling students storming in and out of my office. The next reaction… was remembering this Calvin and Hobbes.
What are we getting worked up over? What’s the context?
With this comic, I’m not trying to imply that a poorly worded tweet or inappropriately toned email is not a teachable moment or is something that can be brushed off as something small. But, its also based on context, and the environment you are in, that determines how much capital you can use on that conversation. I guess, now that I think about it, it’s pretty sad that a conversation with a student about the tone of their email is something that I think would hurt my attempt to continue to connect with them in the future or maintain a connection that would keep them coming back.
Me in my 1:1s with my supervisor after a tough couple of weeks.
I used to get worked up about each perceived slight against my work, my office, or student life at MIT from both the student realms and the fellow staff/faculty realms. That made for way too many angry days at work. But, in trying to see the larger context of these situations, I am getting better at picking my battles and figuring out what to expend my energy on that might have the chance to create the most influence. While the student culture and the administrative and academic culture of silos here at MIT still baffles me, I’m at least using them to understand myself better, as a professional and a person.
I think that what I’m trying to say is that every situation will be different, and it is part of our development as professionals to figure out what merits a battle that is worth fighting. I work in a division that is still trying to establish its identity on campus, that is still making inroads and trying to get students to simply talk to us, rather than think they need to hide things from ‘the administration.’ My battles are certainly different from Tim’s at Clark, and his are very different from mine, but I think that reflects the overarching theme in thoughts about higher ed these days, that there is no one-size fits all solution to the numerous problems our field faces. It’s all about that gut feeling and trying your darnedest to understand what student culture entails or at least the philosophy and approach of the students you most closely work with. And that, kiddos, is something your grad program won’t teach you, that’s something even the most seasoned of professionals I would assume are continually developing to the day they retire.
