As I was wandering the halls – in the week leading to the semester as well as the first few days of the semester – I heard some really inspiring conversations that need to be shared. One of my best friends works with companies as an innovation expert and organizational consultant and he always says that the “values of an organization are not what’s on the walls but what’s in the halls.”
I think what I heard encapsulates the FLCC values:
- I saw a professor walk her entire class to her office and say, “This is my office. You are always welcome here. Don’t ever feel like you are interrupting me; working with you is more important than anything else I’m working on.”
- I heard a conversation between two faculty saying that they were revamping their language on their syllabus. They were using the term “learning with you” with their students because it implies less of a power imbalance and encourages life-long learning.
- I heard an adjunct professor marvel at a recent covid update from Dr. Nye remarking how honest, informative, supportive and hopeful the email was.
- I heard a lot of people absolutely ecstatic at seeing other people (at the CTL event on Friday). Being in a room with other faculty and staff is a rare occasion these days, but worth the effort.
- I heard the genuine thanks and praise to Jenny from AVI who made 100 Belgian waffles by hand in the days leading up to the CTL event.
- I heard students on a panel talk openly about things they loved about FLCC and things that weren’t working so well. There was a lot of authentic conversation, but I heard a lot of optimism and praise. Then I heard faculty and staff talking about how refreshing it was to hear these honest perspectives. And I heard enthusiasm and ideas on how to better serve the students at the college.
- I heard a different professor walking their students to their office, saying “If you think I’m judging you for coming to my office to get help, know this: my judgment is positive; you’re doing what you should be doing.”
FLCC is a treasure. What we do here matters. It’s evident in what we do every day, and it’s evident in the conversations we’re having.
Keep doing what you’re doing, you’re doing great!
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
