This week teaching my Anatomy labs was a little trying, particularly in the lab that has almost all graduate students. Now, this lab is always a little bit different because the grad students are a bit (read: overall, a lot!) more confident in thier anatomy knowledge, whether they really should be or not. Now to give them credit-most of them do mre advanced work for lab, so they do generally walk into the lab each week with a bit more anatomy knowledge than the other sections. To hear them talk though, you would think that each of them is the heir to the Gray's legacy. This lab is also my most difficult because I generally teach it almost entirely on my own, as opposed to just teaching bits of the other lab sections, and, perhaps complicating matters most, these are my peers, and my classmates in my other courses this semester-so it's a little challenging each week to get them into the "I may be a classmate in some classes, but in this lab I am the instructor," frame of mind. So this is an overwhelming week in anatomy lab, no question about it. When the student's walk in, they are confronted with a new addition to their word list that doubles the material they need to know, by next week, for the midterm exam. However, I do not come up with the lab schedule, nor do I create the list of structures we need to go over. But, I am the messenger. So the generally more difficult lab of the week turned into a pretty trying lab. As in, there was more complaining and "witty" comment-making than ever before. And I, lucky me, was the one standing at the front of the room dealing with it. But my whole issue with the behavior, is that if they had spent less time complianing and chit-chattering about how impossible I and the class was, they would have noticed that they were not difficult structures we were going over. And there really weren't that many new words, they were just really repetitive. And that maybe it wasn't my fault that this was all happening, and that I was there to help them. And that I will be spending 6 hours of my weekend in the lab so they can review! So needless to say, it was a bit difficult. It did, however, remind me of what teachers go through, and what my amazing mama does every day. It is a very underapprecaited thing, teaching is!
So I was in a bit of a mini-funk when I got home last night, not because the comments and remarks had personally hurt my feelings, but because I had not been able to get the class around the the realization that this wasn't an impossible task, and that they could definitely do it! As I was about to go to bed, I checked my email and I had a new message from a student in that lab section. It went like this:
I just wanted to say "thank you" for all of your help in the lab. I think everyone is overwhelmed, at times, and we forget how much work you invest, so I just wanted to let you know that you are appreciated!
So simple, so kind, so thoughtful, and so totally made my night better. Thank you, to the one who sent it to me-it really does mean a lot. Isn't it so nice to be acknowledged for your efforts in life? So today, my goal is to give someone else the kindness and thought that was given to me last night. I always try to be nice, but I think that we all have our moments when we can be a bit more considerate of others if we just focus on it. So please join me in spreading a little kindness and consideration of all of mankind today!
