Campus Connections 2004 - 2005
Thursday, January 13, 2005
 
Fwd: Yesterday
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Joseph Baruch Warren
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2005 10:07:54 -0800
Subject: Re: Yesterday
To: campus_connections@lists.wwu.edu


Dear Betsy,
I think that the Community Partner / Faculty Luncheon went really
well! Did you get that congratulatory email from Executive Dean
Leatherbarrow?
I don't know if it was the table placement, our brilliant "social
engineering" in the guest seating, the "Thinking about Service
Learning" activity, or just our ridiculous charm, (which is totally
the talk of the campus, by the way) but even Kim, who almost didn't
come based on how little she got out of previous years, seemed to walk
away with ideas and connections to grow an SL program at her center.
I was worried that Brian would leave empty handed, but he announced
that he had an internet development class, and agencies all FLOCKED to
him! I was worried about making that class work, now, with our
luncheon, this quarter is that much closer to a success for him!
The cross section of attendees was great. We were hoping for 25, we
got 50, and with the threat of snow no less! The guy from the teen
center with the skinny tie and asymmetrical hair, Cynthia, who's very
grace seems sometimes to make her seem out of place, the intense lady
from the library, the seemingly endless line of bright eyed
AmeriCorps, the people from all of the agencies with whom we had been
in contact, and the interdisciplinary smorgasbord of faculty members
all carefully shuffled to break out of their traditional cliques
facilitated connections that couldn't have happened through our office
alone.
Oh, and Steph and I presented to Donna's class last night, and it went
unexpectedly well. Neither of us had ever worked with an ESL class,
so it was an awkward start, finding the right way to talk in a way
that the students understood what we were saying, but that we weren't
talking down to them. I kind of wish we had discussed it with you
beforehand. It is an interesting class in that it is all adults with
families, and for the most part multiple jobs. As much as Stephanie
tells them that the students in her Soc. class had to really work to
fit S/L in to their "already-busy-lives" it seems hard, sometimes, to
compare the "Part Time Job / Full Time Class / Dating / Getting Rock
Band or Political Movement or Zine off the ground" already-busy-life
of a 19 year old day student with these ESL night students' "2 Full
Time Jobs / Part Time Student / Full Time Parent / Full Time Language
Student / Full Time Culture Student etc." already-busy-lives. But
instead of a straight presentation, it turned in to a discussion that
I think went really well. They know how excited we are about their
class. At least one student expressed interest in us helping her find
volunteer opportunities, which I said we were available to do.
As well as it went, though, I am glad yesterday is over. The 12 and
half hours, doorstep to doorstep workday really can be tiring, just as
selling all of one's daylight hours can be depressing. Still, I hope
more days like yesterday happen.
Also, Betsy, I am not sure if you have noticed this, but the last
couple of days have provided a slough of personal emails sent to the
whole group. I know that you are occasionally shaky with the
computer, so if you are worried when sending an email out that it will
accidentally go to the list serve instead of the person to whom you
are writing, let me know. I'm pretty good at that kind of thing.
Don't worry though, computers are tricky.
Your cubicle partner,
Joseph Warren


--
Would you like to see Some Interesting Things?
http://home.earthlink.net/~notatyrant

- posted by Joseph Baruch @ 11:01 PM
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