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Back to the Office

 It's been three weeks since I've been back in the office. So far, it's been a mixed bag. On one hand, it has been wonderful to see my colleagues and catch up. On the other hand, I am still not used to wearing pants.

There have been a lot of changes that have happened over the past 15 months. During the pandemic, Dallas County Community College District became Dallas College. Many people had to reapply for their jobs. Some were let go, and others are at completely different campuses doing a completely different job than they did in March of 2020. This is one time where having a grant-funded job has been a tremendous benefit. 

When I came back to my office, it looked as if I had left it for a long weekend. Everything was right where I left it. The first thing I did was clean out everything (paper) that I had not used at home, If I didn't need it while working and teaching from the house, I didn't need it. There was so much stuff.

I'm a paper hoarder, so every file and scrap of paper I recycled was like throwing away a dear friend. I had to do it though. I made the commitment to continue using the cloud and making all my lessons and assignments accessible digitally. 

It is my plan to integrate digital literacy into all of my classes from now on. Over the "break" I realized how many of my students were woefully unprepared for small tasks such as emailing an attachment or login into the virtual classroom. Fortunately, I received some great professional development that gave me ideas on how to do this. The process is tedious because it is new, but it is worth it.

I am currently teaching an IET (Integrated Education and Training) class at Dallas College Mountain View. There are ten students and they are learning the basics of finance and banking. My portion of the class is basically teaching soft skills and some digital literacy. This is the second week of class, and we are bonding well. I have a good feeling about these students. I believe they will be successful in their career pursuits.

I am still wearing a mask around groups of people. I encourage you to do the same. 


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