With a week off and a mind that is nearly tired of playing WWE 2k15 and other games, I find myself falling into legitimate thinking patterns destined to lead to something productive and worthwhile. This is probably not that post. I recently tore myself away from the console to read an article about ‘winning’ your first week at work. As is my normal thought pattern, I filtered what they had to say through my latest ‘new job’ experience that took place a few years ago. I don’t think I made a wonderful impression. In fact, I think the impression I made then is probably worse than the one I made this year when life punched me in the mouth and followed up with a few kicks to the nethers and said, ‘You want some? Come get some!’
I could’ve used the article then. For all intents and purposes I will use the article now going into the fall semester. I’ll take a few things it says to heart, such as not trying to impress, engaging with the right people, and asking the necessary questions beforehand. More importantly I am going to have this conversation with students about how to ‘do’ their first week of school and critically consider the role early impressions make in the way a person is perceived and ‘handled’ over time.
I don’t believe there is a great amount of meta-thought that happens around the idea of how to be a student by students during the first week. There is just too much going on. They are entering a new world with new responsibilities and likely doing a great deal of partying and worrying and buying of a whole bunch of stuff to be ready, but what does it really means to ‘be ready’ and to make a ‘good impression’ and set yourself up as the student you expect to be from day one. I don’t have a clear answer, but I feel the conversation is one worth having with the students.
Some Thoughts:
- Back in 1840 William Henry Harrison was named president of these United States. Who? Exactly… It is strange how some presidents slip into obscurity while others–either through things they did, things done to them, or the circumstances of the time end up living in our hearts and on our money forever.
- Houston proved once again that they don’t belong in the conference finals. Now what is Cleveland going to prove as short handed as they are? Only that LeBron James is kind of an epic basketballer.