Mark Solomon's Blog

I read this piece on higher education pedagogy this morning and I found myself nodding along to a good deal of it. For instance, it is shocking how little formation graduates receive in the actual mechanics of teaching. As I continued to read though, I found that the solutions being advocated are ones that I have recently experienced, and so I feel entitled to give a bit of feedback. After a lengthy discussion of theories of higher education, here are the recommendations made to educators as a program of self improvement: Walk around campus to assess the accessibility of common spaces and classrooms. An accessible desk in every classroom doesn’t do much good if students can’t get to that desk because the rooms are overcrowded. Invite students to share their pronouns. Model this behavior, but don’t expect it of every student. Make sure there is an easy and advertised process for students, faculty, and staff to change their names within institutional systems. Be su...

It’s the first week of the semester, and I am struggling to work. Even at halfway through I could understand feeling exhausted and avoiding speaking or writing. But this is too soon, and with too far to go. School isn’t what’s exhausting me right now, and speaking is not what tires me. Holding back is what wears me out, makes me avoid looking at my syllabai until the last moment. So for the sake of my work, I’ll say what’s on my mind. Near the end of the session this summer, I had what I would call a “mental health event”. I was in a foreign country, surrounded by new people, and doing difficult academic work. No surprise then that the feelings of alienation and isolation that I’ve dealt with for so long were intensified. So I reached out to a counselor through the school to talk about what I had been thinking of as culture shock/homesickness. Glory to God, that counselor is helping me to heal from trauma that has diverted the entire course of my life. I’ll cut to it; my parents ...

As I drifted off to sleep last night, I was thinking "Wow I'm going to sleep at home now and the next time I do that I'll be in Greece!" Then I remembered that I'll actually not be doing that, as I have a long itinerary of buses, planes, and cars between here and Athens. Hopefully I'll catch some sleep on the road. I'm very excited for this trip. Not only is it the first time I've left North America, it's a real landmark for me academically and personally. I'm at a halfway point in my undergraduate studies, so I know enough to recognize and put into context places I've read about before. I also have time to learn new things, rethink what I know, and reach a deeper understanding. On the personal side, I feel much more secure and confident as a person than I ever have before in life. In my 20's I had no sense of direction or self worth. Thanks to God, my wife, and some therapy, I now feel like I can plan ahead, make goals, and even le...