You can spot the Freshmen

Jan's teaching assignment involves oral English instruction with freshmen students.   For the next few weeks, it's kinda easy to tell them apart from other students.   Freshmen education begins not with classes but with a four week stint in military training.   From early morning to late evening, they can be found throughout the campus dressed in fatigues and practicing drill.

Designed both to emphasize patriotic responsibility and instill discipline, students here generally view the experience positively.   On American campuses new students sometimes become lost amidst a newly found freedom.   So much so that freshmen student retention has become a major focus at many US universities.

For Jan, this time allows a chance to prepare well for classes starting in October.    For me, it allow some much needed help as I prepare for 4 weekly sections contiaining, in total, about 225 students.  Sure will be a lot of names to learn and remember!

School Begins!

Students arrived on campus across the weekend accompanied, in many cases, by family and friends.

By Sunday the walkways bustled, sounds clashed, and the energy-level rose dramatically.   Tucked away on steps and elsewhere students reconnected, shared schedules, and swapped stories.   Proud parents walked alongside nervous freshmen, children played everywhere, and old friends reunited.

Classes began Monday.  I taught three sections each of which had roughly 60 students.   Tuesday afternoon I meet my fourth group.   Introducing my course as a place where students will connect theory to real world practice, I outlined a learning approach not typical to their experience.   Within a classroom context (in person and online) we will create together something akin to an "executive coaching" experience.  Both and I were excited at the prospect.   [Syllabus to be posted here soon.]

It looks like it will be a great year!!!

~Ernie Beal

For Children Everywhere

Ernie Haase & Signature Sound A Good Heart lyrics