Thursday, July 31, 2014

best start to my class ever

I’m teaching an evening class this Semester. It begins at 6 and ends at 8 pm. It runs the danger that those arriving from work will be hungry and that attention levels will be flagging by the end. For those with a class prior, there’s an awkward time of waiting.

So I decided I’d offer soup. A quick email to all participants, saying that soup and bread would be available in the student common room from 5:30 pm.

We have no facilities for cooking, but who needs an oven when you have a crock pot, filled with pumpkin and simply turned to high two hours prior.

By 5:30 pm, about half the class had gathered. We were sitting around a table, pushed together. Bowls were being filled, compliments were being exchanged. Introductions were being made, banter was being exchanged, the warmth of humanity was emerging. Students were meeting me as “Steve the soup maker” seated at table, rather than Steve the lecturer, standing at the front of class.

soup

By the time we entered the classroom, a culture had been created. There was a relational connection, a sense of community, that no amount of first hour class dynamics would have the hope of achieving.

It’s the first time I’ve offered food and I was for me a very significant lesson in my teaching experience.

Posted by steve at 09:21 PM

3 Comments

  1. The simplest things..

    Comment by len hjalmarson — August 1, 2014 @ 3:23 am

  2. Tremendous practice Steve. AND such sacramental community building enhances learning.
    Best wishes, John.

    Comment by John Littleton — August 1, 2014 @ 11:05 am

  3. Yes John. When we get the lecture 4 – Jesus and table fellowship, we will already have had an embodied experience to reflect on

    steve

    Comment by steve — August 1, 2014 @ 11:10 am

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.