Student-as-Teacher: Crossing the Border

September is here, and fall is in the air. This time of the year has always been magical for me because with it comes the start of a new school year. I can almost smell the fresh Crayola crayons, the pencil shavings, the dust of the chalkboard. New beginnings come with the fall, chances for new achievements, for mastering new content through reading, writing, studying.

I am a student at heart, and I think I always will be. Long before boys, or sports, or a good white wine, school was my first true love. I know this because looking back on my behavior leading up to the first day of classes, there is no denying I was preparing for a big date. I would organize, re-organize, and organize again my fresh new school supplies in my bookbag, agonize over which lunchbox was just the right size, and lay out that first day outfit weeks in advance (which is saying something, because this behavior occurred even during 8 years of uniform-wearing private school). I would not sleep the night before, but instead stay up late writing my name in all my new notebooks, thinking about what the school year would bring.


In an oft chaotic and tumultuous childhood, school became a refuge, a place where I knew there were always answers. If I studied hard, I would get good grades. If I did all of my homework, read every book I could get my hands on, the solutions were there. Like a treasure hunt, the school year for me was a tantalizing opportunity to discover, question, and confirm.

Of course, it becomes clear somewhere around middle school that maybe all of the answers aren't there, that maybe the answer is there is no one right answer, but that did not stop me from trying.

Though tempered with anxiety about "grown-up stuff," I am still that first-day jitters, pig-tailed, notebook-labeling little girl when it comes to the start of the semester. I can't wait to dive into fresh textbooks and ponder new ideas. But, this school year is different than all the others in one very distinct way. This year I am a student, but I am also a teacher.

Tomorrow I begin a semester-long voyage into unfamiliar territory, co-instructing an undergraduate course in leadership. For the first time, I will see what school is like from the other side of the desk, the view from the chalkboard (which is now more likely a high-tech whiteboard). And though I have taught students before in other settings, tomorrow will be different.

Much of the summer was spent preparing for this moment, this transition from student to teacher. Teaching this semester has the potential to change my perspective on education, learning, and possibly even my career. I hope that crossing the border will help me figure out where I stand, and in particular, in what direction I'll move come graduation in May.