Summer Break is Here!

Graduation was awesome! The epitome of the culmination of all their hard work and sacrifice is all wrapped up in about an hour and a half. As I watch each student walk across the stage I remember, like short flashbacks, short instances of interaction with just about all of them, whether from class, lab, Phi Theta Kappa, or just passing them in the hallways or student lounges. It is truly amazing to watch someone who has made it to the end of a rainbow only to hop on another one.

Because we are in a small rural town, the Great Recession has really hit us hard and really most students will have to move away in order to find some sort of work. It makes me worry for this small community.

On another note, lately I've been going through one of my I really wish I had my PhD spells. When I achieved my masters degree in 1994 I decided then I wanted my PhD. Well it is now almost 17 years later and I still have not gotten the chance to pursue it. I am beginning to think my chances at this dream are now dwindling. But you know, I do love teaching! I've heard that when you become a PhD, you begin doing more research than teaching, but I do love research too.

Speaking of research, there is a research project I'm dying to do. I first need to understand econometrics and find some mentor....surely I can do this without the PhD credentials!

Right now I need to concentrate on getting my classes as automated and effective as possible. I realize that our students traditionally have different backgrounds than those going to universities because our students quite frequently have not attended school in a while due to being in the work force or what have you. So quite often we are put in a position of teaching not only course material, but also foundation skills that younger students have just recently learned. In addition many of our students have family responsibilities that preclude spending extra time on their studies. However there has got to be a way to awaken that part of knowledge quicker, maybe not by worker longer, but by working smarter. Hmmmm, I think I'll work on that this summer. You know what? I can do this and I will!

Spring Semester 2011 FINALLY in full swing!!

Spring Semester began very slowly!  Our first week of school was snowed out, like the last week of school last semester.  We are still struggling with a new online teaching platform.  If the instructors are confused, you KNOW the students are confused!  Plus, I have taken on a ridiculously HUGE overload this semester.  My boss's boss warned me, but I told her confidently, I'll be fine.  But, after a few very late nights (like 3:30 in the morning late), I'm not so confident anymore (why do I always feel I need a learning experience, why can't I just take the advice of others who have been there done that???).

I have to tell you, though, that I love my students more and more each semester.  There are always the same complaints (why do I have to figure out how to do this when you can just walk me through it AND why do I have to come to class OR why do we not have more classtime).  But you know, just like getting used to the idiosyncracies (sp?) of your significant other and loving him for them, I now love hearing those same ole complaints.  You just shake your head and say, yep, life is rough.  If I could download the learning to your brain, I would, but in accounting you generally have to learn by doing, and you can't learn by doing if I do it for you.  :-)

We are beginning a VITA site this year also.  VITA stands for "Volunteer Income Tax Assistance" and it is an IRS-sponsored program whereby IRS-certified volunteers will prepare (FOR FREE) tax returns for taxpayers whose income is less than $49,000.  It's an awesome program, and talk about a WIN-WIN!!  Not only do most of our students qualify for the free tax preparation, but the students who volunteer to prepare the tax returns will gain invaluable experience (soft skills - those skills that you can't teach in a classroom), not to mention the valuable mention of the experience and the certification on their resumes!

So far things have really gone well for this program, I am so proud of the students who have decided to help out.

Well, I am REALLY behind on grading, so ta-ta for now.....I heard another version of the ancient accounting blessing (May your debits equal your credits), which is: may your assets exceed your liabilities!  I love my students!!!!

Yay! Fall semester is DONE for me!

The community college at which I teach is located in the Western North Carolina mountains, and we have had SNOW and ICE since Sunday, December 12th, and our grades were due today, December 16th!  And the college is closed AGAIN today!!

I have to admit, though I've been complaining a little bit about online classes, but there is ONE very BIG advantage of online classes because my students were able to take their finals on time, probably much to their dismay, I might add.

Anyway, I am DETERMINED to GET AHEAD for next semester.  I am currently working on my classes for Spring, and I am really excited about them!  I found online where a professor had posted his own textbook, lectures, exercises, problems, and sample exams and he gave me permission to use them as long as I don't charge anyone for them, which of course is the furthest thing from my mind! 

Other things that are going on in the near future.....we are beginning a VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) site in January, we have Phi Theta Kappa invitation letters going out and need to plan for those activities, not to mention I need to make sure to get all my CPE in to keep my CPA. 

I'm really excited about the VITA site.....I currently have 15 volunteers, and though many of them were very thrilled to volunteer, I believe a few felt that they "couldn't say no to the teacher."  However, our IRS contact, Bruce Putman, will be on our campus on January 7th to do a small training event.  We have been waiting on our training material and, as luck would have it, the material has not come yet but the college will be closed soon for Christmas break.  Next year, I'll have to remember to ask Bruce to order the materials earlier.

It is so bittersweet, though, to find out who is graduating this semester.  I am very happy for those students who have met their goals, but I often bond with them, as they struggle to understand accounting, and saying good-bye is sad to say the least, but I am so very proud of them too. 

And then, of course, there are other good students whose life has gotten the better of them.  One single mother of two just lost her home and is now living in a shelter, another very brave student just found out that her cancer has moved to her liver, which is never good news.  One student who has already graduated has not been able to find a job, but is taking care of both his disabled wife and disabled mother.  His unemployment benefits have run out, and he is wondering what he is going to do.

These are tough times, this is when we should ALL pull together, like Americans do, roll up our shirt sleeves and dig our way out!

Sitting Through a Moodle Workshop

I love Moodle!!  Our community college is changing from Blackboard to Moodle, and of course as with any change there are a bunch of things we have to work out, but I can see how Moodle will be so much more user friendly.

DI von Briesen is conducting a workshop for us clueless instructors (clueless as to Moodle) and he is excellent!! 

I really want to move more of my courses to online, but I have noticed that the students learn more in group projects and lecture.  I'm thinking to bring that to the virtual world, use groups, forums, and youtubes of my lectures.

I wonder if anyone else has experience with this?  Of course building an online course is only 10 years worth of work smushed into a week, right?  Hey, why not, after all I am OVERZEALOUS!!!

Teaching Distance Education

Okay, I surrender!  Although I LOVE to teach accounting face-to-face with eager accounting students (or they want me to believe they are eager, I know otherwise, I just don't let them know they're not fooling me), the way times are headed, it turns out I've got to learn, nay, embrace teaching accounting online. 

I've taught a few accounting courses online already, usually with disastrous results.  However, I have only included word, excel, and pdf files, which are boring, boring, and boring.  So, I am now following along with my Charlotte, NC neighbors in Learning 2.0 - 23 things, and hopefully I will create some sort of collaborative learning environment where my students can not just learn, but ABSORB the exciting, challenging, and often beautiful world of debits and credits. 

You, my dear blog, is the first step in this glorious journey.  What is the next step?  Only time will tell.

I leave you with a mysterious, ancient accounting blessing......
MAY YOUR DEBITS ALWAYS EQUAL YOUR CREDITS!