Douglas Lewis

Hi Bela: I would definitely say so. I am also a musician and play in a band...practice twice a week and usually playing at least one gig on the weekends. It is definitely my means of unwinding. I have actually had some of my students and other faculty come and watch from time to time and even played a concert last Christmas at the one local campus...that really changed some minds and helped reduce some of the angst on all sides.

I agree I learned some things in this course I had not thought of as well. The work/balance consideration continues to be challenging. I work in a very non-traditional environment in several modalities and facilities (including my home) as well as a clinic and a law office. Juggling those priorities can be very tough as well as determining the "priority of the priorities". Hence several of the strategies such as the daily log are very helpful and I can see the benefit of having something to do a time/motion study to assess how I can improve in the future.

Francesca: I do agree one can become complacent if not careful if one has been either teaching for a long time or teaching the same subject or iteration of that subject. What sparks me is that being also a musician, I look at it as a performance, be it in the actual or virtual classroom. Each performance is unique and individualized, although the structure and topics have uniform expectations. I consider each class an opportunity to excel and personally believe I must exceed in all cases. I do critically analyze what I can or should do differently after each class… >>>