Teacher For A Day

Hey guys! I feel like I should start by stating the obvious, I’m not very good at this whole blogging thing. But I hope that by now you all know me well enough that I can be candid. I’d like to leave behind the analytical, academic tone of this semester’s archive and ask you all a question that is purely selfish: How do you like to learn?

As we are all tweaking and finalizing our lesson plans, it was proposed to me by Prof. Reitz that it might be a good idea to ask you guys to think about a learning experience that you particularly enjoyed. Why did you enjoy it? Why do you remember it? Was the professor more engaging than most others? Was there a guest speaker? Was the class discussion especially riveting? Was there a debate or even an argument that broke out? Did an activity teach you something new about yourself, about someone else? Were there cupcakes?

One of my ‘top 10 classes’ took place about a month ago. My International Human Rights professor decided to take a step back and let one of his students teach a class. His aim was to show the class that students could, and should, get involved in the field as soon as possible. He wanted us to understand that you don’t necessarily need a degree to make a difference. The presenter for the evening was an undergraduate student who had spent her summer researching human rights violations in the Dominican Republic, before moving on to work with a non-profit community organization (promoting the right to education) in India. The presentation itself was a combination of a personal narrative about her experience, and an informational session on types of NPOs and NGOs. She had pictures and slides and all that jazz. But what I felt was most important about the presentation, was that she was demonstrating how what we were discussing in class was relevant and applicable to the real world. She took the ideas and theories she had studied at John Jay and brought them to communities that needed those fresh perspectives. It was amazing how much the organization in India appreciated her knowledge and how she was able to share the information with the staff and the community that they serve.

It is with this aim, of presenting ideas that students can begin to apply immediately to their lives and their careers, that I chose ‘Philanthrocapitalism’ and venture philanthropy for my lesson. On a personal level, I am also interested in the discussion that might come out of my lesson. As a supporter of these ideas, it will certainly help me to begin to understand why some people agree that they’re not so great. What is it that you hope to get from your ‘teacher for a day’ experience?

I hope this blog entry will help us to create lesson plans that will be interesting and engaging for each other.

So please, tell me, how do you like to learn?

-Lenny