"Reflections"
WISE Women and an Instructor
Renate: Oh, they are so young ... my grandchildren's age ... they're are going to wonder what I can teach them that's worth their time ... this is going to be a bigger challenge than I thought ...
Student: This is going to be a drag ... she's so old ... like my grandmother ... she's just going to preach at us ... What do you mean by late? ...
Renate: Well, this class starts at 9 -- so anything after that is late.
Student: Even if we're just a few minutes late?
Renate: Yes, if it's after 9 and you're not in your seat, ready to go to work, then it's late and you'll see on the grading policy that I just handed out that I will deduct 1 point from your grade for every time you're late; so it's like the other parts of your grade, you have total control over it.
Student: So, everyone starts with an A, like you said, and you just deduct points for every little thing, like being late or handing in assignments late? That's not fair, we don't get any warning?
Renate: I disagree - I think it's very fair - you know exactly what the expectations are, there's nothing hidden or secret and if you want, you can track how well you're doing from one week to the next throughout the whole semester...so, no there's no warning from me but nothing keeps you from being your own warning.
Student: Yeah, but in school we always got warning bells before homeroom and notices if we were late with assignments and things like that.
Renate: I guess you mean in high school ... and that was so you could practice for your life after school or for college ... that's what this is. So, you all have warning bells, it's called a watch or a clock, like that one up on the wall, and you all had lots of practice. So, let's move on to the syllabus I handed out.
Student: I know you said there are no dumb questions but what is a syllabus?
Renate: You're right - it's much better to ask a question then to be worried that someone else thinks it's dumb. A syllabus is an outline of the course that the teacher makes so you know what will be covered in the course. Maybe your other professors called it something like that.
So, you see that toward the last third of our time together I expect you to work in groups or one large group toward some project you choose. I have some ideas for projects that may be fun for you but it's your project and you will have to come to consensus about it and then I will help you make a project plan and time line and all that. I just want you to think about what you may want to do ...
Student: You mean you'll make us do it together with the other girls even if we don't like them ... what if they don't do their share ... what if they want to do something different ...
Renate: Well, that's one of the skills you will have a chance to learn and practice: how to come to agreement and how to work together with all different kinds of people, even some that maybe you won't like ...
Student: Elbow-pushing, turning "I wouldn't want to work with her," (half-jokingly.)
Renate: OK, we'll talk about that more as we go along. Today I want you to think about success. A lot of times we talk ourselves out of being successful because we focus on failure so I want you to focus on success. It's called an affirmation, here's a whole sheet of affirmations for you to practice on your own. Someone once said "Success comes in cans, not in cannots," so I'm going to give you little slips of paper and I want you to write your own affirmation and then put it into this "success can" I brought ...
Student: You mean you want us to write it -- I don't want the other girls to know what I wrote
Renate: That's OK. You don't have to sign it, just write an affirmation and put it in through the slot.
Student: I don't want no one to see what I wrote ...
Renate: That's OK, you can fold it and no one will see it. I will write them all on a big piece of paper and bring them to next week's class ...
Student: You mean everyone will see it?
Renate: Yes, and you'll be the only one who knows what you wrote ... there won't be any names ... I don't know your handwriting.
(THE 'SUCCESS CAN' BECOMES ONE OF THEIR FAVORITE EXERCISES - THEY REMIND ME WHEN I DON'T BRING IT FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS. WE DISPLAY IT AT OUR LAST CLASS AND MANY PROUDLY AND PUBLICLY POINT TO THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS!)
Such a little piece of paper, such a big step to turn thoughts to success instead of failure -- so powerful -- I hope they will be able to remember it!
Student: These quotes that you hand out they have become my fridge sayings ...
Renate: I'm not sure what you mean.
Student: You know like the one last week from Eleanor Roosevelt, I put it on my fridge, my friend asked me about it and I explained to her that you give us this inspiration thing every week in class to make us think ...
Renate: So, are you saying it's working, you are inspired?
Student: Yeah, well that one sure was ... when she was putting me down, talking trash and all that I pointed to it and read it to her about no one can make you feel inferior without your consent -- and she didn't even know what inferior meant, I mean she totally didn't get it ... and I had to explain it to her ... I told her she should sign up for this program.
Renate: (Knowing smile and nod.) "Yes, you can encourage her to do that".