TYCA-MW  Chair Reflections

Beginning again...

I began my only in person class of the semester the way I often do: get students together in groups, have them figure out three things that they all have in common, and then ask them to identify as a group their top five points of interest in the syllabus. I love starting class this way, because it immediately de-centers me and gets students used to the idea that much of the content of this class will be driven by what they're interested in…not by what I have to say.  

We've all experienced classrooms as a mix of students who are engaged, others who are disengaged and don’t care, students who are worried about getting an A, etc. There are always a few who are interested in the class and curious… but this semester, my students were rapt with attention as we discussed…my syllabus. That’s because things went a little differently this year: for the first time students mentioned my DEI policy as a point of interest. “Are you allowed to have that policy? Like, does this school have DEI policies?” Their questions were coming from a place of curiosity, not accusation…and they were a great starting place for conversation about why we are working on our writing this semester. 

Of course the reason they're all so interested is because of how DEI has shown up in the news of late—DEI programs and policies in this country are under attack at the state and now federal level. After our conversation about why DEI matters to me and why I have it in my syllabus, we talked a little about the fact that two-year institutions were generally founded upon principles of equity and inclusion, but we didn't stop there, because my students also had questions about what I knew about federal student aid, since they were worried that their scholarship dollars might be revoked and that maybe this will be their last semester of college.

Now, like many of you, I anticipated that my students would be most interested in my late work policy, my attendance policy, and my very strict expectation that students will write at least one draft of every paper if they want to pass my class. So in some ways this was a pleasant surprise… But in other ways it highlighted to me that while we were all just sort of keeping our heads down and trying to get through the next four years, shit was going down in the first week of this new presidency that was directly affecting students sitting in front of me.

This first day conversation seemed an auspicious beginning to the winter semester, and it actually gave me a chance for the first time in quite a while to have a very real-life inspirational message for my students on day one of class: you have a voice and the reason we are here in this Composition 1 classroom is to help you use that voice to create whatever change you want to see in this world and to join the conversation about issues just like this that directly affect your life. This is one of those moments of teaching that just makes it all feel so clearly like what we do really matters.  

Sitting here in Michigan in February, TYCA Midwest 2025 seems an awful long way away…but I do find myself thinking about how I cannot wait to see what my colleagues will share about their own experiences teaching during this interesting time. I'm so glad to be a Midwesterner, and I feel like there's something that we all share in our “sensibility” that connects us to one another in our region. Even more than that, I feel so grateful for the varied experiences two-year college faculty from this region bring to the table when I meet TYCA peeps each fall at the annual TYCA Midwest conference.  

As we move slowly towards the coming spring and then race toward the respite that summer so often provides, I hope that you will join me in thinking about what you have to share with your TYCA colleagues and what you hope to get out of our time together this coming fall. The TYCA Midwest Executive Committee will meet later this month and also in April to bring together plans for another great conference, this year at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, IL. It is sure to be an inspired time, as always. That inspiration very much depends on our members bringing their ideas, experiences and expertise to share with this community. I hope you’ll submit a proposal for the fall conference when the opportunity presents itself this spring! 

What idea do you have in the incubator this winter? Share your thoughts with me by email. I’d love to hear from you!