On two separate occasions this week I've found myself stuck in one of those endless-loop conversations I thought I'd left behind in grade school: "Oh no you can't / oh yes I can / oh no you can't / oh yes I can" ad infinitum. I had this conversation once with a pair of persistent students and once with an administrator, and it's frustrating regardless of which side of the power differential I'm standing on. I caved in to the administrator's demands, but with the students I stood my ground but still didn't feel like king of the hill (or queen of the hill or even princess; more like paper-pusher of the hill).
That conversation is never fun no matter which side of the hill I'm standing on, which is why I was thrilled to create a conversation that leveled that hill entirely. Our first pedagogy workshop of the year brought together a mix of lively colleagues from all over campus to talk about understanding and responding to students' nonverbal communications, and as I sat at the table enjoying my colleagues' contributions, I gave myself a little invisible pat on the back. I didn't preside or present or take center stage in any way, but my administrative skills brought that group together so the magic could happen.
Can one wonderful hour of synergy and serendipity counteract the ill effects of two dead-end king-of-the-hill conversations? I hope so, because I don't want to climb that hill again.
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