How are you feeling about your experience so far?
Simply put, I’m loving it so far. I’d been teaching in the Boston area for six years, and although I definitely miss the classroom, I’m really appreciating the chance to step back and reflect (I’ve been calling this my “sabbatical” year). Every part of the experience feels incredibly relevant to the work I’ve been doing and the work I want to do.
What’s your class schedule like?
My Tuesdays and Thursdays are pretty packed, but then I only have class on Monday evening, and no class at all on Wednesdays or Fridays. Since I’m working one day a week at a charter school in Lynn (30 minutes north of Cambridge), I really appreciate the flexibility this schedule allows me with my time! I was also able to sign up for a wide range of classes—everything from “Adolescent Literacy” to “Teaching and Learning: The Having of Wonderful Ideas”—so I’m definitely never bored.
What’s your favorite class?
All of my classes are great, but I think my favorite right now is Professor Monica Higgins’s “Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Learning.” She teaches using the case study method that was pioneered across the river at Harvard Business School, and the class is all discussion-based. What surprised me most about the class is how many of our cases come from outside the education field — I never would have guessed how relevant being CEO of a cell phone company could be to working in education! I feel like I walk out of every class with some new, concrete insight about how organizations work.
How does the workload compare to your expectations?
It’s about what I expected. There’s definitely a lot of reading (and that first round of paper assignments just hit), but very manageable. What I didn’t anticipate was how much better at being productive I am now compared to when I was an undergraduate! (Caveat: This might be the honeymoon period talking…it’s still September, so check back in a few months!)
What’s been the biggest surprise and/or challenge?
Finding time to pause and reflect. One of my biggest concerns about this year is making sure that I record the thoughts, feelings, insights, and ideas that I’m having to put into practice as I head back into the classroom, and in the exceedingly hectic life of a grad student, it can be difficult to stop, breathe, process, and synthesize my learning.
Do you have a favorite spot on campus yet?
During orientation, our program administrator told us that the couches on the first floor of Gutman have traditionally been “claimed” by the Learning and Teaching cohort. Since our program has no required classes, I really appreciate stopping by the couches in the middle of a busy day and knowing I’ll get the chance to decompress or catch up with some friendly faces.
Author
Reuben Henriques is a master’s student in the Learning and Teaching cohort.
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