I recently announced that after nearly two decades of teaching real estate, I’m “retiring” this spring! For the past several years, I’ve limited myself to teaching QE (qualifying education—“pre-licensing”) courses only. I will be teaching the Sales Agent and Associate Broker Courses in March/April for the last time.
Among the comments I heard were, “I can’t picture you retiring.”
I confess I had some trouble myself. One of the people I talked to while considering the decision was a good friend and colleague, Jack Falvey. I met Jack in the late 1970s. I’ve been a few years behind him ever since. He’s one of the most down-to-earth people I know, and he has a fantastic ability to cut to the chase. One of his bits of advice was to stop referring to the event as “retirement” and shift to the word “repotting.” He explained, “You’re just going to grow in a different place.”
He was prophetic.
Shortly after the announcement of my retirement repotting, I was offered a position with Beal University. My new “pot” is their Addiction Counseling Program, where I’ll be an adjunct instructor.
One of the more exciting aspects of the position is that Beal University’s curriculum and practice closely follow the flipped or inverted classroom approach. A somewhat oversimplified explanation is in a flipped classroom, what was traditionally done in class is now done at home (online), while what was done as homework is now done in class under the guidance of the instructor. This appeals to me greatly.
I’ve become increasingly aware that SMEs (subject matter experts) are often disadvantaged in the teaching and learning environment. For one thing, students tend to focus and depend on the instructor’s knowledge, and the instructor gets caught up in being “the sage on the stage,” attempting to dispense that knowledge. There’s been much talk over the past decade of moving from the “sage on the stage role” to a “guide on the side” role, but it’s a tough transition.
The source of the quote is debatable, but its accuracy is not. “College is where a professor’s lecture notes go straight to the students’ lecture notes, without passing through the brains of either.”[i]
It’s actually not limited to college—and, in fact, many colleges are flipping their classrooms in ways that diminish the need for subject matter expertise and increase the need for facilitators who can make learning happen.
For those worried about my qualifications, you can check out some of my certifications and read my teaching philosophy. Don’t miss the short story of my day teaching second-year Spanish—a language I do not speak. Another short story involving my young friend Amish friend Hanna Rose makes an important point for anyone who claims the moniker “teacher.”
On an even more personal note, some may know that I remain good friends with my high school English teacher, Tony (“Mr.”) Russo. He’s now an adjunct with several online colleges. I can’t wait for his reaction to this announcement.
And I’m interested in your reaction… While exploring this opportunity, I told several people, “I think I’m ready for academia. But I wonder if academia is ready for me?”
[i] There’s an interesting discussion of the variations and attributions of this quote at https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/08/17/lecture-minds/.
