Retreat…or Advance?

Submitted by Peg Balachowski, Associate Dean of Teaching & Learning at EvCC

I just returned from the Winter Assessment, Teaching and Learning (ATL) retreat held every quarter at the Rainbow Lodge in North Bend, WA. The Lodge is in the shadow of Mount Si near North Bend, and on Thursday afternoon as we were working in our small groups we looked out onto the grassy area behind the Lodge and saw 2 elk grazing. It’s a wonderful place for our state-wide group of faculty professional development folks to grab a little time for our own professional development and talk about teaching and learning at our different colleges.

The dictionary defines retreat (v.) as the act of withdrawing, as into safety or privacy, and (n.) a place of refuge, seclusion, or privacy. Certainly our time together at the Lodge includes time for both of these. We retreat from our computers, the fast paced every day duties, the traffic, and find a place where we can have real conversations with our colleagues.

Maybe we should call this an “Advance,” defined as (v) to move forward, to improve, to promote, or (n) to increase in value, to improve or make progress, to grow in importance. Our discussions provided an opportunity for us to advance our understanding of what happens in the professional development and teaching and learning centers on the various campuses, and among the workgroups we discussed outcomes assessment, new faculty orientations, and faculty competencies. We also wondered if we should pursue becoming a Council within the SBCTC system. Together we were able to do some sense making of the issues that face our complex system of 34 community and technical colleges, each with a different culture, and potentially resolve some of those differences to ensure both faculty and student success.

Want to know more about ATL retreats? Check out the SBCTC website and learn how you can be involved!

Introducing Scott Haddock

Scott Haddock, Tenured Faculty - Paralegal Department at Edmonds Community College 



Scott is a strong believer that faculty development has measurable impacts on teaching and student learning outcomes, and is well worth the investment. His teaching philosophy centers on the belief that his primary role as a teacher is to challenge his students to realize their fullest potential and help them identify their hidden strengths and passions.

Scott is a Puget Sound native with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington. He earned his Juris Doctorate degree and certification in Dispute Resolution from Willamette University College of Law. Scott is a member of two state bar associations: the Washington State Bar and the California State Bar, and has over 20 years of experience practicing law as an employment and civil rights attorney.

He began teaching law at Edmonds Community College as an associate faculty in 2008. He became a full-time faculty member in 2010, and was awarded tenure in 2016.

Outside of teaching, Scott enjoys being a dad to a very self-determined 10-year-old boy with an obsession for sports. Scott and his family have two beautiful Labrador retrievers: a four-year-old chocolate lab and a two year-old silver lab.

Motivation

submitted by Peg Balachowski, Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning at EvCC

"There is only one way to succeed at anything and that is to give everything."

Vince Lombardi, American football coach

MOTIVATION



What motivates you?

I was listening to a presentation by Crystal Hall from the Evans School at the University of Washington last week at the College Spark Guided Pathways retreat. She spoke about how we, as humans, try our best to avoid incompetence. She said, “Engaging in things in which we feel competent reduces stress.”

That’s a classic human response – when I do a cardio class and the instructor tells us we are going to take it up a notch, my inner student says “No, I am comfortable where I am, I don’t need to work any harder.” Of course I don’t see the benefits of the challenge when I keep doing the same routine and not going for the heavier weights.

The same is true for our students. They often feel frustrated when a new instructor doesn’t teach the way a previous instructor taught, maybe challenging them to reach a little higher, and take some chances – in other words, they are avoiding incompetence.

Crystal also used the phrase “hassle factors.” How can we remove those barriers that get in the way of students making good choices? This leads me to the work we are doing at Everett Community College in designing program maps for faculty to use when they are advising students. For any given program there are required courses (degree requirements). But there are also electives to complete the credits required for a transfer degree. Students need 15 credits from the approved Humanities list. And there are well over 100 courses to choose from!! Sounds like choice overload, and many students simply spin the wheel to choose a course regardless of whether it’s the “best” choice. How do we keep this from becoming overwhelming when students are making their educational plans? As faculty teams create their program maps we are asking them to choose elective courses that will complement their program. What are the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) that a student in your program will need as they progress in their education to a career in your field? How would the elective you are recommending support those KSAs?

Of course it’s “almost un-American to remove choice” Crystal tells us. But as we complete our program maps we believe we are intentionally designing for student success. That is what motivates us! As strategic thinkers, we know we have to take Vince Lombardi’s advice and “give it everything.”

Introducing Natasa Kesler

Natasa Kesler, Director of Teaching and Learning at Cascadia College, shares a bit about her work and life. Check it out below:














What do you like most about your job?
It allows me to teach and to share my love for teaching. I’m also very lucky to be surrounded by people I can learn from and whom I admire.

What are three career lessons you’ve learned thus far?
Hard work pays off.
If you can, surround yourself with people who inspire you.
It’s always better to show things than to talk about them.

What is one surprising thing you do as part of your job?
In my office I have a catering cart for our Teaching and Leaning Academy meetings. My students mostly see me dissecting animals and organs so I love seeing their faces when they encounter me pushing the cart with coffee and pastries.

What do you like to do on your days off?
I love hanging out with my family. As our kids grow older, my husband and I are more aware we have limited time left to hang out with them. Biking, hiking, ice skating, sightseeing, anything with them is fun.

Are you messy or organized?
I’m both! My office table is often messy, my library is ready for a major reorganization and none of my kitchen drawers could be featured in Good Housekeeping. On the other hand, my work computer and paper files are well organized and I am intentionally very organized for my students. I also often think and read about different ways to organize knowledge.

If you could be anyone from any time period who would it be and why?
Tina Turner in 1985. I would love to experience having such an amazing singing voice and to sing “Let’s Dance” with David Bowie.

Any favorite line from a movie?
George Sand: I am not full of virtues and noble qualities. I love. That is all. But I love strongly, exclusively and steadfastly. (Impromptu, 1991)

You’re happiest when?
I’m traveling with my family.

If you had to eat one meal, every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Several types of cheeses, several type of crackers and The Hugo cocktail.

If your house was burning down, what’s the one non-living thing you would save?
Our passports

Top 3 life highlights?
My family, chats with my best friend, travel