NMDS Archive: Hindsight: What You Can Learn from My First Year, Part II (2015 Edition)

Editor's Note: On Friday, we'll hold the final event in this year's New Member Discussion Series program, titled “The Art of the A-Form: What You Can Learn from My First Promotion Cycle” (Mildred Green Room, Babylon Student Center, 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.). I hope to see many of you at this event; while this event doesn't aim to replace the Promotion Workshop in terms of information and resources, I believe it will help dispell fears and myths surrounding the promotion process by providing useful anecdotes from newly promoted faculty. (ALSO: Stay around the Mildred Green Room from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. for The Write Time -- our final attempt to set aside time for scholarship before finals arrive!)

Last semester, we began the New Member Discussion series with an event titled, "Hindsight: What You Can Learn from My First Year."  The following is Jill Malik's paper on the topic.

See you soon! 

-- SKG

Hindsight: What You Can Learn from My First Year

by Jill Malik, Instructor, Social Science

Thank you to Sarah Gutowski for inviting me to share my first year experience at Suffolk County Community College (SCCC). 

Before starting my first full-time year teaching at SCCC, I was an adjunct at both the Ammerman and Grant campuses. For me, this carried both pros and cons. My biggest “pro” column item was that I felt that I had a fairly decent gauge on the SCCC student population and what our students' specific needs and challenges are. My biggest “con” item was that I underestimated the disparity between a part-time and a full-time teaching load. 

Also, I had little-to-no idea as to what would be expected of me outside of the classroom. I didn’t know how my peers would react to me or how I’d fit into their well-established dynamics. I found myself in meetings where unfamiliar jargon was being thrown around as common, everyday language, leaving me feeling lost, and sometimes embarrassed. 

At times I questioned my own competence, my relative expertise, and my value to the department. Not because of any particular person or event, however; on the contrary, I feel fortunate to work with such intelligent, kind, humorous, and welcoming individuals and to be under the direction of an incredibly supportive Department Chair. Regardless, insecurity seeped in because of the “new-ness” of it all. I’d by lying if I said these feelings were entirely quashed; however, they are fewer-and-further between. I’ll take that as a “win!” 

So, how’d I get to this point? I’ve summarized a few notable moments from my time at SCCC in hopes that it helps your own transition: 

We're almost at the end, people!

You’ve just entered a marathon, not a sprint. Pace yourself.

Yes, academic burnout is a real thing. When educator responsibilities (e.g., professional development, expectations of student achievement, grading, lesson planning, advising) become overwhelming and chronically stressful, we often experience negative psychological and physical effects.

What can you do about this?

•  Make realistic expectations for yourself and your students.
• Talk to your colleagues if you are planning a new classroom activity or writing assignment. Bounce ideas off of each other to prevent or minimize unrealistic expectations.
•  Realize now that this is an ever-evolving process. What “works” one semester (or even in one section of a class) may not work in another. Be flexible!
• For me, the amount and type of assignments I had used when I was an adjunct for two classes per semester did NOT translate into a realistic full-time-with-overload teaching schedule. My first full-time semester more weeks than not grading over 200 papers each time. As a result, I had many sleepless nights. I pretty much cursed myself, asked myself “what WAS I THINKING?!” countless times, and vowed to never do that to myself again.
• You may feel compelled (or obligated) to join a ton of committees at the start. My suggestion is that you start slow. Make it a goal to join one committee that you are genuinely interested in. Think about it: It’s easier to build and add responsibilities slowly, over time. It’s much harder to make a hundred changes all at once, do a mediocre-at-best job in them because you’re spread too thin, and then try to remove yourself from committees later on. Remember – marathon, not a sprint.

Jill Malik speaks to new faculty in September

• Take time for yourself!
  • Put down the phone and step away from the computer. Now go do whatever it is that you enjoy – Perhaps it’s binge-watching your favorite television series, reading a good book, going to the gym or for a long run, yoga/meditation, or immersing yourself in a hobby. Don’t sacrifice, or underestimate, the importance of self-care. Self-care promotes a healthy state of mind and reduces chronic (long-term, “bad”) stress. 
   
• Make time for family and friends!
  • Whether you’re a long island native or just moved here, your friends and family are your constant in a time when you’ve just embarked on your new employment journey. Lean on them if you need. Talk to them about how things are going. 
  • You have just joined the SCCC family, and that means you are meeting lots of new people, navigating coworker personalities, and seeing where exactly you fit in.  Likely, this excites some and terrifies others. Whatever end of the spectrum you are on, the people that have known you before this job are your constant in your recently-transitioning world.  
   

You are embarking on a new journey here at SCCC, use that to your advantage. 

• A few weeks before I was hired full-time at SCCC, I had gone through some major life changes. I mean, pretty much a complete life overhaul. For me, that felt both exhilarating and anxiety-provoking. I decided to focus on the former --- make new connections, meet lots of people, network, mentor students, and wipe the slate clean. However, I probably overdid it at times – immersed myself TOO much into these tasks, and lost a little balance in the other activities in life that I cherish. So, it’s taken me time to find that work-life balance, but I think that’s normal – and also ever-changing as our work and life-demands rarely stay stagnant. So, be flexible and be honest with yourself as to what your own needs are. 

There are very few times in life that we get to have fresh starts --- this is one of them. 

• Take what you’ve learned at your previous jobs, coworkers, mentors, institutions, schooling, etc. and use the best of those practices. But, also, leave any garbage behind.  
• Your expertise is valuable. Often, once we have spent a long time either studying or mastering an area of interest, we don’t view our own knowledge and mastery as any special. The shine has worn off – we may assume others know it too. 
• For example, my second semester I participated in a Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) workshop at the Grant campus. Before being approached by the TLC coordinator, I had no idea my experience and knowledge in Microsoft Excel could also serve as valuable tool for others (again, assumed that what I had learned years prior was “common knowledge”). Participating in the TLC was also a great way for meet to other individuals on campus as well as to feel like a useful asset to the Campus community. 

 Embrace the amazing opportunities ahead. 

• For many of us, change is a scary thing. Learning a new task can feel daunting and overwhelming. Avoidance creeps in.  
• Remember – you aren’t expected to know everything on day one (or, possibly ever)! Immerse yourself in new tasks and learn from mistakes. Be honest with yourself and with others about your strengths and weaknesses and keep evolving and pushing ahead. 
• Ask questions. Observe other faculty members. My first semester I participated as peer classroom observer. I also asked this same coworker to observe my teaching alongside my department chair. Giving and receiving feedback was such a positive experience for the growth of my own pedagogical instruction. 

 Own it. 

• At first blush, my last piece of advice seems simplistic. And, in some ways it is. However, in many other ways, this one is a forever work-in-progress.

As noted above, there will be lots of opportunities that come your way. What excites you? Likely, there’s some student club and/or campus committee that you could advise that will match your interest. 

• Last year I became the advisor of the Social Science Club. Advising a club frightened me – I didn’t know ANY school policy, any of the current students, and I made many mistakes (and thank the staff at the Office of Campus Activities for their patience with me!) Some of my most rewarding student experiences were through this advising/mentoring process. Being their club advisor has allowed me to help create on-campus and off-campus activities for our students. I spent many of my “own” hours reaching out to members of the community to create partnerships and future opportunities for the club. Although the procedural club advisor stuff scared me, I owned it and I did the best job I could for the students. I found that because I was interested in the activities and events taking this extra time wasn’t a burden. Rather, it was something I enjoyed. And seeing the students’ positive reactions, 

Make a conscious effort to think about your main goals as an educator. 

• What are your main goals in the classroom? What are your obligations to students? What are their obligations as students in your classroom? 
• If you have clear answers to these questions, it will help govern your first year and beyond. Own what these are. Your answers may differ from your colleague’s and that’s okay! What one professor may view as “hand holding” another may view as “necessary.” 
• It is probably good practice to reflect on these questions ever semester, or every year. They may change over time, and if so, own it…and then modify your teaching strategies to fit your and your students’ needs.

Again, welcome to SCCC! I hope you’ve found some of my ramblings helpful. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me!

NMDS Archive: Hindsight: What You Can Learn from My First Year, Part I (2015 edition)

Editor's Note: Later today, we'll hold the third event in this year's New Member Discussion Series program, titled “Taking Your Show on the Road: How to Participate in Scholarship while Teaching at a Two-Year School” (Mildred Green Room, Babylon Student Center, 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.). I hope to see many of you at this event: while continued professional development and scholarship is not only something many of us are interested in personally, it's also a requirement for promotion. This event aims to share some excellent advice on ways to engage in scholarship in a way that doesn't threaten or impede your regular duties at the college. (ALSO: Stay around the Mildred Green Room from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. for The Write Time -- another way to work some scholarship into your busy schedule, and there's coffee courtesy of the Faculty Association!)

Last semester, we began the New Member Discussion series with an event titled, "Hindsight: What You Can Learn from My First Year."  The following is Jared Dowd's paper on the topic.

See you soon! 

-- SKG

Hindsight: What You Can Learn from My First Year

by Jared Dowd, Counselor, Financial Aid

BRIDGING THE GAP

In starting any new job there is a tendency, as a new hire, to shy away from asking questions and acting as though you know it all. Do yourself a favor and utilize your relationships with your colleagues. Bridging a line of communication with those around you engenders trust and enables you to improve on your skills and shows you want to do your job to the best of your ability. Reach out beyond the larger community. Knowing all the avenues your students can take advantage of makes you a better advisor to your students. Plus, it also helps you whenever you are trying to get something done yourself. 

Although I have been with the college since 2010, prior to my current position as the Campus Coordinator for TRIO: Student Support Services, I have always found this to be helpful. In my first semester I took advantage of the veteran counselors around me at the Eastern Campus One Stop Shop. Through expanding my knowledge base on how the campus operated, I built relationships with each branch of student services. It allowed for my contemporaries to learn from me as well, knowing they could count on me for help and advice.‬ I am privileged to have such a supportive group of colleagues.

Jared Dowd presenting at the NMDS in September 2015

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT SUFFOLK HAS TO OFFER

Each semester Suffolk Community College runs many workshops and professional development opportunities for you to learn and expand your knowledge base. I also found the Faculty Association's New Member emails, and the Office of Faculty and Professional Advancement's Monday Morning Mentor emails, started my weeks off on the right foot.

You can also get involved with advising a club on your campus or becoming part of a committee. At the end of my first semester I was approached to be a co-advisor for the Students Against Depression Club. Twice a month I would sit down with the club's president and discuss their plans for the semester. They do a lot of positive work on campus.

These occasions are also a great place to meet some of your peers, build relationships, and enrich your own education.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH MENTORS

Prior to coming to the Eastern Campus, Lorianne Lueders-Yanotti, director of Student Support Services, was my professional guide and mentor in higher education. During my years working at Ammerman, she helped cultivate my understanding of higher education and always encouraged me to keep an open mind. I was always willing to take on new challenges. She taught me the proper way to handle myself at this level. Her guidance has helped me become the professional I am today.

In my first year at the Riverhead Campus, Matthew Okerblom was my Faculty Association mentor. He actually held my position in years prior, so knew the workload I had to deal with and helped my transition immensely. Throughout my first semester I feel as though I thanked him on a daily basis for clarity on an array of issues and for giving me advice on navigating my journey at Suffolk Community College.  He recently became the assistant dean of Curriculum, yet I know I can always go to him for advice.‬ (The free lunches didn’t hurt, either. I am now a fan of Turkish cuisine.)

Dr. Martinez, the Assistant Dean of Student Services, provided me with many one-on-ones throughout my first year. In our meetings I was able to bounce any issue off of him‬ and get his insight.  He was a big proponent of encouraging me to become more involved in campus and taking advantage of professional development when I could. I feel fortunate to have him advising me and his encouragement to make the most of my time with the college.

I was lucky enough to already know one of the mentors for the Faculty Association, Terri Morales. I knew her through my work with Student Support Services and EOP. She was my go-to for any questions regarding benefits, bereavement, vacation, and was an integral part of me becoming an adjunct professor in my first semester. She helped me figure out my syllabus and class lessons as I was appointed a COL 105 class 10 days before it began. I highly suggest contacting your Faculty Association Mentor on your campus at the start of the semester and getting to know them. They provide a wealth of knowledge. 

THE ART OF KINDLY SAYING NO

When beginning any new position you want to make an impact. Your intent is to show your colleagues that you have what it takes to be amongst them and excel. In some cases, people get themselves in trouble because they don’t know the power of the word "no." 

Obviously, being put in a situation to take on more work, or being asked to do something beyond your job description is hard as the new person on campus. In my first year, it was frequently acknowledged that I should get involved with a campus committee. I intend to sometime this year, but last year it was very important for me to be my 110% best at my current position as the Campus Coordinator of Student Support Services. When the issue of committees was brought up, my reply was simply, “At this point, I want to be the best counselor for the program I am serving. Perhaps later in the year, once I have everything in place, I will begin to seek out getting more involved in that way.” I think any colleague would respect this approach and still think highly of you, regardless.

Welcome to SCCC, the FA, and the New Member Program

Sky at Cupsogue, Westhampton Beach

by Sarah Kain Gutowski, Chair, New Member Mentoring Program

Some of you may be very familiar with Suffolk County Community College already, having been an adjunct here in previous years, and some of you may be brand new to SCCC, as well as to Long Island and New York State. No matter where you've been before this moment, the FA would like to welcome you at the beginning of what may (will probably) be a long and dynamic career at our institution, and help make this transition to being a full-time member of our faculty as seamless and rewarding as possible.

Ten years ago I began my own career here, and the New Member Program, while in its infancy, provided a fantastic orientation to both the school and the way a union works -- for coming from the south where unions were not (still are not) as prevalent as in the north, I was largely unschooled as to how a union works (and works hard) for its members.

But this blog post isn't about how a union works, necessarily -- it's about how you're going to work, in particular, at the beginning of this academic year, supported by fellow faculty who remember what it was like to begin teaching and non-teaching duties at a new institution, and to attempt to build lasting professional relationships with new colleagues.

The first of these professional relationships will most likely be with your office mate, or with a small handful of people in your department. But the next relationship, which we hope and believe to be one of the most important you develop here at Suffolk, will be with your FA mentor -- another faculty member who will answer your questions, offer advice as needed, and be a friendly face among . . . well, more friendly faces . . . throughout this first academic year as new faculty at Suffolk.

In the next few weeks, I will be working closely with the FA New Member Program Coordinators on each of our three campuses to pair each new hire with a mentor.  For those of you who weren't able to attend the new hire orientation on Friday, the campus coordinators are as follows:

Pete DiGregorio, Grant Campus Coordinator: peterd [at] fascc [dot] org

Jonathon Brockman, Ammerman Campus Coordinator: brockmj [at] sunysuffolk [dot] edu

Nina Acquivita, Eastern Campus Coordinator: acquavn [at] sunysuffolk [dot] edu

This means that by mid-September (although hopefully well before then), you should have received an email from your respective campus coordinator revealing the name of your new mentor and putting you on the road to getting to know them, and the school, a little better.

Being mentored is an art, just as the act of mentoring is an art. As I'll detail more thoroughly in a future post, feeling fulfilled and enriched by your mentoring experience takes an open mind and a willingness to engage with those around you. Please don't be afraid to ask your mentor questions -- and if you have a question but don't have a mentor yet, please feel free to send me, or your NMP campus coordinator, an email. Let us help you when you need help -- we have the benefit of several semesters' experience (if not several years) and we're in these positions because we like to help our fellow faculty. And if we don't have the answer to your question, we often know the people who do -- and we'll be happy to do the emailing and door-knocking to get you that answer.

I would ask, too, that this year you keep your calendars open where the New Member Program is concerned, as we have a number of events developed and organized with you in mind. The first of these opportunities will be on Friday, September 25, 2015, in the Mildred Green Room of the Babylon Student Center. From 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., and in cooperation with the Office of Faculty and Professional Advancement, the Faculty Association will hold the first of the academic year's four discussion panels for new members: "Hindsight: What You Can Learn From My First Year." Last year this topic was so well attended and so well received that we decided to run an encore, featuring the most recent "graduates" of the New Member Program, who will reflect on their first year experiences at SCCC and offer advice about how to successfully navigate the first 12 months at this institution.

Soon after that event we'll also be hosting a Bagel Brunch on each campus, which will be your chance to see the FA officers again, as well as your mentor and your campus coordinator. We'll feed you  . . . uh, bagels . . . and coffee and assorted sweet stuff and check in to see how you're doing after the first month. We'll also explain how a simple piece of stationery, the FA White Folder, will be your most trusted tool on your road to promotion at SCCC.

But I get ahead of myself. Really, this blog is intended to be a useful tool for you as well. Please peruse through prior posts, looking up topics that interest you from the tags on the right. And if it all seems too overwhelming at the moment, don't worry about it. I'm going to be posting to the New Member Blog on a near-weekly basis during the semester, and a lot of these issues and topics will be revisited. (Hopefully in a new and relevant -- and maybe even amusing -- way!)

For now, I'd like to extend you a hearty congratulations for having secured a full-time spot at this college. Almost all jobs in academia are highly competitive right now, so you must be nothing short of amazing to have secured your new position. And I'd like to wish you luck in your first few days here at SCCC . . . take things one day at a time, one class or task at a time, and remember that the FA is in your corner at all times, or just around the corner, or in your offi-- all right, all right, you get the idea. We're here if you need us. Don't hesitate to reach out.