Hullo, hullo. My name is Nicolette and I am an adjunct professor living in central Oklahoma and I have been teaching in some form or fashion for the past 21 years.

Welcome to my blog, Ari. This spot is meant to inspire you in your teaching career. As a professor for college students, I have witnessed a lack of inspiration and excitement in collegiate classrooms. I am saddened when I see my students, young people that feel powerless and vulnerable, come to class, and leave without ever saying a word. As teachers we need to encourage them, pray for them, and listen to them so that they know they are loved, and their thoughts and views have value. We need to remind them that their time in the classroom is only the beginning. An entire world awaits them; a glorious world they will influence and experience. But to experience the world properly is to be a lifelong curious learner. And we must cultivate their curiosity; arouse in them a desire to know, to question, and to grow.

“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” – Anne Frank

Through Ari I intend to introduce you to teaching plans, writing prompts, and student engagement ideas to invigorate your students. Every plan, prompt, and idea I offer to you is unoriginal; they are combinations of concepts that I have learned throughout my career as a student and as a professor. But, I have tried them all before I bring them to you. And know this upfront, some will make you laugh, others may make you uncomfortable. Author Daniel Muhlestein writes, “to abandon the texts [controversial texts] is also effectually to abandon the students” (85). The same premise can be applied to topic discussions and writing prompts. How are we as educators going to promote learning if we do not promote free thinking and provide a secure and safe place with which to discuss such thoughts? So, I say, seek excellence in all that you do every day, and demonstrate it in your compassion for your students and their search for purpose.

Ari

Hebrew

Noun

Lion