MY Summer has Come to an End...

It's the final countdown...my summer, my sabbatical, my time off work is about to end. This is my final week off before I return to the task of shaping minds and working with tomorrow's hopefuls! I am actually excited to be returning to my other passion in life!

I teach. I am a faculty member, an instructor, a professor, if you will. I've been with the university for 20 and a half years, most of it doing administrative-level work, but the first three were spent completely in the classroom, and that is where I have once again found my true passion. I primarily teach the "legal eagles"...paralegal students/law school hopefuls, but I also teach business students and graduate students some law classes and risk management classes.  As I get ready to begin my third year back teaching, I was thinking about some of the things that my students have taught me--and the important lessons I've learned from them.

1. Never take yourself too seriously--almost no one else does, and it adds too much stress when you do!
2. Be prepared--always be prepared, as best you can, for whatever life tosses your way.
3. If you are not prepared, have a good backup plan or a good one-liner.
4. Don't be afraid to laugh at yourself.
5. Always be the best you can be--never allow yourself to settle for second best.
6. Don't be late--ever!
7. When things get tough, just ask yourself "will this matter in six hours? will this matter tomorrrow? will this matter next year?" Help put stressful moments in perspective.
8. Only you can determine how you will respond to a situation. Respond, don't react.
9. Good lip gloss does make a difference.
10. Umbrellas are important in downtown Chicago.

Thank you to all my students who have helped me learn these valuable lessons over the past two years! And since I truly believe I learn something new each day, I am looking forward to all the new and exciting things I have yet to learn from everyone this coming year!