Well, I’m finished with classes for the trimester. Of course, there is still assessment of student work to complete, a few details for next trimester’s syllabi and online classrooms to button up, and preparations for the January low-residency retreat and for my presentation for the Day of Scholarship. There is a different feel to life when I don’t have classes. I love the classroom. I love being in learning conversations with leaders and practitioners who desire to ready themselves for the challenges of our times and our future(s).
I am also grateful to be teaching in an era and in a school in which learning is increasingly liberated from simply content mastery, “objective” research, or even “being right.” Don’t get me wrong, scholarship matters, and developing subject area competence is vital for anyone seeking to serve in continuity within their discipline or tradition. But what I love is attending to the actual people who are journeying with me in the courses I get to guide.
End of the term is kind of a double-edged sword. On the one side, there is a lot of assessment work to complete, which can feel daunting, even unrelenting. On the other side, it’s in sitting with each person’s final projects that I get a clearer glimpse into who they are, where they are, what is coming alive for them, how their imagination for God’s shalom is emboldening their practice of presence, and how I might be able to better support them in as they continue along their learning venture. So often engaging this end-of-term work feels like I’m standing on holy ground. It’s such a privilege to listen alongside another!
If my calculations are correct, this week I have completed my 57th trimester at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. This journey began in January of 2004, as I was moving toward the completion of my doctoral studies. This means that when my next term begins in January 2023, I will be starting my 20th year. That’s a long time!
In those twenty years, the school has physically moved, changed its name, started new programs and sunsetted others. It has seen founders retire, hired new faculty, said goodbye to others, navigated a global pandemic, and transitioned executive leadership. For a young school with no endowments, it’s amazing that we’re still here. We’ve weathered some tough times.
I’m not the same person either. My relationships have evolved, my interests are focused, and I think I might even know myself a little better.
I hope your Advent, Christmas, and New Year’s season is filled with love and belonging.
Peace, dwight
