University Life

About a year ago I thought I was leaving college life behind.  And I did…for a little while.  Now, I’m back in an institution of higher education, but as an educator rather than a student.  Seeing what I see here makes me more thankful for my Doane experience.  Despite the fact that students here tend to value their opportunities to get a college education, they are undervalued.  They have few resources and even have to pay for copies of exams that they must take on occasion! Administrators care little about their students and there have been strikes in the administrative department at least once a week since I began teaching.  Corruption is a factor in all areas of the university and people who work at the university are required to be part of a political party as they attain their positions as professors or deans or college president based on which party they belong to and which party has the most members to control the votes.  It’s crazy. 

I’ve been blessed to be able to work with a few caring and dedicated professors, but I cannot say that that is the norm here.  Many do not show up to all their classes or show up late.  I am thankful for my Kenyan experience, as having a whiteboard every day is a step up from the dusty chalk board and my occasional clumsiness of dropping the chalk and having it shatter.   Although many students lack resources and support, they are determined to make the best of their situations and to make the most of their education.  It would be nice to see that kind of enthusiasm among the majority of students back home.  Think how far they could go with resources!