The Teacher Within

      

Last night I returned to the campus of Huntington University for my first full semester teaching gig for a class titled Social Media. I have taught there the past two J-Terms, which is their mini, intensive semester between the fall and spring semesters that has students engage in just one class every day for just under three weeks. It gives them an opportunity to pick up some elective credits and explore topics in a new way as most of the classes add a different level of creativity.

I was first invited onto campus after sharing my intern interview experiences with some faculty a couple of years ago. I was interviewing interns who were entering their senior year that had very little knowledge or practical experience with grassroots communication tactics such as social media tools. They agreed and asked me to do something about it in the form of teaching a course. That course turned into two and now into a full semester long course that is mandatory for Communication Program students and an elective for Business Program students. 

I’m equally eager and overwhelmed by this class. It gives me an opportunity to share what I’ve learned as a leader of a nonprofit with no marketing budget and from a former advertising guy. It also gives me an opportunity to continue working on my teaching and presentation skills. Can I clearly community complex concepts in a learning environment? We’ll continue to see. It also taxes my schedule and capacity. Preparing for a class is a lot of work and giving the attention to it that it deserves will keep me hopping through December. 

I’m grateful for this opportunity because I believe there is some gifting that God has placed inside of me that this hits and I’m being called to use it. I’m excited that this opportunity also gives me an opportunity to sharing the message of NeighborLink on a college campus and I hope it encourages students studying business and communications to pursue their missional dreams. 

So, if you don’t hear from me much for the next few months, that is why.