This is a difficult blog to write. When I taught at the Life on Wheels in Tucson, I received evaluations from each of the students in my four classes. They were not good. Even the students in my saving space and weight class, usually very popular, complained about the size of the room and the fact that I ran out of handouts. The classroom held 25, I had 55 students and only 50 handouts. I was told in a note from Gaylord Maxwell that I don't meet their high professional standards. Therefore, I will not be teaching in Lewiston nor any other Life on Wheels locations. I do have some terrific memories, met some great RVing experts for the first time and enjoyed teaching again. For those who are not aware, I was a college professor (taught Developmental Reading, Developmental Writing, Developmental Grammar, English 101, English 102, Literature and Psychology, and Study Skills), and was nominated by the students (and won) as Part-Time Faculty of the Year. The plaque hangs on the wall in my bedroom across the doorway from my B.A.(Sociology/Psychology) and M.A. (Rhetoric/Composition) diplomas. Ah well. Colleges and universities aren't Life on Wheels.
To those of you who enrolled for Lewiston to take my classes, I apologize. You'll have some excellent instructors and classes tailored to your needs. Enjoy!
Your post was gracious and courageous; I wish you many happy RVing miles.
ReplyDeleteSeems to me that you are being held responsible for something that should have been controlled by the organizers. Keep the faith. I appreciate that you are not placing the blame on others. Keep sharing here. We appreciate you!
ReplyDeleteOuch. I know this must have hurt. I was thinking of catching the Idaho event but did want the opportunity to meet you. Guess we will skip it. Seems like everyone is a critic now days.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! I did my Privacy Rights and RV Living class in Moscow last year (2007), I got my evaluations, some good, some not so good, but I didn't get any "notes" from Gaylord. Even so, I decided not to do it again for Life On Wheels. I met great people, just like you, but decided I don't want to deal with negative evaluations. But, from what I understand and heard, all the instructors get negatives here and there.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that happened to you!
JJ