A mother's life with twin girls at 45

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The roles and responsibilities of students and lecturers

One way to conceive of the responsibilities of students and lecturers is in terms of a job: the students have a job to come to work on time and to be prepared to learn. Lecturers have a responsibility to similarly prepare the material and take note of students' learning needs. When neither students nor lecturers are 'doing their jobs,' the classroom suffers. Even a great teacher lecturing to an ill-prepared class made up of students who refuse to listen with open minds will struggle to create a positive classroom experience. Students who are trying to learn are invariably frustrated by professors who do not apply themselves to the task of teaching and merely read aloud faded lecture notes and have a poorly-structured syllabus. Although students may be relieved at the presence of a 'gut' class with an easy teacher on their schedule, most students want teachers who challenge them on some level, just as most workers want a sense of purposeful employment. Few people genuinely want to spend the day simply filling time: they want to be challenged, both on the job and in school.

Yet there is a deeper sense of obligation between teachers and students that is transcendent and timeless, and goes beyond that of the legal requirements that bind employers and employees. Teachers have a responsibility to mentor students. They function in loco parentis to some degree, guiding the student as the student struggles but hopefully gradually masters the material. Most employees can be fired if they do not perform to a certain standard, but once the semester begins, a kind of covenant has been created between teacher and student. The teacher makes a commitment to act as a guide through the material he or she assigns, and tries to assign material that is appropriate for the stated knowledge requirements of the class and for the students' collective level of preparation. The teacher has an obligation to ensure that students leave the classroom with a secure grasp of the material they desired to learn when they decided to take the course. Students want to build upon that knowledge for the future. The student agrees to make an effort, to do the work, and to put forth an effort that is commensurate with his or her greatest potential. The student may not be able to perform to a standard of perfection, but the student must be willing to better him or herself to the maximum extent, through work, study, and regular classroom attendance.

My perspective on the learning experience

I enter into university study as an adult, which means that I am not as carefree and unencumbered as a student who has no other life obligations than to read his or her books. I am a mother of twin girls who are two years old and am currently managing my own business as a bookkeeper. This has been a time of many changes in my life. Although I am forty-five years old, I gave birth to my children late in life, so I am still only just adjusting to motherhood. My husband and I are also currently renovating our home. Life is in flux.

My ultimate aim for my education is more firmly fixed than that of a young person. I intend to become an accountant, to add to my field of expertise. I thus approach education with a very practical ideal in my mind. Like all students, I am striving to 'find myself' but the self I am seeking to define is fairly clear in my mind's eye. This is the source of my motivation and my drive to complete a university degree. I am a successful bookkeeper, but I wish to take my skill set to the next level. I hope that I will find supportive teachers who will help me realize my goals. I seek to learn specific skills but also more generally about the worldview of the profession I intend to enter. However, I am also open to learning about other subjects whilst I complete my degree, and intend to honor my obligation to my professors to have an open mind and heart to all they wish to teach me.