Flipping Out

Aside from getting everything done before I leave for parts unknown in 36 hours, and living through a tornado warning, today was your usual boring Monday.  Except for the crazy seminar I was forced to attend on Flipping the Classroom.  Apparently when you work in education and training, seminars taught by teachers who teach teachers are a thing you're forced to live through.  I've been here and done this once before - Train the Trainer - and it was not my cup of tea.

Today's was no different.  What was worse was that I actually thought this one might be fun. But the "science" just didn't make sense.  If you're new to the Flipping the Classroom thing, it's the new hippy dippy trend in education. Teachers give actual learning (videos, powerpoints, etc.) for homework then students use what they learn in class, essentially doing old school homework with the teacher.  It's supposed to be a grand idea.  And in theory I suppose it makes sense.

However, by giving students videos and things to watch, you're still giving them homework, per se.  It doesn't sound much different than the homework I had.  And the part that really throws me is the skills part.  So, say you're in 1st grade and you're learning 1 + 1 and 2+2. Giving you videos about this and then working on worksheets in class, isn't really helping you memorize this fact.  It's one of those things that you just need to remember.  Doing the old school homework by writing these facts and solving these problems (multiplication tables, spelling words, etc.) are the best way for your sense memory to kick in.  

I also have a problem with the teacher.  She's a lovely woman and very sweet.  And I love activities such as writing on placemats or stretching mid class by doing semi-sorta jumping jacks, just as much as the next girl - or just as much as the next girl who also taught pre-school.  But something tells me if we were to throw these activities on the computer nerds we teach, they'd be giving us some major side eye.  

Also, and as a purely personal matter of taste - slides covered in orange with a Bad Moon Rising sort of theme (with grammatical errors and formatting errors on each slide) is not the best way to show how much you know.

Oh well.  It wasn't a total loss.  At least we get credit for the class and there were no ice breakers - truly the worst part of any class for an introvert like me.  I'll take the win!

I'd Do It Differently

For the last year or so, I've been working in a field that means very little in the long run.  We didn't make the world turn and quite frankly, if we were to not come in for a few days, very little would get lost in the shuffle.  However, in the last month, I actually moved into my dream field.  It's also not brain surgery or saving the world from hunger, but I can feel good at the end of the day that we're helping people - even if it's only teaching them something they didn't know before coming to us.  

The position is perfect for me. I get to be in the training and development world.  I get to see the inner workings of a training practice and I get to learn from some super smart computer-type people (of which I'm so not). I'm still stuck dealing with boring computer coursework, but it's hands-down an improvement over what I was doing.  

Herein lies the problem.

With my old job, like I said, it was useless and menial (much more menial than I was led on to believe it would be).  But it also had nothing to do with what I went to school for so I was stuck trudging through daily.  I had nothing to add so I just did my work and collected my pay check.  Soul-crushing? Yes.  But now that I'm in this training world, it might be a little more frustrating.  Because I have to see all sorts of things that I know I could do better. Though, because I'm an underling, I'm stuck going with the flow again.

I have visions of a creative and interactive training environment with great instructors teaching things they're passionate about and things that will change the world (at least a little bit), not how to do XYZ on a computer.  I happen to know for a fact some cool ways to get involved on Twitter and Facebook.  I know how to create courseware and house them online.  I know how to run a sharepoint site and keep all sorts of materials organized.  I'm terrible at speaking in front of people (bad news for a training pro, I know) but I know this about myself and I know to look for instructors so much better than me.  I know you have to spend money to make money but I also know if you're spending more than you're making, you're never going to get anywhere.  And I definitely know that the big wigs get special treatment sometimes in the business world, but catering to them so much that even after doing all the work for them, aside from actually taking the class, you now have to email the secretaries the same paperwork you emailed them so they can print it all out for the bosses, is just demeaning to say the least, to all parties involved.  I know what makes a great work environment and I'd love to have the chance to shape that.

So now that I've got this awesome job, I find myself itching to find a way to do it differently. I know I can't start my own business, as the number stuff eludes me.  But oh it's so frustrating to watch things you know are wrong continue daily.  Ugh!  

Ok, rant over for this evening.  I just had to get that off my chest.  Now, does anyone want to go into business together - I've all sorts of crafty, creative and non-soul crushing ideas, even if no actual business sense! : )