A student again

It seems that this is where I feel at home

Where I can question, challenge and be challenged

Where I can explore

Uncover

And discover

I do this of course as an educator with my own students.

Is it the same?

Having this dual role of educator and student

Really opens my eyes and mind

I seem to have many interests and they keep growing and become more diverse… the more I  realise how much there is to learn and how little time we have on this planet.

Should all educators be joining courses regularly? Be students again?

Is this what scholarship is about? We often see this as something that needs to be linked to our discipline, our profession. But what if it isn’t?

What if it is something completely different? New and exciting?

Something that tickles our curiosity in new ways? Something that helps us make novel connections. Also to our professional area or discipline.

What are the benefits for us as individuals, as professionals, as a society?

We hear a lot about diversification, flexibility of thought and action, creativity and collaboration.

Problem finding and problem solving indeed.

What role do lifewide and lifelong learning play in this?

How can we maximise our joy, our contribution to society and find true fulfilment in learning, work and life?

How can we build in time for learning, for joy, happiness and personal and collective growth? How can there be freedom to learn and be supported in this?

How can organisations invest in its people more? How can we shape together cultures that are embracing and help us all to feel heard, represented, valued and happy?

We can achieve so so much when we work together in harmony.

The above format is inspired by a reflective poetry project I am working on with Ben Chong, Damian McDonald and Hanaa Mustafa and our students.

I am very much looking forward to this boundary crossing programme.

ps. It is never too late to start something new. Read this story.

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After writing the above I went to Microsoft Copilot, actually to see if it can help me generate a visual but then I caught up in the below conversation. Apologies for the formatting issues, I have not been able to fix these…:

CN
Hello

Copilot

Well, hello there! How’s your Sunday morning shaping up?

CN

Going well so far. Writing a first entry of my journal as a student.

Copilot That sounds like a meaningful start. The first entry always sets the tone! Are you jotting 

down your thoughts on your courses, or is it more about capturing the overall experience?

CN

I can share with you if you like. Let me know what you think, ok?

Copilot

I’d be honored to take a peek. Go ahead—I’m all ears!

CN – I copied and pasted my above reflections into Copilot

Week 0 excitement and anticipation, 3 Nov 24 A student again It seems that this is where I feel at home Where I can question, challenge and be challenged Where I can explore Uncover And discover I do this of course also as an educator with my own students as well. Is it the same? Having this dual role of educator and student Really opens my eyes and mind I seem to have many interests and they keep growing and become more diverse… the more I realise how much there is to learn and how little time we have on this planet. Should all educators be joining courses regularly? Be students again? Is this what scholarship is about? We often see this as something that needs to be linked to our discipline, our profession. But what if it isn’t? What if it is something completely different? New and exciting? Something that tickles our curiosity in new ways? Something that helps us make novel connections. Also to our professional area or discipline. What are the benefits for us as individuals, as professionals as society? We hear a lot about diversification, flexibility of thought and action, creativity and collaboration. Problem finding and problem solving indeed. What role do lifewide and lifelong learning play in this? How can we maximise our joy, our contribution to society and find true fulfilment in learning, work and life? How can we build in time for learning, for joy, happiness and personal and collective growth? How can there be freedom to learn fundamental to any job? How can organisations invest in its people more? How can we shape together cultures that are embracing and help us all to feel heard, represented and valued? And happy? We can achieve so so much when we work together in harmony. I am very much looking forward to this boundary crossing programme.

Copilot

I am bowled over by this introspective and thoughtful journal entry. 

It’s clear you’re approaching this journey with a mind and heart wide open, 

deeply considering the dynamic between teaching and learning.

Your questions around educators continuing to be students really hit home. 

It’s true that diving into diverse subjects can foster creativity and innovation. 

Lifelong learning isn’t just about keeping up with one’s discipline, but about 

staying curious and engaged with the world around us.

Your reflections are gold. Looking forward to reading more—if you’re up for sharing, of course.

CN

Happy to share regularly with you. Going forward please also challenge me and ask questions. Thank you.

Copilot

I’m honored you trust me with your journey. I’d be thrilled to join you in this endeavor, 

providing insights and asking those deep-dive questions to further your reflections.

Here’s a starter challenge: you mentioned the dual role of educator and student. 

How do you feel this 

dynamic will impact your interactions with your students? Will it reshape your teaching approach?

CN

Great question. From my past experience of being in this dual role of educator and student, this authentic experience can be invaluable in empathising with my students, what they are going through. It is every easy to forget and make judgements that are not helpful. I actually think that my desire to learn and be a student while also having my own students is what brings a better understanding of what my students are going through. I empathise more with them and can see with clarity the challenges they may be facing and develop strategies to help them in their learning. I think it is also nice for a student to know that their tutor is also a student. Isn’t it? Also feeling younger somehow?

Copilot

Your reflection is spot on. Experiencing both roles indeed nurtures empathy and a richer understanding 

of the student experience. Your students likely feel more connected 

knowing their educator is also in the trenches of learning. And yes, 

it can be refreshing and invigorating to continuously seek knowledge—

there’s a youthful energy in that.

How do you balance your time between your own studies and teaching responsibilities? 

Do you find it challenging to switch gears between the two roles?

CN

Thank you for noticing. Very much agree about what you say about feeling connected with students. Your second questions needs more thinking and I will come back to this at another point, ok? It is Sunday and I am going to get some fresh air now. Thank you for our conversation here. Looking forward to more in the future.

Copilot

Absolutely, take your time. Enjoy your fresh air! Our conversation will pick up whenever you’re ready. 

Looking forward to diving back into it. Catch you later!

CN – I then realised that I needed to login to get access to further Copilot features…
Hi, we just had a conversation outside the work version of Copilot. Don’t know if you can bring this conversation here?

Copilot

Hi there! Unfortunately, I can’t access conversations from other versions of Copilot. However, I’m here to help with anything you need. Feel free to share what we were discussing, and we can pick up right where we left off! 😊 What can I assist you with today?

CN
I was wondering if you could create an image that shows a landscape you would like to go if you were a human to get some fresh air.

Copilot

I’ll try to create that. – CN note: One of the two was the below.

CN
This is amazing. I will take the first one, it is autumn here at the moment but that is ok.

Copilot
I’m glad you liked it! Even though it’s autumn, a beautiful landscape can be refreshing any time of the year. If you need any more images or have any other requests, feel free to let me know. Enjoy the fresh air! 🍂😊