#professorlife #psychprof
I stand in front of a group of young women yet again.
It’s young women specifically as I am a professor at Barnard College, the Columbia University’s women’s college. A unique position for both myself and them.
I teach child developmental psychology lab and in my second semester teaching this course I have made it my own and have created an even more unique way to deliver this experience.
Psychology is an enthralling subject to teach and yet it is also both a science and a subjective experience for all humans.
Teaching developmental psychology while raising your own little humans is even more difficult because you’re living these theories in practice and are trying to give real life experiences while also Reminding everyone that there’s no manual for child development.
I love teaching this subject. Nothing gives me more joy than researching information and sharing the knowledge with the world around me. However , it’s an interesting perspective to be a mom, study developmental psychology , and then see it through multiple lenses.
The part I love the most is discussing theories of development and how these can manifest in unique and subjective ways in each child.
Discussions on siblings is also one of my favorites. Listening to conversations on how siblings are different from one another and how they act and interact with others is invaluable teachings.
In my courses we focus on toddlerhood, which is my favorite part of childhood. There’s nothing more complicated, beautiful , and chaotic like toddlerhood. This is a stage I intend to study for a long time to come.
In our lectures we discuss and observe toddlers and their social emotional world. At home I observe both a toddler and a young child in their own world. It’s a satisfying and rewarding job. It also comes with its difficulties.
Raising kids is no game and raising children while teaching people about children is probably the biggest paradox. It takes honesty and compassion towards oneself.
Admitting that you don’t know everything about raising kids is key. Being a mother doesn’t mean I know it all. Being a teacher means the same.
Parenting and teaching is a dance of uncertainty and certainty both arm in arm , tripping around in the rain, smiling back up at the sun.
The psyche of life 