Weekend is here and I’ve got a golf tournament first thing in the morning. Somehow this still feels like work since I’ll be with my colleagues and I have to get up at some ungodly hour for a 7 am registration time, but in all honesty, I’m looking forward to it. It’ll be a good time primarily because of the people I’ll be with and the cause we are sponsoring—an alumni club for a local Nashville high school.
Anything for the children, ya feel me!?
Speaking of the children, we (wait, why did my dentist / my wife just pull this Tootsie pop out of my mouth, LOL. She is not a candy eater and I am, plus because of her profession, it’s just not a great combo.)…back to the children—today was meet the teacher day at the boys’ daycare and it was so precious. It brought me back to my early days of undergrad when I started at Paul Quinn College thinking I would become the greatest early elementary schoolteacher you ever did meet. The LeBron James of kindergarten curriculum. Quickly, I learned the going rate of pay and I changed my major to pre-law. A shame.
I still am an educator though. Really in so many ways. This degree is setting me up now to lead on the highest level of the education sector.
I’ve consistently mentioned that the goal (or at least one of them) would be to become an HBCU president. Recently though, while at our second doctoral residency in Indiana, our cohort did a reflection exercise (that felt more like group therapy) with a few of our instructors where we envisioned what life would look like at least two years from now when we are complete with the PhilD at IU. I expressed to my classmates that I saw myself leading a dynamic team of hungry, humble, and smart (with people) (shout out to Patrick Lencioni) fundraisers at a small HBCU under my leadership as a leader in Institutional Advancement, but not necessarily being a president—at least not yet.
I am enjoying the learning and refining that I get to do during this growth phase and I don’t want too much too fast. I want to have done all the things I am determined to do on the level of where I currently am.
What do the people say—be where your feet are.
Today I didn’t get into any of my own research work, but I did get to support my wife who is completing a thesis on AI in dentistry and how through globalization it can uplift dental professionals in third world countries through best practices. I said it before, I’ll say it again—I’m so proud of her.
What we are quickly learning though, is that I will need to help get her to the finish line in her masters program because as I mentioned before, I’m the “educator” in our house. She’s the doctor.
She mentioned that she was intrigued by my mention of Zotero (digital research library) in my last journal entry, so she went ahead and downloaded and voila! She is excitedly cataloging and getting into the thick of it.
Here we go…It’s been 20 minutes. I’m really starting to love this moment of the day.
Talk tomorrow.
Dex
