Teaching: The Great Equalizer

Last week, CVA held a faculty / staff mixer at the Town and Country Club along the Mississippi (oooohh...ritzy!). It was typical: there was the faculty member who couldn’t stay awake during the presentation, the staffer who maybe had a bit too much to drink, and the flirtatious couple who is married (but to other people who weren’t there).

OK, so maybe just one of those 3 are true.

Earlier that day, I was able to meet the new folks teaching in the Photo Department. CVA now has a GREAT mix of people teaching photo classes. William Clark and Terry Gydesen are co-teaching a “professional practices” style class. Students will get great instruction from someone in the fashion / studio photography life, and from some doing street / documentary photography. Also Melody Gilbert, who has produced some VERY interesting documentary films, is teaching a digital video class.

I was sitting across the table from some GREAT artists, but 2 of them had NEVER taught before, and it had been 4 years since the other had taught. They were asking me for advice; I was preparing materials to send to them; we discussed student issues that were bound to come up.

We were equals. It was amazing.

Here’s to a great Spring Semester.