Last week I got some big news – I’ll be teaching at Kennesaw State University in the fall!  I will be a part-time instructor in the Human Services program and will teach the Human Socialization class.  I am beyond excited!!  This was my favorite class in the curriculum when I was a student and the class that made me want to continue my education, to learn more and learn deeply.  I was thoroughly engaged with the textbook, class discussions, and assignments.  Come to think of it, this was the class in which I read Rachel Simon’s Riding the Bus With My Sister.  We were assigned to read a book that related to human socialization and write a paper on it, and I chose Riding the Bus.  A supremely awesome semester and beginning of an amazing senior year.

So, what is human socialization?  Well, it’s a multidimensional approach to human behavior in the social environment.  It combines lots of psychology and sociology to prepare students for working with clients in their internships and future careers.  It gives them the general knowledge of theory and research to apply to the unique individuals and situations they will encounter in the field.  Intriguing, fun stuff.  And it means I have lots of preparation to do!  More fun stuff.

I have been a guest lecturer/speaker for years now on different topics of disability awareness, mainly speaking in this same department building skills and a knowledge base from which to teach.  I cannot stress enough the positive outcomes from building relationships and networking.  It’s been a win-win situation for me.

I will undoubtedly flash back to the silly or immature things I did or said or thought as a student in this same department and university not all that long ago.  I will try to laugh at these recollections instead of wincing at my young, naive self in an attempt to counter my usual and annoyingly self-critical personality.  Then I will probably have to pinch myself every so often to make sure this is actually happening, that I am fulfilling yet another dream come true!