Welcome back to the Fall 2016 semester!
One of the things I love about working in education as a teacher, is that every year we get to begin again and build on the lessons of the previous academic year. We enfold into our new classes the good things we want to build on, as well as adjust the things that didn’t quite work as well as we thought.
As human beings we appreciate the chance to begin again. It gives new energy and hope and can help us move forward. How many of us make resolutions on January 1st? How many of us have still kept them? As this new academic year begins, take some time to reflect and think about what you want to accomplish this semester.
Being human means we will often need to begin again—in our work, in our studies, in relationships. This is not a bad thing, as none of us are perfect, and we are made to evolve and progress. Therefore, when you get a disappointing grade, or a friend lets you down—just remember…we are human and we can begin again. Nothing is lost and every experience invites us to grow.
Maria College is grounded in Mercy spirituality which always invites us to reflect on our lives in order to appreciate our many gifts and experiences and to try and begin again in those areas which we struggle with. So, this semester my message is…don’t be too hard on yourself. Try your best. Use this time as a new beginning—remind yourself of your dreams and aspirations. We are here to help you realize them!
Each week the new Office for Student Life and Mission Integration will be writing a blog to help staff and students know more about the mission of Maria College. If you have any thoughts or suggestions of topics you would like me to write about, please drop me an email at vbattell@mariacollege.edu!
Victoria Battell, RSM