On Tuesdays I usually write about the Osher Program at William and Mary – teaching or taking classes or musing on the experience of interacting with the interesting people who are involved in the program. But today I’m going to take a different approach – telling you about a similar program that operates through Christopher Newport University. CNU is in Newport News, Virginia, about 30 minutes from Williamsburg.
This program is not an Osher affiliate, but it operates in much the same fashion, albeit on a smaller scale. Several of our instructors also teach for the CNU program, and everyone is happy that there are a variety of ways we can all share the enjoyment instructors experience when they are provided an opportunity to share what they know with a new crop of eager “seasoned adults” in a different program.
I’ve been exploring the possibility of teaching for this program. My initial contact with them went very well, and I’m waiting to hear from them to firm up details. I’m hoping to be able to teach for them in their spring semester. This would not be in place of my commitment to the Osher Program at William and Mary. Rather, I see it as just another opportunity to enjoy sharing what I have come to understand about the subjects I teach.
My plan is to teach classes that I have already taught for the W&M program. The CNU program operates on a different schedule, but the total instructional time for a course is roughly the same. My existing classes would fit within the CNU schedule without a lot of restructuring. The only thing I would have to do is chop up six hours of instruction into five 75-minute sessions rather than three two-hour sessions. That won’t be very hard.
When I submit proposals to the two programs, I’ll indicate different times I’ll be available to teach in the two programs. If I tell W&M that I can teach on Mondays and Tuesdays, for example, I’ll tell CNU that I can teach on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
It will be interesting to branch out into a different university system and a different community.
Good for you, Karen! It’s a win-win for everyone.