Connecting with Nature through Forest Bathing by Kate Szetela, Manager, Adjunct Faculty Support At this point in the academic calendar, most everyone is working at an intense pace and looking forward to a much-deserved break. Thankfully, nature is in full bloom right now and just walking outside on campus offers a chance to take in the beautiful colors, scents, and textures. In Japan, many practice “shinrin-yoku” or forest bathing. It is simply being in nature, connecting with it through our senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. I had the opportunity to attend a forest bathing workshop where a guide curates the experience and it was magical. At one point, in the spirit of wabi-sabi, we were encouraged to find something imperfect and search for the beauty. However, it isn’t necessary to have a guide. Dr. Qing Li, author of Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness offers these tips: Let nature enter through your ears, eyes, nose, mouth, hands, and feet. Listen to the birds singing and the breeze rustling in the trees. Look at the different greens of the trees and the sunlight filtering through the branches. Smell the fragrance of the trees and breath the natural aromatherapy. Taste the freshness of the air as you take deep breaths. Place your hands on the trunk of a tree. Dip your fingers or toes in a stream. Whether you have only a few minutes or hours, give yourself the gift of being present to the beauty that nature generously and unconditionally provides.

Meet Jayne Kaspar, Surgical Technology Adjunct Faculty Member & Focus of this Month's Spotlight! What do you teach? How long have you taught at COD? Surgical Technology, 8 months What did you want to be “when you grew up?" A nurse What is your favorite show/TV series AND/OR What book are you reading now? I am really into Emily in Paris. It’s such an easy show to get into and keep up with when I have a chance! Do you have a favorite vacation spot? (from childhood or more recently? My vacations consist of visiting my three sisters in Las Vegas, NV; Palm Desert, California; and Austin, TX. What attracted you to teaching? Working as a Surgical Tech at Elmhurst Hospital really opened my eyes to how much I loved sharing my knowledge with new hires and students during their clinical rotations. I remember loving my instructor at COD and hoping one day I could do what she did! In what ways does your work help students succeed? I like to keep things light and relatable. Giving real life examples and stories help connect text book content to clinical experience. Who inspires you? My boss, Anna Campbell, and my fellow adjunct instructors: Candice Johnson, Jenny Cerpa, Anna Marzullo, and Ania Bucur. They have been the most welcoming and helpful group to begin this journey with and I really can’t thank them enough for all they do to help me grow into a great educator!

We appreciate the many contributions you offer your students and the institution. This space is devoted to your well-being and inspiration to practice self-care. The best gift you can give yourself is a calm, centered mind and a strong, flexible body. Explore simple ways to take care. Resources Meditation Group Courses & Events Meditation Art of the Brief Time Out Describe your image

Practicing Paradox by Kate Szetela, Manager, Adjunct Faculty Support Last month’s Art of the Brief Time Out was devoted to discipline. What happens when we commit to a new habit or practice that takes discipline and we find ourselves struggling or not following through? This is a perfect time to practice paradox. For those that participated in a 4 Connections cohort, your familiar with the practice paradox concept of simultaneously providing structure and flexibility to our students. Just like when students take on a new course, when we take on a new habit or practice discipline, it is helpful to afford ourselves some grace when we don’t meet our expectations. Sometimes it is adjusting our intentions or goals, or merely to start again fresh the next day without carrying guilt or judgement about what has passed. The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, than I can change. -Carl Rogers

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Starfish College of DuPage is a learner centered institution where our students are our number one priority. To assist each student in reaching their goals, adjunct faculty can use the Starfish system to collaborate with others in communicating with students that there is an issue impeding their path toward academic success. Adjunct faculty may also use the system to provide kudos to students for a job well done in the classroom. In short, Starfish is a comprehensive, user-friendly way to let our students know we care about them and their academic progress. Cornerstone features a great training to help all adjunct faculty members become familiar with Starfish and all it has to offer.

All new adjunct faculty members must attend a three-hour orientation session as part of the onboarding process. These meetings offer a holistic look at what it means to work as an adjunct at COD, and allows attendees to explore tools they can implement in their classroom to engage their students. Specifically, each orientation meeting covers the following information: Responsibilities involved as an adjunct faculty member at COD Resources to support teaching practices and course administration Classroom management strategies in collaboration with peers Introduction to Blackboard basics Professional development opportunities Fun and learner centered learning activities For more information on the orientation process contact our office at oafs@cod.edu