Anticipation

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."
--Henry B. Adams

I have always loved the first day of a new semester. Like a child awaiting an exciting adventure, I can't sleep the night before from the anticipation. Tossing and turning all night, I wonder what the new semester will bring. Will the students be as eager to learn as I am to instruct? Our university is in the most conservative county in the state, so how will they react to an openly liberal, very vocal, hijab wearing, shisha smoking, Muslim professor?

I know that I shouldn't worry. Alhamdullilah, I'm actually quite popular among the students. Perhaps it's because I refuse to allow them to attach a title to my name, insisting that they call me by my first name alone. I firmly believe that my title does not automatically demand the respect of my students; respect is earned through action, not degrees tacked on a wall. Most of my students work full-time jobs while carrying a full course load; many are single mothers with small children to care for while they try to study. Maybe they like me because I am flexible, compassionate, and understanding of their circumstances. Deadlines are never written in stone with me because life happens when we least expect it.

In a couple of hours, I will march into the first classroom of the day, insh'Allah. And for the next 16 weeks, I will have the opportunity to show a small group of mostly conservative Christians that Muslims can be kind, compassionate, funny, understanding, open-minded, and respectful of others. What a great opportunity for dawah!