Thank you, Professor Byrd!

Robert Frost. One of my favorite poets. I always loved teaching his poetry to my high school students because there were so many messages for them to be found--if they would just look! "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"--take time to enjoy the moments in your life instead of counting the days to graduation. That was a good one to teach in mid-semester when the talk turned to 'how many days of school do we have left' or 'guess how many days till we graduate?? I can hardly wait to get out of here.'

But the one I always stressed was "The Road Not Taken." Teaching in a small rural school and seeing two generations of students pass through my classroom doors emphsized that many felt they were 'stuck' in the small towns and doomed to a life of never leaving Pulaski County, that the opportunities to move, to continue their educations, to pursue a dream were for others, not for them. That is why the poem was so important in my curriculum. There are choices, there are decisions, and often the best choice is the one that others DON'T take.

So where is this leading? Last night at the Awards and Recognition Program at the Logansport campus, Julie Byrd selected a poem to read in the closing remarks that she felt appropriate for the newly announced Instructor of the Year and that reflected the choices of many of us in the room---"The Road Not Taken." What was so special about this selection and her reading of it is that SHE was one of my former students at West Central; she was in 8th grade which was my second year of teaching (we tell everyone I was only 12 at the time--don't start doing the math!). I don't remember if I taught Frost to them, but Julie is the personification of that poem. She chose the 'road not taken' in many aspects of her life--personally and professionally. Not only was the poem appropriate for her, it also defines many of the Ivy Tech students. Many are returning to school for one reason or another. Many are juggling families, work, and studying. It would be so easy to take the well-traveled road and stay on the well-worn path. Instead they choose the 'road less traveled,' hitting a few bumps, getting stuck in some ruts, and needing help to keep on moving toward the destination, a degree. And when I think about it, I did the same. From the moment I signed my first contract at West Central (long story) to leaving when I did for my new family at Ivy Tech, from the projects I created for my students and all of the adventures we shared together (camping trips, field trips, treks to the Outdoor Lab, 'building' a restaurant, Gatsby parties, and on and on) to creating Pods and Blogs for my online AmLit students, I travel that 'road less traveled.' And I love it!

Thank you, Julie, for selecting such a wonderful poem to share last night. It was perfect--in so many ways.