Tales of a Teacher: BJ Rye

by Bailey Jacobs. This is the second of three Centre for Teaching Excellence Teaching Stories that will appear in the Daily Bulletin this week. The full versions of each piece first appeared on the Centre for Teaching Excellence's website.

If you find yourself seated in the classroom of Dr. BJ Rye’s Introduction to Human Sexuality course, you’ll likely observe a few blushing, wide-eyed, and even giggling students. You may even sense a tinge of the classic high school health class embarrassment in the air. The course content might make even the most “erotophilic” of individuals uneasy, but Rye approaches her subject with candour and aplomb.

What do students expect from a course such as SMF 204, Introduction to Human Sexuality? This question was of great interest to Rye, an instructor with twenty-two years of teaching experience. Upon further inquiry she found that the answer was consistent: “Students want the subject of sexuality approached with a positive mentality,” and want factual, unbiased information. Equipped with this knowledge, Rye strives to create an affirming learning space for SMF 204 and to deliver the course content in an engaging yet matter-of-fact manner.

With her mug of Maritimes tea in hand, Rye walks the classroom aisles casually lecturing her students on topics that many individuals wouldn’t wish to discuss with their own children, let alone a lecture hall of university students. While her students only see her effortless teaching persona, Rye confides, “I wasn’t always this comfortable.” She further explains that, similar to many new instructors, she contended with nervousness, which she managed by standing near the podium, relying on the lecture notes she had prepared. Laughing, she reveals that “people used to joke that I had an umbilical cord attached to my notes—that I could only go so far before I bounced right back.” Though it took longer than nine months for her new and unflappable teaching persona to gestate, thorough lesson preparation and extensive lecture practice helped Rye sever her umbilical connection to the podium.

Rye brings a direct approach not only to her course content but also to her classroom environment. She affirms, “You must be explicit about the rules from the beginning.” Rye doesn’t like having to reprimand her students, so to prevent this she is forthright with the ground rules on the first day of class. One of Rye’s policies, for example, is that the technologies that students bring to class must be used for educational purposes only. Cell-phone use is prohibited during class time, and laptops are to be used solely for learning. Students who wish to employ a laptop during class are asked to sign a contract outlining the technology uses permitted in the classroom.

After laying out the classroom protocols, Rye swiftly delves into the curriculum with no holds barred, leaving student jaws agape the first time she utters the name of an anatomical reproductive part. It’s easy for an instructor to stigmatise the topic of human sexuality, but Rye provides her students with a frank and positive view on sexuality, “approaching the subject with humour and openness.” From her many “I have a friend who…” stories, to the “show and tell” items that she passes around the classroom, to her own personal anecdotes, Rye has a knack for not only keeping her students engaged, but providing them with a comprehensive education. When asked why she shares personal anecdotes in the classroom, she quotes an inspirational instructor of her own, and simply states, “If you can’t relate ideas to everyday life, people won’t get it. Relevance is what makes it understandable and memorable.” For Rye, keeping things simple, direct, and positive is the key to exceptional teaching.

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First work term success pilots

By: Judene Pretti

A number of students, employers, faculty, staff and alumni participated in a stakeholder engagement project with Co-operative Education & Career Action in 2012. For those of you who participated, you will likely still remember those ‘kitchen table’ conversations. Resulting from that work, CECA established ‘positioning students for first work term success’ as one of its strategic priorities.

In 2013, CECA received a grant, through a Productivity and Innovation fund, offered by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to pursue a number of pilot projects to support first work term success for co-op students.

The pilots initiated this year include:

• Co-op Living Learning community in partnership with Housing and Residences and local employers
• GreenHouse Co-op in partnership with St. Paul’s university: opportunities for co-op students to work with local social entrepreneurs
• Early access to PD1 in partnership with WatPD
• Supervisor toolkit: a set of templates for employers to use with their students
• Social support for students during work terms in partnership with the Federation of Students
• Experience Waterloo Co-op: May open house event in partnership with the Faculty of Engineering
• Additional contact with student advisors during the first work term

For each pilot, a set of measures has been identified and once each pilot is completed and the measures are collected and analyzed, recommendations will be made about changes to the pilots for future offerings and opportunities to expand the pilots to a broader group of students.

We are grateful to the many partners across campus who have been involved in the various projects. If you have any questions or would like further information about any of the pilots, you can contact Judene Pretti (tjpretti@uwaterloo.ca) or Alannah Robinson (aarobinson@uwaterloo.ca).

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JJ's Journey - 40 years with the Feds

This article was originally published on the Federation of Students website.

John Jongerius – try to say that name very quickly a few times. It’s a bit of a tongue twister, but it barely compares to the winding journey the man himself has experienced within the Federation of Students. Known for being passionate about his work and talkative, he has spent 40 years with Feds. If you’ve been to Feds Used Books recently, then you’ve likely spotted the tall, gray-haired manager better known as “JJ.”

It began in 1971 when JJ enrolled as an undergraduate at the University of Waterloo. He decided to study cultural anthropology and political science but ended up changing direction. “I stayed as a student for two full years,” he says. “I discovered that I didn’t want a career in arts. I enjoyed and excelled in business."

In 1973, JJ started working part-time for Feds. He held various positions with Feds and its Board of Entertainment (BENT). He took on full-time work on May 1, 1974.

“From 1974 to 1991, I was the manager of the Feds Record Store,” he says. “It was a lot of fun. I also advised BENT on booking bands for pubs and concerts. In 1988, I became the manager of Feds Used Books.”

Truly dedicated to the organization, JJ continued to challenge himself and support students by holding even more positions. He was a Postmaster from 1990 to 2000, managed the Variety Store from 1995-2000, and managed the ice-cream store Scoops from 1995-2000.

“I’d say the most challenging thing I encountered was changing a manual system at Feds Used Books to a computerized system for consigning, selling, and paying for books,” he says. “There were no computers being used on campus for retail, so it was a new frontier with language written in DOS and operating on a 286 processor with next to zero memory.”

Now, with all the knowledge and funny stories so many decades of work can provide, JJ is preparing for retirement next year. He will miss the students and Feds staff the most. He insists that working with students keeps you young with fresh ideas.

“This organization has grown so much,” he says. “I’ll miss the social events, and watching the students develop and get better in their roles.”

So, what’s happening after retirement? Nothing too lofty. JJ is planning to become a Senator in Ottawa or buy the LA Clippers and move to Los Angeles.

Wednesdays notes

Feds Used Books, which is operated by the Federation of Students, will be hosting a sale on Wednesday, July 23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Student Life Centre Lower Atrium. For only two dollars, students, staff, and faculty will be able to take home a book. Find a novel to enjoy during the last month of summer, or start shopping early for books you know you’ll need this fall. More information about Feds Used Books is available online.

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