Today is the first day of the new semester at the University of Houston! Teaching is one of the great joys of my life.

This semester, I’m privileged to teach Women In Politics to 45+ inquiring young minds. I can’t wait to start sharing “herstory” with the class.

The best thing about teaching at the University of Houston is the amazing diversity of the school. In reviewing my student roster last night, I tried saying many of the names over and over to myself.

Ultimately, I have learned that no amount of practice will help me to pronounce the names correctly so I will have the students introduce themselves to me and then begin the process of matching names to faces. I like to tell my friends, “if you want to see the future of Houston, visit my class.”

The roster alone tells me that I will have a class filled with many multi-cultural backgrounds among my students. As I get to know the students throughout the semester, I will learn more about their heritage and life experiences.

For this is a class that sparks discussion. Indeed, I insist upon it, to the degree that I created a class participation grade. Students are encouraged to share their opinions and participate in spirited discussions.

At the beginning of the semester, I will struggle to get them to speak up but a few brave ones will talk with me. By the end of the semester, it will be my job to moderate as they will all have much to contribute. If this is not the case, then I have failed.

We will embark on “her”story by meeting women from the 1300’s and traveling forward to Clinton and Palin. We’ll also discuss issues and the ways that women govern and campaign. Fortunately, current events always intervene to help create discussion for this class. Topics of the day are critical to understanding the role of women in society.

Wish me luck as I set out to share knowledge with a new class of eager students and you might want to wish them luck, too!