Sometimes I think I must have been out of my mind when I decided to teach two sections of a community-engaged course in a pandemic (this makes up only half of my 4 course load mind you). The coordination details feel endless at the moment. It is already the end of Week 4 and I … Continue reading So You Want to Teach a Service Learning Course?
Asynchronous Online Teaching
I recently had a conversation with a parent of a college student who was "disappointed" that her daughter *still* had some of her classes online this semester in spite of our institution's decision to "come back to campus" this fall. First, I informed her that at our specific institution, even before the pandemic, it is … Continue reading Asynchronous Online Teaching
Find Your Coven
This post is entirely inspired by Mirya Holman whose newsletter you should subscribe to asap. I sent her "Get Yourself an Academic Coven" letter to my writing group, and we immediately renamed ourselves "Writing Coven." This is good advice no matter what you've got going on in your professional life: find an accountability group. I … Continue reading Find Your Coven
Teaching Tip Tuesday: Get Into the Weeds
I can't tell you the number of times I've had students send me unsolicited emails thanking me for explaining what a scholarly article actually is. For years, they tell me, their instructors have demanded scholarly sources, but never explained to them what makes a source scholarly or not. I not only explain what a scholarly … Continue reading Teaching Tip Tuesday: Get Into the Weeds
Do You Plan an Ideal Week?
How's it going? My second week back was somewhat uneventful, but a few colleagues have had covid positive students pop up. The uni has said to proceed with class as scheduled while the department of health does "contact tracing." What could go wrong with that plan? I am celebrating some personal good news today...my chapter … Continue reading Do You Plan an Ideal Week?
Teaching Tip Tuesday: Define Your Terms
It feels weird to do another Teaching Tip Tuesday right now. Do you really want to read about how I create new units? Redesign courses? Organize teaching materials? At the same time, I'm not sure what to offer in the way of advice for teaching in person in the time of Covid-19. If we were … Continue reading Teaching Tip Tuesday: Define Your Terms
Covid-19 University
How are you all doing? Throughout the week, I collected some screenshots from Twitter that resonated with me and the experience of returning to campus for the fall semester. This past week marked my first time back in the classroom in 18 months. It was surreal. Partly because my department had moved into an entirely … Continue reading Covid-19 University
Teaching Tip Tuesday: Simplify
How was your summer? I took a much needed break to process a personal loss. This week I return to teaching in-person for the first time since March 2020. My own institution has mandated mask wearing and social distancing indoors, but many of us wonder just how long it will be until we pivot online … Continue reading Teaching Tip Tuesday: Simplify
Grief in Academia
cw: miscarriage, grief You may have noticed a slight gap between my last post and this one. I was not certain I should write this post. Contrary to what my robust digital footprint might suggest, I am not one to post a lot of intensely personal information online. But it felt weird to simply resume … Continue reading Grief in Academia
Am I an Early or Mid-Career Academic?
The other day I was scrolling through Twitter when I saw this tweet asking, "Am I early-career or mid-career? A Memoir." And, man, I felt that. I am arguably early-career, having only had full-time employment in higher ed for the past 2.5 years. On the other hand, I've been teaching college classes since 2009. My … Continue reading Am I an Early or Mid-Career Academic?
