Several years ago, a friend introduced me to Anne Lamott, and specifically to her book Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. I have given this book to several people over the years, including to a special student this year who served as a teaching assistant for me. And I have re-bought myselfContinue reading ““Small flat rigid squares of paper”: Books that shaped me in 2024″
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Prosody
During 2020 and 2021, I (like many others) took a lot of walks. Usually I walked alone, or sometimes with my daughters. A few times, I took walks with friends. One day, after walking with a friend who happens to be one of my favorite walking partners, I kept reflecting on our conversation long afterContinue reading “Prosody”
Inconceivable Truth: Podcasts in Teaching Part 2
I have written before about using podcasts in teaching: here, with how you might use the Do No Harm Podcast and here, with ideas for using The Call, which is an episode of This American Life podcast. For various reasons in the past week, I have been by myself in the car more than usualContinue reading “Inconceivable Truth: Podcasts in Teaching Part 2”
Synchronicity in classroom and community
This semester I am teaching in an interdisciplinary learning community (ILC), which is part of our university’s general education curriculum. The ILC is called “Introduction to Trauma Studies” and the two courses are the human behavior across the lifespan course that I teach and a literature/writing course which is taught by a colleague in the EnglishContinue reading “Synchronicity in classroom and community”
Creatively applied learning
Every fall semester for the past 10 years I have taught a social welfare policy course. This is a course where social work majors and occasionally some social justice minors take a dive into a broad array of policy topics. This is a class where we discuss so many policy topics (child welfare, housing, food andContinue reading “Creatively applied learning”
Longest semester ever.
Woof. This is feeling like the longest semester ever. It has been feeling like that for several weeks now. A few weeks ago I broke a bone in my right foot. Boot life doesn’t lend itself well to campus life, even on a relatively compact campus. This past week I have had bronchitis…still have it.Continue reading “Longest semester ever.”
The Call: Podcasts in Teaching
Just as I dropped my daughter off at dance class this morning, I heard the beginning of This American Life. I rarely feel compelled to listen to an entire podcast episode, (of any podcast), often listening a bit and then reading the transcript if I want to finish the story. It is more efficient andContinue reading “The Call: Podcasts in Teaching”
My 20th year of teaching: Embracing my anti-hero’s journey
Last night I was trying to settle down for sleep, which is always challenging the night before the semester starts. I was tossing and turning, and then it hit me: I was about to embark on my 20th year of full- time teaching. Earlier yesterday I read a post by my friend David Hutchens, whoContinue reading “My 20th year of teaching: Embracing my anti-hero’s journey”
Resources for understanding and teaching about poverty (part 1)
The anniversary of Robert Kennedy’s death was yesterday (June 6). He said “as long as there is plenty, poverty is evil”. He was assassinated in 1968, just two months and two days after the assassination of Dr. King. Both of these men at their death were committed to eradicating poverty in the US, and partContinue reading “Resources for understanding and teaching about poverty (part 1)”
24 people a minute: Teaching about intimate partner violence
I read a memoir recently called Goodbye, Sweet Girl: A Story of Domestic Violence and Survival by Kelly Sundberg. I hope to use it in the spring 2024 semester when teaching an interdisciplinary learning course on Trauma Studies, but if I hadn’t already missed the deadline for book orders for fall 2023, I would probablyContinue reading “24 people a minute: Teaching about intimate partner violence”
