Daughters

A little over a year ago I wrote about teaching in the Integrated Learning Community, part of the general education core where I teach. Last year, I wrote about the synchronicity of learning from my co-teacher and being able to put it in use in the community the following day. This year we are teachingContinue reading “Daughters”

Mutual aid: How we care for each other

The term “mutual aid” is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a collaboration between community members, and a voluntary exchange of resources between them. We generally may think of mutual aid as existing most often in communities that have been economically (and in other ways) marginalized, but mutual aid also exists in faith communitiesContinue reading “Mutual aid: How we care for each other”

The one where my students asked what the heck is going on

I feel like if I title this like a Friends episode, it might seem less dystopian. Night before last, I was preparing for my HBSE class (Human Behavior in the Social Environment). We explore topics across the lifespan, and learn about bio-psycho-social-spiritual functioning at each stage of life, after a few weeks of introducing someContinue reading “The one where my students asked what the heck is going on”

Say her name: Sonya Massey

A few weeks ago my daughter and I went to a local museum (The Frist) to see their current installation called Printing the Revolution. It is powerful. One of the first pieces you see when you walk into the gallery is a piece with names and facial drawings of people of color who have beenContinue reading “Say her name: Sonya Massey”

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”

Speaking life

When I say this has been a semester….whew. I am not exaggerating. I have missed writing but in the great scheme of survival, writing has taken a back seat. (I have big wrting plans for the summer. We will see if they come to fruition.) Today I have my last final session of Spring 2024,Continue reading “Speaking life”

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”

Preventative Maintenance: Tangible self-care

Last semester felt very long, as I discussed in my last post. I have friends who teach in various institutions across the country and so many of them expressed these same feelings about last semester. Whew. One day in a particular class, when I could tell that people were stressed, I shifted gears early on intoContinue reading “Preventative Maintenance: Tangible self-care”