I am in week four of two six week grad classes, so I am indeed a sporadic blogger, as Kim mentioned in her recent blog about spores. When I am not working or doing homework, I try to get away from the computer, out of the house and spend time with my husband and kids. Luckily, they’ve been there waiting for me. So that’s my excuse. Sorry Mom.
I woke up at 5 a.m. this morning intending to write an article and get my homework done today. Instead I spent the last 40 minutes reading e-mail on a list serve. Luckily, it was e-mail on the writing program list serve, which is a required read for one of my classes. The thread was about having children and being on the tenure track, which of course was very interesting to me. On at least one occassion I feel that I lost a job because I didn’ t hide the fact that I have children, and face it with four kids, I HAVE children.
Last semester one of my professors led a class discussion about what lots of short paragraphs might say to a potential reader who hasn’t yet started reading the writing. Of course, he was referring to the first assignment I turned into him. I am the queen of short paragraphs, although I am adapting. But my biggest concern isn’t the length of my paragraphs, but what the number of my children say to someone. It isn’ t a good feeling to realize that your children have HURT your chances for a job. Although, I will say that my children have rarely if never interfered with me completing a job. I can’t say the same about my job never interfering with my family life.
Maybe I’m being naive, and my co-workers and bosses would have something different to say about my family committments. I just know that I’ve always got my job done, and have done some out of the way things to get it done. I don’t miss a lot of work either.
But back to the tenure discussion, it was fascinating. I was just very impressed in what everyone had to say and how well they said it. Women and men talked about it in very interesting terms.
So what am I doing in my classes? I’m developing my teaching philosophy and coming up with the theory behind the philosophy (complete with citations). I am researching commenting on student papers and (hopefully) the pros and cons of commenting with the computer versus commenting with a pen. I’m also doing a historical editing complete with annotations. Two weeks to go and then I get three weeks without doing anything. Well, you know, except lesson plans and syllabuses and so on and so forth…. Not to mention my summer job requirements (the reporter gig).
So yeah, definitely a sporadic blogger. Thanks for playing.
Well it’s a good thing you are a sporadic blogger or I never would have found the post about autobiographical literacy essays. Yes, I looked the title up again to get it right.
Good luck with school! Oh, and good luck with the family too! It’s a tricky balancing act.
You are so awesome. What is your ultimate goal with all this education?
My ultimate goal is a full time position at a community college teaching composition (and other stuff like journalism), as well as continuing to freelance write for general markets as well as academic markets. And to no longer be a staff writer at a newspaper.