Trying (and failing) to care less
Normally when a new semester starts, I think about what I want to accomplish–for myself professionally, with my students, in the department/university. …
New syllabus–the Pandemic Edition
Teaching in a time of crisis. Whoa, boy. I already don’t like it! Like many educators, I’ve been struggling recently to adapt …
Keep Calm, Teach On: Leading in the midst of uncertainty
If you haven’t been in a room with 25 anxious graduating seniors on exam day, only to receive a confusing message from …
Confessions of an erstwhile blogger
“Please save me a seat!” I texted, frantically hustling down Pratt Street towards the Baltimore Convention Center. Naturally, when I had cut the …
Talking identity, prejudice and discrimination in class: An open letter to my students
Over the last several years, I’ve started to take a much more critical approach to my pedagogy. I’ve chosen more complex and …
On classroom alchemy and awkwardness
If I were a basketball coach, they would’ve sacked me mid-season. They would’ve blamed the lack of chemistry, the apathy, the mediocre …
Doing something good: The one assignment I actually LOVE to grade
Finals week. That point in the semester where I’m looking at the stacks of (physical and virtual) papers to grade wondering WHO …
A step-by-step guide to finding sources on Google Scholar
At least a few times per semester, I have a conversation with a student, usually undergraduate, that goes something like this… Student, …
That time I invited my class to negotiate the syllabus
“So how did this work in your other classes?” Gulp. “Well…” And then I admitted to my senior seminar students, on the …
On teaching my first grad class
“I think I broke a grad student today,” I said to Mr. T, walking in the door from my night class. It …