I think a sign of a good teacher is a willingness to reinvent aspects of a class (activities, assignments, units, the entire course curriculum, you name it) when it just doesn’t seem to be working anymore. A successful course can’t just be based on what works for the teacher at the expense of what is…
The PNW State of Mind
The other night, my boyfriend and I got separated from each other during a shopping trip at Dorothy Lane Market. When I finally found him, he was browsing through the tea and coffee aisle. As I walked along the lovely bags of fragrant coffee beans, two labels caught my eye…Caffe Vita Coffee Roasting Company and…
Thoughts on The Testaments
When I decided to assign The Testaments, Margaret Atwood’s long-awaited sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, sight-unseen this semester, I knew I was taking a risk. After all, the book was not even being released until a month into the semester, and I would only have a few short weeks to read the book before the students took it up…
Hallothanksmas
Now that Halloween is officially behind us, I need to get something off of my chest. Is it just me, or do the lines between holidays seem to blur together more and more each year? Nowadays, Halloween decorations, costumes, and goodies start to appear in July or August, Thanksgiving decor appears nearly as soon, and…
Teaching through Popular Culture
Last week in my honors writing seminar classes, we discussed a fifty page chunk of Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments. Afterward, we watched part of an episode of season 3 of The Handmaid’s Tale and reacted to it. At the end of class, we talked through our differing opinions about the way in which the novel is picking up and…
December Daydreams
54. That’s how many days stand between me and drinking the first of what is sure to be many pina coladas on board Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas. Only 54 days between me and my first real “adult” trip with my best friend and our moms. Only 54 days between me and the open…
Products for Productivity
One of the things I often tell my students, especially my first-years who are still making the rather abrupt transition from high school to college, is that they have to find what works for them in terms of staying organized and productive. When one is taking six or seven classes, participating in clubs and organizations,…
Lifelong Learning
I will be the first to admit that I am a complete and total nerd. I always have been. From a young age, I enjoyed learning and, for the most part, going to school. While there were of course occasional assignments I did poorly on, subjects I struggled with, and days that I just did…
Spooky Season 2k19
This past Monday was one of my favorite days of the year, a true unofficial holiday, the first day of fall. And in honor of the first day of fall, I have decided to dedicate this week’s post to my favorite time of the year, spooky season. Before you say anything, dear reader, I know…
Coffee in Dayton
Let me just start this by saying that I am not a coffee snob. I don’t know much about roasting methods, single-origin varieties, or the differences between a latte and a cappuccino, and I will be the first person to admit that I love Starbucks as much as the next basic white girl. But I…
Writing in the Age of Gilead 