We academics are lucky in many ways. Most individuals herald January 1 as a big time for resolutions, aiming to change big behaviors with the start of the New Year. When you teach, you have at least two (on the semester system), sometimes three opportunities
For some of us, it takes some time to get into the swing of summer. Some of us only finished our academic years mid-June. Others immediately attended conferences or workshops. Every year, I look at the months of summer looming ahead and map out all
It happens every time. Months ahead of the event, I sign up to attend a teaching conference and essentially commit to spending three days (sometimes more with travel) away from home. Then the semester starts, and I get caught up in the whack-a-mole that is
One of the courses I am teaching this semester is a senior-level course titled Autonomic Nervous System Regulation. In this class, we examine the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which is the part of our nervous system that governs involuntary physiological processes, such as our heart
Feeling stressed, worn down, or burned out? If so, you’re far from alone.
According to a February 2023 survey of more than 900 faculty, many are often or always physically exhausted (33 percent), emotionally drained (38 percent), or worn out (40 percent). Another study, the
I’ve been wanting to write about my journey to embrace Rumi’s wisdom in my pedagogy. My teaching career began at a community college, where I served from 2007 to 2021, initially as an adjunct and later as a full-time faculty member in the Department of
Mental health concerns have emerged as a heightened concern, gaining recognition among faculty members and becoming an integral aspect of academic discussions. This shift in focus has been particularly notable in the wake of the ongoing pandemic, prompting educators to find ways to support student
An ancient practice that has been adapted to modern times, meditation has a variety of definitions. The Tibetan word for meditation, gom, literally means “to become familiar with,” as with the mind (our thoughts, states of mind, emotions). Meditation methods generally take two forms: focused
On stage at The Comedy of Errors that night, long-lost twin brothers embraced to the swelling strains of “Amazing Grace”; offstage, in the seat next to mine, my Very Reluctant Student turned to me—misty-eyed, breathless—and whispered,
“Whoa.”
This is your sign to take students
I have a brown wicker chair on my back porch. It is nestled in a little nook, shaded by the overhang of my roof and the foliage of Douglas firs and oaks. My neighbor’s water features, two little fountains and streams, gently murmur. One
