It’s December. You’ve worked hard this semester. You could really use a real break between semesters to rest and recharge. To make it more likely that you will take that break and be refreshed by it, I propose a couple of things. Tie up the loose ends on this semester so it feels finished. Have […]
Read More »Developing a Practice
Your academic life is more than a string of articles published, classes taught, and meetings attended. You write because this is how you articulate and develop your ideas. You publish to communicate those ideas to others. Posts in this category help you develop the practices you need to do the work you love well without burning out or compromising your values.
You Need a Writing Practice is a good place to start to investigate the Writing subcategory.
Juggling 101: Elements of a good plan is a good place to start investigating the Planning subcategory.
You were not a typical undergraduate student
You are a good teacher. You work hard to prepare classes that will enable your students to learn. And I bet you are frequently frustrated by those who don’t seem to do their part to benefit from that hard work. They don’t do the readings. They don’t put any effort into that small assignment you created […]
Read More »Discomfort, triggers, and pedagogy
I got into a discussion about trigger warnings on Twitter and realized that I have something to say about this. I have no answer to the question of whether they are a good thing or not in a general sense. This post is also not a commentary on what the proliferation of trigger warnings means […]
Read More »Squaring “write every day” with “take the weekend off”
Habits are important. Rest is also important. How do you square the advice to write every day with my advice to take weekends off and have real vacations? Change “write every day” to “write every working day”. Your brain is perfectly capable of distinguishing between work days and rest days. You can have different habits […]
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An advanced writing practice
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · An advanced writing practice A friend went to yoga class the other day and lay on her back the whole time, absorbing the energy of the group and doing the poses in her head. She felt great afterwards. This is the advanced practice. You know your body well enough […]
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Autonomy & asking for help
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Autonomy & asking for help You are smart and competent. You work in an environment that values autonomy. You value autonomy. You feel like you should be able to do things yourself. However, you are also part of a complex division of labour in which other people’s work supports your daily existence. You […]
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What does advice for readers mean for you as a writer?
These 2 pieces of advice for (student) readers came across my virtual desk: How to read a book, v5.0 by Paul N. Edwards, School of Information, University of Michigan Reading with purpose by Michael Newman, Associate Professor of Media Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, writing in University Affairs. Both are making similar points. Student readers of […]
Read More »Incoherent thoughts shouldn’t stop you from writing
One of my academic FB friends shared a blog post she’d published with the caveat that these were thoughts she hadn’t quite straightened out yet. One of her other friends said this: I’m grateful this piece is not neat – it’s just staring at me as a reminder for me to write, regardless of whether […]
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Taking on a leadership role
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Taking on a leadership role Taking on a management/leadership role, even at the department level is a big deal. You might be really excited about the possibilities and have all kinds of plans for how you can make things better (for some value of “better”). But you also know […]
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Finding your way back to writing
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Finding your way back to writing I had a query via the contact form on my website that said, in response to the prompt “What’s on your mind?”, not much, need help to figure out! If that isn’t the tip of an iceberg I don’t know what is. Both […]
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How does teaching make you feel?
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · How does teaching make you feel? Seriously. Do you look forward to it? Or do you dread it? Or something in between? Be honest with yourself, even if that’s hard. You can’t change anything until you look the problem (if there is one) squarely in the face. A lot […]
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4 years of A Meeting With Your Writing
A long term participant in A Meeting With Your Writing recently mentioned that it has been 4 years. Wow, where does the time go? I remember when I came up with this idea. I wondered what I would do if no one signed up. Or, worse, if only 3 people signed up and then I […]
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