Mixed Methods International Research Association (MMIRA)

A second conference I got to attend this past summer was the first annual MMIRA meeting. Mixed methods is a methodology that is growing in esteem in the field. I was so excited to be part of this conference's first meeting and share a few presentations about mixed methods studies I have conducted. While the conference was new, it did not disappoint.

People were very helpful and friendly! I know it sounds simple, but I really enjoy conferences where people are there to share their research, mentor young faculty/graduate students, or build the field. Too often, it seems people attend conferences for their own agenda or to put other researchers down. This conference, mostly, was not like that. I made some great connections that are leading to further research (being part of a multi-institution symposium at another conference and getting direct feedback on my dissertation research).

I learned more about what mixed methods research is and what it is not. Mixed methods research is new so it has a limited definition. I learned more about what this new methodology consists of and how to ensure the research I am doing fits the definition. I received so many references to further my study. Overall, I feel the research I conduct from here forward will be more rigorous because I attended this conference.

There was great diversity in methodology, areas of study, and people! This was one of the most diverse conference I have ever attended. People came from all over the world (China, Puerto Rico, Canada, and across the United States). No specific area of research was the focus so health, education, and other social science research was presented. Finally, there were so many different types of mixed methods research being conducted. Again, it was a great learning experience just from the exposure to so much research.

While I do not foresee attending this conference again as it overlaps in time with another conference I enjoy, I am glad I attended. I will definitely encourage my future graduate students to pursue this conference as a great learning experience.

Text and Academic Authors Association

This summer I had wonderful opportunities to attend several conferences, including TAA (Text and Academic Authors Association). I wanted so badly to attend this conference, so I submitted two presentation ideas and both were accepted! One was a formal presentation over managing multiple writing projects and one was a roundtable presentation from my current research on writing in higher education.

This conference is hands down one of the best I have ever been to. I plan to attend for many years to come and present as often as I can. :) Next year, the conference is in Las Vegas!

They care about their conference attendees. 

Conferences often do not "take care" of their attendees, but this one did! There was breakfast provided every morning (oatmeal, fruit, and pastries) with coffee, water, or soda. Drinks were available throughout the day (water, soda, and coffee) for pick-me-ups along with snacks. The conference committee organized dinner as a group each night and lunch was provided at the conference. During registration, all attendees were given programs, pens, and small backpacks to carry everything in. 

While feeding me and keeping me hydrated wins my heart, what truly made a difference is how welcoming the conference committee was. I was never without someone shaking my hand and talking to me. Members of the committee made a point to attend both my roundtable and presentation and give me helpful, encouraging feedback. I met every single one of the people who organized the conference and could tell you something about them when I left. Usually, I have no idea who was in charge or what role they played. This attention to the attendees and presenters is unparalleled. 

The sessions were very informative and helpful. 

I am a researcher and writer. This conference is going to be the conference I attend to help build my writing craft and give my soul some good vibes. During the break-out sessions, I found it challenging to choose which sessions I wanted to go to because everything was so good! There were sessions about writing manuscripts or books, getting published, legal issues, funding, and from a variety of presenters, college instructors, textbook writers, and lawyers. Everyone could find something to enjoy. 

The sessions were also very good. Each one I attended, I left with handouts and notes from the interactions. Most presenters were open to answering questions and being flexible in their presentation to accommodate the needs of the audience. I learned so much! 

They used social media well. 

More and more conferences are beginning to use social media (Facebook, Twitter, discussion groups online) to get people involved in the conference. Most fail. However, this conference did it right! A bowl was set up at the registration table where attendees could write tweets that were posted via the TAA Twitter Page (and there was a drawing for an Amazon gift card to encourage people to participate). Furthermore, at least one member of the conference committee was at each session posting to the Twitter page during the presentation! How great! There was a unique hashtag to follow the tweets and when I reviewed these at the end of the day, I learned just as much as from the sessions. 

Overall, this conference was welcoming, friendly, and raised the bar for my expectations at conferences. I cannot wait to attend (and maybe present) again next year! :)

Managing Stress in Graduate School - The "Bigger" Picture

A common theme has emerged on this blog this summer - Graduate school is stressful.

One of the most important things an individual, who is considering or currently in graduate school, can do is learn how to manage the stress. This looks different for every person. This summer, I have made it my mission to learn how to manage my own stress and learn how I deal with stress. 

First of all, I am a quiet stressor. When things get difficult, I don't want other people to know I am freaking out or stressed. What I have learned, through research on stress, is that this actually can cause a worse problem. While I get very frustrated by people who "let their stress out" and show it all over the place, these people actually are less stressed over time. According to research, when we feel stressed, our bodies are reacting to the stress which wears down our immune system. When we do not allow our bodies to get out the stress, it continues to harm our bodies. Thank goodness I have one of the greatest immune systems of all time. :) Seriously, my immune system rocks. However, it is constantly dealing with this more potent stress because I don't show it or let it out. 

After learning all of this information about stress, I decided to begin building my stress management plan. This has involved a few major life changes related to scheduling and hobbies. So far, in just a month, they have made all the difference. I am still stressed, but manage it much better. One of the worst parts of stress for me is that it makes me gain weight. However, in just a month of doing these different tasks, I have lost 8 pounds! Without a ton of changes to eating. I'm telling you, this works...

Let's begin with hobbies. One of my colleagues and friends has said something numerous times to me and in the company of people not in graduate school that has truly bothered me. She has said (I'm paraphrasing), "I remember before graduate school, I used to have hobbies. Now, I can't remember what they were or what I did with my free time." The point of this statement is that graduate school is so time-consuming that it is hard to do anything else. When you did get "free time", you are usually too fried to do anything that requires brain power. As I have contemplated on this statement, I have been troubled. What did I used to do with my free time? 

In all honesty, I've had a unique run in my 20s that really hasn't involved much free time. As an undergraduate student, I took 16-18 hours each semester, worked 3 part time jobs, and was a leader in (and very involved with) 3 organizations. My days started around 6:30am and ended around 11pm. Free time was spent hanging out with friends. After graduation, I worked full time as a teacher and went to school at night. Again, any free time was spent hanging out with friends. Now, well, now is much the same level of busyness. 

Nonetheless, I have picked up several hobbies that I loved at one time, but got away from for one reason or another. Enjoying my time away from work and giving myself permission to love the simpler things in life has been inspiring, rejuvenating, and invigorating.

1. Pilates. I love pilates. Always have. It combines exercise with meditation and breathing. Not only am I working my body and strengthening my muscles, but it is so relaxing and calming. Pilates is all about controlling the body in movement. Also, when I get frustrated or stressed by work, I use the breathing techniques and feel calmer. 

2. Music. I love music. In my home, there is always music playing in the background, but I equally love producing music. As a child I learned to play the piano, then played the flute and saxophone in middle school. When I was approaching high school, I gave up band because I wanted to play sports and take advanced courses, and my school would not allow me to do all three. I'm glad I made that choice then; however, now I am happy to reteach myself to play the instruments I loved. I saved my flute and saxophone from my parents' house and have started relearning the flute first. I can successfully play "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and have already relearned how to read music (in only 2 weeks). I cannot wait to see where this takes me. It is such a joy to produce music and makes me truly happy to practice. 

3. Family heritage. As I've been traveling so much, I have become more and more interested in history, which has made me more and more interested in my family history. Anytime I have ever asked someone in my family about our history, I get a few great stories then nothing. I want to answer two questions: 1. When did we originate in the United States (I'm in the mid-1800s and we haven't left Texas, so we have been here a while)? and 2. Did any of my ancestors fight in major wars? This has been a fun experiment and has given me something new to talk about with my family. Every time I see them, I have a list of questions and facts that need verifying. 

4. History and Art History. I've never been one to mask my annoyance with learning history in school. However, as I mentioned, traveling has given me a new appreciation - one I wished I had as a student. I have divulged a little more into nonfiction and have been reading about American history and art history. 

5. Reading Fiction. Enough said. :) 

6. Playing tennis. Tennis is my favorite sport, hands down. Yes, I love football, but it doesn't compare to tennis. I played tennis for 12 years growing up and will drop everything to watch my boys play in the grand slams. One of my life bucket-list items is to attend the U.S. Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon. We shall see. To play tennis, you need another human being. Luckily, I have some friends who are eager to go play with me. But, when they aren't, I can still go to the courts, run drills, and hit serves. I usually do this with music. Again, it is great to exercise the body, but tennis is a mental game. It gives me the opportunity to practice mental energy and take a break from thinking about work. 

These hobbies have filled my nights and weekends with new adventures and much more enjoyment. They are also great activities to bring other people into to enjoy. However, they are only half of the puzzle.  

Now, onto scheduling. I am a very routine-oriented person. I enjoy routine and it helps me function. I have developed a new routine for working (now that I am not taking classes) that has proven very successful and given me the chance to enjoy my new hobbies at night (I get very bored with TV and the quality of programming available). 

7:00-8:00 - Wake up and Pilates routine

8:00-8:30 - Walk the dog

8:30-9:15 - Get ready for the day/breakfast

9:15-12:15 - Morning Work block (dissertation)

12:15-1:00 - Lunch (away from the office)

1:00-5:00 - Afternoon Work block (collaborations, course prep, reading, personal projects, work for professors, etc.)

So far, this routine has been golden! I begin my day with centering and exercise and make the dog happy! Because I am most productive in the morning, I give this time to my most important task - dissertation. This can be any work related to the dissertation - surveys, conference presentations, statistics, write-ups, etc. Lunch away from the office is extremely important. It is important to get up, walk around, and leave the work space. During my lunch break, I run errands, read, walk the dog, or do something away from my desk while re-energizing my mind with food. The afternoon work block is devoted to everything else I need to accomplish. I use pomodoro and during the breaks, I check and respond to emails. This way, I also limit the time I spend doing this task. 

Once 5pm hits, I'm done with work (except for a few special occasions) and can enjoy my nights. When I come back to work in the morning, I feel refreshed and ready to tackle my projects. Overall, I feel more productive and less stressed. 

Writing Motivation and Inspiration

Writing is hard.

From thoughts and ideas to grammar and stylistics - writing is one of the most complex actions we can complete.

However, writing can also be one of the most rewarding tasks. At its core, writing is a form of self-expression, advocacy, and communication. It is a way to convey the deepest thoughts of our hearts and minds. It is personal.

Because of this one fact alone, it's personal, we face challenges. Allowing other people to read our writing can be frightening and we can feel like their opinion of our writing is their opinion of us. Separating the two can be difficult.

I consider myself a "good" writer. I have been writing since childhood when I would prepare newspapers, reports, or presentations on daily events or topics I researched (like the Alamo, Pocahontas, and the American Revolution). During my school years, I mostly faced failure as a writer. My teachers did not believe I was a good writer though I was a good student. It wasn't until I began studying writing for a living that I saw the problem - I didn't fit the mold. I wrote in my own style. This style was good, but not appropriate for what my school required. 

In college, I majored in English with an emphasis in rhetoric. I then began teaching English and Language Arts to middle and high school students before returning to graduate school full time for my Ph.D., which I knew would focus on the study of writing. In my free time, I blog, write poetry, short stories, and chunks of a novel, and diary daily. Writing is a part of my lifestyle and well-being.

Yet, I find writing challenging and difficult at times. This summer I have been struck with an odd case of "lack of motivation and inspiration". There are so many things I want to write, so many ideas, but not nearly the time to complete them. For me, this results in an apathetic attitude. There is too much before me, not enough time, and therefore, I feel like I am falling behind. What I need is motivation and inspiration.

I am not usually one to blame my writing woes on this "lack"; however, there is really no other reason for the way I feel. To see if I could bolster my attitude, I reviewed what I have done since January:

1. completed my preliminary exams

2. presented 12 conference papers

3. piloted a study focused on writing

4. wrote 4 articles (3 currently under review for publication)

5. wrote and defended my dissertation proposal

6. wrote 2 book chapters that are under review

Um. Wow. I really have no reason to feel disappointed or like there is a lack in motivation. To provide further evidence against my position, I have felt like I've slowed down since summer began. Looking at my writing logs, this is the farthest thing from the truth. In June, I wrote for 64 hours, which is above average for the year! In fact, the only two months in which I wrote more were January (preliminary exams) and April (dissertation proposal). 

The big question then is: Why do I still feel a lack of motivation and inspiration and like I am not accomplishing all that I want? Simple answer: Too much. I have a never-ending list of tasks that doesn't get any shorter no matter how many items are crossed off. While this list is not changing any time soon, I have begun to better understand how to manage the stresses this causes. 

More importantly, I have realized how much I have accomplished and how happy I should be with my progress. That is all the motivation and inspiration I could ever hope for. :) 

What motivates and inspires you? If you can't find your answer, look within! 

Teaching Online - Dos and Don'ts

This summer session I got the opportunity to teach the online version of the course I have been teaching for the last year. What an experience! I had never taught a course 100% online, though I've used the online system as a tool for teaching my face-to-face class, and historically, I loathe online courses. Personally, I don't feel like I get out of the course what I want to.

Moving this course online and condensing it to 5 weeks was tough. I struggled with cutting down the assignments, readings, and course presentations without cutting vital information. All in all, my course was very rigorous but the students have been sending me emails about the experience (mostly positive), so I feel like I did a thing or two right (and many things wrong).

The course was 5 weeks and writing-intensive (not a good idea for an online, summer course, but that is another story). My final course included:

1. 3 online discussions

2. 2 exams (midterm and final)

3. 8 writing assignments toward a final research paper

4. 3 content-based assignments

5. 18 PowerPoints of content

6. 18 scholarly articles to read (plus their research paper articles)

Wow - they did a lot! And, I did a lot of grading. Whomp whomp.

Here are the things I suggest avoiding...Online Teaching Don'ts

1. Don't be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. At a conference recently, I heard someone say of online teaching, "Students view it as a hotline instead of online". This is beyond accurate. Just because the course is online and we have access to devices that allow us to respond to emails at every hour of every day does NOT mean we should. If you respond to an email at a funky time, you will get a lot more hours at a funky time.

2. Don't overload yourself with grading - you have a life, too. I always forget this point, if I assign it and they turn it in, I have to grade it. As this course is writing-intensive, I felt like I graded constantly. I wanted to give them feedback, but rather than having one week to get papers back to them (as in a regular semester), I had 3 or 4 days. Yikes! Be very cognizant of due dates and how closely they come to each other so that you have time to get the grading done without being overwhelmed. 

3. Don't be too flexible about technological glitches. I once had a professor say, "Technology will fail; it's just a matter of when". Yes! We can all tell of a time when technology was not our friend. With an online class, students will try to use technology failing as an excuse for nearly everything. What I have found works is to be very strict upfront about this (you can always ease off if you need to). Usually when students come to me, it really is a big problem and not just a glitch.

4. Don't make the course "easier". Many students believe that "online" or "summer" is synonymous with "easier". Combine these two terms and students think this is a party and an easy way to get three credits. The course should be as rigorous as face-to-face. In fact, in my opinion, it is harder because there is less time and the students can't see me. There is a great deal more work they have to do independently. However, I have been pleasantly surprised by the fact that if you raise your expectations, students will rise to the occasion to meet them. 

Now for the good stuff...Teaching Online Dos

1. Communicate often! While I do not believe you should be a "hotline" for students, it is important to communicate often with them. If you are proactive about communicating, you can fend off problems ahead of time. I did two things that really helped keep my students on task and avoided them asking me 100 tedious questions. Every Monday of the course, I sent my students a Weekly Agenda. This gave a synopsis of the objectives for the week, readings they should complete and how they related the course PowerPoints, activities the students needed to complete, and where they should be in their research paper. It served like a checklist for students to use to get through the week.

The second thing I did was send out a Weekly Synthesis at the end of each week. This included the big ideas students should have taken from the reading and course PowerPoints and recapped my overall thoughts on their assignments. For example, when students turned in writing assignments, I used this forum to outline major issues I was seeing with APA or writing. Also in these emails, I would let students know what grades had been posted or when they could expect feedback from me.

2. Include audio or video in your course presentations. PowerPoints are very boring if they are not being delivered. I don't like going through individual PPTs that other people have created; I miss the person's voice. If you are going to include PPTs with information in an online course, add video or audio of YOU. The students want the interaction with the professor. In my first PPT, I include a few pictures of myself and information about my life. In every PPT, I include audio for each slide. Students have the option of listening to this, but if they do, they can experience what a face-to-face class would be like. Many of the students in my course indicated that this was very useful because they felt like they got more content and got to hear my thoughts on everything, rather than just reading slides. 

3. Set specific time-limits on returning emails to students. My syllabus has a very specific clause that says I will "work to respond to emails within 24 hours Monday - Friday from 8am to 8pm". This means, if a student emails me at 9pm on Friday night, they can expect an answer after 8am on Monday. And, I am strict about this. As I mentioned earlier, if you respond to an email during a time you said you wouldn't, they think that means you are always available. For the most part, if students email me between 8 and 8, they get a response within a few hours, at most. 

4. Be more specific than you every thought possible. This goes for everything - explaining discussion posts, assignments, exams, PPTS, anything. Because students do not get the face-to-face explanation, they need more detail. I provided instructions, rubrics, and annotated templates for every assignment. The templates were not "samples", but were a way for me to communicate what I wanted without taking all creativity out of the assignment. The more detail you include here, the less likely you will have a bunch of questions later. 

5. Be organized! It is important to set up your course online so that it is highly organized from week to week. You want to keep a similar formatting, if possible. Some instructors like folders and some instructors like modules. It does not matter what method you pick as long as you are consistent and communicate strongly with your students. For my course, I used folders, one for each week of the course that included everything students needed for that particular week. The folders were divided into sub-folders with readings, activities, research paper assignments, and course PPTs. Every week, students knew exactly where to go for what materials. 

6. Have fun and show your personality a little. Students enjoy seeing that their instructor is a human being. When I was traveling, I told my students. If I was out of state when I needed to send an agenda or synthesis email, I began with "Greetings from ________", and the students really enjoyed it. I also shared inspirational videos and tools that I would share with my face-to-face class. The students really enjoyed this and wanted to know that I was a person, enjoying my summer too. 

Overall, I have learned so much about teaching online! I loved it, but it was challenging as well. I believe that this experience will make me a better instructor for my face-to-face classes.

I might be biased, but I think this was my favorite group of students ever to teach! :) 

Study Abroad - from the Instructor Perspective

Immediately following my dissertation proposal defense, I had the most incredible opportunity - I got to go to London, England to help chaperone a study abroad excursion. As my first experience traveling internationally, and my first attempt at leading 38 undergraduate students, I could not have asked for a better experience. To top it all off, I really needed a break after successfully defending my dissertation proposal.

While I was not the official instructor in charge on the trip, I was her graduate assistant. The undergraduates knew me as a member of the instructors and got to answer to me just the same. I learned so much on the trip and picked up some great advice for how to lead a study abroad in the future - which I cannot wait for! 

This trip was short and sweet, only one week. The students who attended had to meet some very rigorous requirements for academics and have recommendations from other instructors. Finally, every bit of this trip was planned by a travel agency and we had the most incredible tour guide ever.

Here are my top lessons about leading a study abroad trip:

1. Have contacts in the country you are visiting. We had the number of our travel agent and our tour guide handy at all times. We could call them at any minute if we had a concern (and we had to a few times). Being close with people who know their way around the country is of the utmost importance; these people can assist you with how to act, correct tipping, travel, etc. 

2. Be flexible. The most important lesson in teaching is also important when traveling abroad. We had everything planned perfectly, down to the hour. However, things don't always go as planned. Our bus was late the first two days putting us nearly an hour behind schedule. This caused us to rush at several important stops, but we managed. We also had to rearrange a few stops that were more flexible in timing. While this was not ideal, we still had a great trip and got to see everything we wanted. 

3. Be nicer than necessary to everyone. Hotel personnel, drivers, waiters, everyone. Even if the service is sub-par, even if things aren't going your way. Nothing is more important than being extra nice, tipping too much, and showing gratitude to everyone. As I mentioned earlier, you never know when you will need someone to help you out. Plus, you don't want the reputation of being a "narcissistic American". 

4. Keep your cool. Upon arriving in London, one of our students left her passport on the plane BEFORE we went through customs. Many of the students freaked out and did not know what to do. However, the instructors kept their cool which made the students keep their cool. When our busses were late, we kept our cool. It is always important to maintain patience and a clear head. 

Traveling around London was a blast. The girls had a great time, we had a great time, and I want to go back ASAP. :) 

Someday, I hope to lead my own Study Abroad trip. 

Proposal Defense Hearing

This past Spring semester was by far the craziest and busiest I have ever experienced. X10. 

I accomplished so much, but I really hope to never have a semester like this again. In January, I had my preliminary exams and successfully passed! (YAY!) The next big task was to work on my dissertation proposal so that I could pass my proposal defense at a hearing. 

I was also piloting my dissertation study with a small research team. Leading the research team was an adventure, but being able to pilot my study gave me great insights into what my data would look like and how I might write up the results. More importantly, I did a lot of things wrong, so I got to learn from those mistakes. (A post devoted to leading a research team and my study is coming soon.) 

Back to the purpose of this post - proposal defense hearing. This was the most exciting and most scary day of my Ph.D. experience so far. I am used to presenting at conferences and love it, but speaking in front of the four people who get to say "yes" or "no" to me about a subject that is so close to my heart made me extra nervous. 

I worked hard for 3 months writing up by "proposal". This is the "what I plan to do for my dissertation" plan. As I had been running the study this spring, I decided to take the dissertation a step further. In actuality, my dissertation will be a second phase to a much larger study. I cannot wait. 

My incredible family was very supportive, which is a must in graduate school. They sent me flowers the day before my defense.

On the day of my defense, I had called to get light snacks for my committee (muffins, bagels, and fruit). The defense lasted nearly 2 hours! I went through each phase of my larger study and was able to communicate results from the pilot study I had already done. 

The defense was both nauseating and invigorating.

Nauseating because it was scary. I was so nervous and afterwards, all I wanted to do was leave and go on vacation (luckily, I was going to London!). I never believed that people would say you have to love your dissertation because you will hate it by the end. While I don't believe I will hate it, I do believe it will be hard to do things by someone else's design. The most challenging part of academia, at this phase, is pleasing everyone. As a doctoral student, I have to make my committee happy and take some of their suggestions. However, there are 4 people in that room plus me that have slightly different opinions about the best way to do things. 

On the other side, the defense proposal hearing was invigorating. It was wonderful to see a group of academics I respect come together for me to help me succeed. I also enjoyed the suggestions my committee had and feel they will make my final product even better. In many ways, I became closer with some of my committee members after the defense. 

It was two months ago (to the date!), and I am still beyond excited that this part of the journey is over. My advisor told me repeatedly that the proposal defense is the most difficult part. Well, in my case, so far, it has been. 

BUT, it was 100% worth it to be able to say...

Ph.D. Candidate. ABD. All But Dissertation. :) 

Conferencing 101

After completing my 3rd year as a doctoral student, and 2nd year full-time, I have been to many conferences. I've been to local, regional, state, and national conferences, both research- and practitioner-focused. 

When I went to my first conference, I was so nervous I couldn't stand it. Now, I don't get very nervous, but I've learned a thing or two to make sure I get the most out of the conference, while still networking and having fun. 

Here is my Conferencing 101 based on what I have learned and tried at conferences! 

1. Conferences are for networking. There is no way around this one. The point of a conference is to share your ideas with others and learn from their ideas. It's all about talking to people! Therefore, it is important to attend conferences armed with business cards to share. If you are presenting, have some kind of material to physically share with people who attend your presentation (e.g., an online file-sharing, handouts of slides, handouts of activities and documents, a copy of your research paper). People will return home, unpack their bag, and find your business card or materials then reach out to you again.

2. View the program ahead of time. If the program and schedule are available online, view them before getting to the conference. If they are not available online, carve out about 30 minutes once you get to the conference to view the program. Use this time to look for certain people on the program that you want to meet (e.g., people who do similar research as you, or if you are looking for a job, people who work where you are applying). Also, look for several sessions that you want to attend. It is not necessary to attend every single session on the program, but you want to attend a few each day. Pick sessions that interest you, align with your research, present research contrary to your own, or deal with new policies or methodologies. Take this time to learn and expand what you know as well as learning about your own interest more.

3. Get a mentor. I have now attended two conferences in which I got a mentor, and I have loved it! The experience of getting to talk to someone with a new perspective can be enlightening. Usually, you will schedule a short period of time (20-30 minutes) to meet with your mentor. You can ask this person for advice, questions, or just chat about the conference and what is happening in your field. These people also become great networking advantages as they usually know more about the conference and more people who attend. 

4. Take advantage of workshops. I've attended several workshops at different conferences I've attended and they are usually very rewarding. Experts in the field host these workshops and oftentimes provide handouts and documents that can be referenced later. Many workshops in my field relate to methodologies, writing, or managing time. While some of the topics are familiar to me, it can be refreshing and motivating to hear about them from a new perspective.

5. Enjoy the travel! I am a firm believer in working hard, playing hard. Academics work extremely hard and that includes time at conferences. Many conferences are held in interesting cities and historical locations; therefore, take advantage of the travel opportunity! I always plan at least one day of a conference to go sight-seeing in the city and enjoying being in a new place. This includes visiting tourist attractions, learning at museums, and enjoying yummy food. This part of conferencing is just as important as the networking opportunities. 

6. Attend the social events. Most conferences have networking opportunities as social events. These can be awards lunches, planned dinners, happy hours, receptions, or breakfasts. This is where the informal chats happen, and there is usually free food and beverages (sometimes alcoholic). It is important to be seen at these events because people who have met you will look for you there, and you get an opportunity to talk in a non-academic setting. You can share ideas, ask questions, or mingle freely. 

7. Do a few things on your own. Most people travel to conferences with at least one other colleague. While it is nice to have someone to travel with and attend conference events, it is important to step out and go to a few events alone. By going to a session by yourself, you are forced to talk to different people, sit next to different people, and share new ideas with someone you do not already know. This can be very empowering and brings the focus back to networking with new people. 

8. Plan questions. As I am reviewing sessions I want to attend or planning out meetings with different people, I always prepare a few open-ended questions. These can be related to specific topics in your field or more broad ideas about policy or research. As a doctoral student, I also ask questions about conferences, publications, presentations, dissertation, and job-searching. Having these questions readily available ensures that I never meet someone without being ready for conversation. It also shows an attention to detail and a thirst for knowledge. 

There are many more suggestions and tips for attending conferences, but remember, the goal is to network and share ideas! 

Happy Conferencing! 

AERA in the City of Brotherly Love

I am so far behind on updating this blog! I know I am forgiven but life has been especially busy since February.

In April, I attended the largest educational conference in the country, the American Educational Research Association (AERA). This was my second time to attend the conference, but my first time to attend as a speaker! :) What a great experience for this young, doctoral student. Currently, I am busy writing proposals for next year's conference...wish me luck! 

I decided to take advantage of a few great opportunities that AERA has, including attending a workshop before the conference began. I attended a conference on HLM (Hierarchical Linear Modeling) to broaden my statistics knowledge a bit more. After taking classes for 8 straight years (not all on my Ph.D.), I have decided I'm done! But, I knew I could devote one entire day (8am-5pm) to learning about this important topic. Man, am I glad I did! This was by far one of the best workshops I have ever attended. The speakers knew the content well, presented it by explaining the theory and conceptual framework, then walked through several problems with the attendees. Additionally, they gave us PDFs of the PowerPoint and handouts and annotated print-outs from the statistics software. I learned so much and got a really good basic understanding of this statistical analysis.

After the workshop, I attended a few conference sessions, including one led by my research idol (and got to meet him!). Then, on the final day of the conference, I gave my presentation. It was a roundtable presentation over a study I had conducted with my advisor and other graduate students. It was a great experience, and I cannot wait to present at AERA again in the future! 

As the conference was in the "City of Brotherly Love", Philadelphia, I also ventured to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. :) 

SERA 2014

Wow! It has been far too long since I've written, and there is so much to get caught up on! 

My last post showed a few pictures from Prelims, which honestly feel like an eternity ago. A great deal has happened since January! 

Let's begin with a recap of SERA 2014 in New Orleans! :)

This year, the conference was in New Orleans, LA! I have been excited about this conference since September because I had never been to NOLA. I've always wanted to go and have heard great things from friends who've been. Now, it's my turn! 

SERA 2014 turned out to be one of my most profitable conferences yet. I was presented 5 papers (eek!) - 3 with co-authors and 2 individually. The 3 papers I presented with co-authors were the product of lots of work and research projects, while the other 2 papers were course term papers. My co-authors and I decided to give ourselves the best chance of getting recognized and threw our papers into every category for an award we could. 

Shockingly, I won some! One of the papers I co-authored one an award and a paper I authored by myself won 2 other awards. Talk about lucrative! :) 

This was definitely a surprise, and I felt honored to have my hard work recognized! There is proof that maybe I'm doing something right with all this craziness. We also got to enjoy drinks with alligators, the lights going out in the rain on Bourbon street, and jazzy music on the corners. 

I'm excited for SERA 2015 in San Antonio and returning to New Orleans in the near future! :) 

Prelimming in Pictures

I had every intention of taking lots of pictures to document the terrible prelim experience, but it just didn't happen. 

I did take a few, though! 

Poor Jack felt deprived throughout much of the experience, but this captures how I felt most days, too. Exhausted next to a stack of read articles. 

As I said, Jack felt deprived. On the first day of prelims, I wrote for 8 straight hours and Jack hated it. On the second day, he did this...I guess he figured out how to get my attention. He was actually a great writing buddy.

And, Jack wasn't the only one feeling deprived. My boyfriend sent me this during prelims. Completely accurate, but I wonder if there is a hidden meaning here? 

Short and sweet. :) 

Where does the time go?

In July of 2012, I was introduced to one of the most valuable tools I have utilized in graduate school so far - the Writing Log. 

I absolutely love my Writing Logs! If you are new to this concept, a Writing Log is an Excel document where you can track how much time you are spending writing, what you are writing, and where. The goal of the log is to be able to track and document progress while also keeping good writing habits. The Writing Log can be customized to your own needs and uses, and I have adapted mine several times over the last year and a half. I like to start fresh at the beginning of each month with a new log and track the hours on the right hand side of this blog. Last year, I wrote a ton, almost a month's worth. Yikes! This year, will probably be more as I will be writing my dissertation. 

In preparation for this big year, I made another change to my log (with the help of a colleague and friend). I have always wondered what percentage of my time was going to each category of project. On my log, I color-code so I can visually see where I am spending my time, but have wanted specific percentages and a better visual, like a pie chart. I separate my time into the following categories: (1) conference presentations, (2) collaborations, (3) writing projects - personal, (4) dissertation, (5) stuff for other people, (6) classes, (7) grading/teaching, and (8) ERC work. These make sense to me and help me see where I am devoting too much time. I can also see when deadlines have come and what items take priority. 

Several people have incorporated pie charts into their Writing Logs to document the progress visually, and I have wanted to do this, but being Excel-challenged, I couldn't figure it out (nor did I want to spend the time trying to figure it out). My colleague and friend figured it out for me, and now, I have a pie chart, too! I love it! The chart shows me visually where my time is being spent, but also shows the percentage of my total time spent on each project. So far in January, 77% of my time has been spent on my dissertation. I guess that's good news since I was doing my prelims which are preparation for the dissertation. :) 

The Writing Log makes life easier, and this new addition to mine will make my life even easier than before! YAY!

Reading About Writing - Book #1

Book #1 - Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day by Joan Bolker

This book was a recommended book for someone who is in the "dissertation-writing" phase of their program. As I am doing prelims and will soon be working on my proposal, I thought this book could give me some good ideas about breaking down the large chunks of writing a dissertation. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed, overall, with this book. 

When I started reading, I was expecting a book that really laid out a plan for writing about fifteen minutes a day. I'm not into prescribed plans, but I was looking forward to having a guide. Even something that broke down the chunks (i.e., research and write your theoretical framework first, then develop your methods). This book included more of a broad, over-generalization of the process and focused on some behaviors and habits to work on in order to successfully write. 

The book begins by discussing how you build a "work process" and how you pick a research topic, then covers putting together a committee. The author discusses how to manage life and contingencies, problems associated with word processors, and finally, how to publish your dissertation. None of the advice the author gives is bad, and for some people, I think this book could be really helpful. Fortunately, I had already been trained in many of the methods this author discusses and have already built a strong writing habit. Mostly, this book just reinforced what I already know but did not give me much new information.

That being said, one piece of advice the author shared that I really appreciated was the idea of a "zero draft". For as long as I can remember, my mother has hounded me about my writing progress. If she knows I have a paper or project due, she nags me and questions me about it. "Have you written your paper yet?" "What are you waiting for?" Very mother-like. My response to her is always, "It's all in my head...I've got it covered." What I mean by that statement is that I am thinking about the paper and planning what I want to write. I don't know how to explain it, but when I get an idea in my head, it has to marinate for a while. Then, suddenly, I'm ready to go. This goes back to the idea of a "zero draft". The author explains that before you can actually create your first draft, you have to create a "zero draft" of ideas, figures, or whatever helps you organize ideas. 

I think the zero draft concept can apply to many different forms of prewriting, but I just love the phrase. It is very non-intimidating and non-threatening. In a way, it gives the author permission to build his or her ideas without the pressure of having to create a formal argument or a draft of a manuscript. I love this idea. In fact, I wrote the word "zero draft" on a sticky note and stuck it to my computer as a reminder. 

While this book was not particularly useful, interesting, or eye-opening, I think it would be a great book for people who do not have a strong writing habit and need help structuring and managing their work, life, and other contingencies. Moreover, I did get one useful piece of information from this book and that is good enough for me! :)

Prelims

The madness has begun! 

In 2014, "The Year of the Dissertation", I get to complete two of the last four big phases of this journey, start one, and do most of the work for another. Those big four phases are: (1) Preliminary Exams, (2) Dissertation Proposal, (3) Dissertation, and (4) Job!

Right now, I am working on Phase 1 - Preliminary Exams. Every department is different and none have really strict rules about these exams. The way my department chooses to do the exams is to have each committee member give the student a written component, then have all the committee members and student meet in person for the oral component. For the written part, the committee member can send the student a question (or questions) to answer in literature review format, or the committee member can have the student come in for a face-to-face exam. In the oral exam, the committee can ask anything they want of the student or can clarify for more detail about something the student wrote. There are no limitations to what the committee can ask, but if the committee knows your dissertation topic (like mine does), they try to cater to that topic.

For me, prelims began swimmingly. To put it in a nutshell, prelims consisted of me reading...a lot! I had a stack of printed articles I read through (about ~50), and I spent a few weeks getting lots of books from the library, which I read selected chapters from. I wrote a lot in journals, matrices, and on sticky notes to get my ideas together. 

One really helpful tactic I employed is the use of a timeline. As a gag gift for Christmas, my dad got me a set of huge, poster-sized Post-it notes. I always complain when I go to their house that they don't have any Post-its, which are one of my most valuable writing assets. Anyway, I actually found a good use for this large Post-it! I created a timeline with the last 5 decades on it (I went back to the 60s but have a space for anything earlier). When I read a seminal study, I wrote the author's last name and year of publication on a small sticky and placed it on the appropriate location on the timeline. I also put the theoretical frameworks that evolved during these times. Now, I can visually see a progression and how different theorists and researchers impacted the field. This has been quite useful in writing my own theoretical framework for my study.

One part of prelims that has not been nearly as easy to manage is life. The day I began working on my questions, I began noticing that I had less and less hot water available. Taking showers quickly became a race to finish before the hot water ran out...you guessed it, my water heater went out. Ha! Now, of all the inconveniences I can think of, this is one that I could certainly handle. A few cold showers never hurt anyone. BUT, the weather got a little chilly, and soon we were in 30-degree weather. That changed the game a little. Fortunately, since I was just at home writing and reading for most of the day, I could easily schedule someone to come fix the problem, and am back in "hot water" as we speak. While this was not something I wanted to handle while writing, I'm thankful it happened before school started. 

The parts of prelimming that I am thankful for is how easy it was! I was worried because people constantly told me that I wouldn't sleep or shower or eat and would neglect everything else to finish prelims. However, that was not my experience. I worked really hard the first few days of the year to write my answers to the two questions I had then I took the weekend off to play with friends and finished the questions last week. My other two committee members waived their questions, so I was done. I decided it would be good to use the extra time to read a few more articles and books I was interested in before the oral portion. It was relaxing, smooth-sailing, and very educational, even with a water heater to fix. :)

I would also like to give a public "thank you" to my friends and family and committee. They have been wonderful! Everyone was patient with me, accepted that I needed some time to complete these, and listened to me talk endlessly about everything I was learning. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Wish me luck on the 27th! :) 

The 3.5 Year Whatever-this-is....

I have had a weird feeling for a few days now. 

I'm not really sure what this feeling is, what is causing it, or what I can do to help it. 

I think I'm tired...and the semester begins on Monday. Craziness. 

I'm going to call this my "3.5 Year Whatever-this-is". Because I can.

I am officially in the middle of my third years as a doctoral student, and I recently stumbled upon a blog post about the dreaded third year. The post made many good points about how to keep your spirits up and what you should really be focusing on as a third-year student. I was pleased to see that most of the tips were things I already do. Score! That being said, I know this semester is going to be as rough as they come. Let's call this "roughness" my 3.5 Year New Obstacles. They are all new challenges that I will implement along with my usual routines and a few life changes (more on that in later blogs). 

3.5 Year New Obstacles:

This semester marks my first semester of teaching two sections of a course that each meet twice per week (I've always taught one section of a course that met once-a-week for three hours). That's twice as many students and research papers to grade. But, I'm really excited because professors typically teach two sections. :)

I'm taking three real classes. For the past few semesters, I have gotten by with taking two classes that required a bit of work and a "blow-off" type class, or just less intensive class (let me be PC). All three of my classes are going to be pretty intensive.

Prelims. Umm...yea, about that. I'm finishing those up (this blog post is a distraction), but they are still time-consuming. The oral portion is at the end of this month.

Proposal. This will be happening probably around April. While I already know the kinds of things I want to write, it's more about finding the time to sit down and make sure this happens. 

Piloting my dissertation instruments. Last semester I worked with a team to develop instruments for my dissertation. We piloted them on one class, but this semester, are doing a grand-scale pilot of the instruments using about 500 undergraduates. YAY! It's exciting but very time-consuming. And, this data will be making my dissertation even better.

The rest of my semester will just be about managing all of the above with my usual commitments, meetings, publishing more, attending lots of conferences...you know, the usual. I'm really nervous about this semester. I always feel nervous at the start of a new semester, but also really excited. I am definitely excited, but currently, that excitement is being overshadowed by the nervousness. It's going to be rough, but I know I will feel so good and so proud when I can say I am ABD (All But Dissertation) at the end of the semester. :)

Who needs a life coach?

The idea of a life coach is an interesting one to me. A professor, who I greatly admire and respect, often talks about things like life coaches and creativity coaches. I'm fascinated by this idea. I also think she is perfect for this. If I ever need a creativity or life coach in my life, she would be who I would choose. Anyway, I was at an end-of-year holiday party for my writing group recently (although I guess it has been about a month...where does the time go?), and one of the activities is choosing "life coach" cards as I call them. I have no idea what they are actually called. We did this the previous year at the party and I loved it. These cards are aesthetically pleasing and contain one simple word or short phrase on the front, then a description of what this means on the back. Our little group passes the cards around twice. The first time, you are to randomly pick a card without looking. I think of this as God showing me what I need to focus on. The second time, you can look through the cards and pick ones that apply to you. Today, I want to share the cards I chose and what they mean to me.

Charity

"Mine is a charitable heart. It is rooted in the wisdom of compassion. It is fed by the springs of self-love. Taking a compassionate view of myself and others, I act in the world with gentle temperance. I am not rash in action, harsh in judgment, quick in condemnation of those I see."

Charity is the card I drew at random, and I have typed what is written on the back of the card. I was definitely going through a rough patch at the end of 2013, and this card could not be more appropriate for how I was feeling. I wanted to cry when I pulled this card out of the bunch (because I was feeling emotional already but also because it painted a harsh picture for myself). Yes, I am compassionate, and yes, I have a charitable heart. My sole reason for pursuing a Ph.D. is because I want to help children learn to read because I believe that is foundational in living a life you are proud of. End of story. What this card reminded me of is that daily I fall short in my judgment of others. For me, this card represents what I need to change in my heart. It is one of my greatest goals for 2014 and a constant reminder that I need to be more compassionate daily and more tolerable in my work.

Enthusiasm

"I am blessed by the gift of an enthusiastic heart. I respond to life with lively interest, with contagious joy, with ardor and delight. My enthusiasm is a spiritual wellspring."

One thing I have become acutely aware of in graduate school is that I am an optimist. I used to believe myself to be a "realist" but now I know that I definitely favor the optimist side. I constantly try to find the silver lining in bad situations and want to go to sleep happy. I don't like to be grumpy and I cannot stand to believe that the worst will happen. This is not the norm, and I have found myself criticized for my belief that everything happens for a reason and there is good in every challenge and hardship. Despite that, more than ever, I want to be optimistic. Why go through life feeling anything but blessed and overjoyed at the hand you've been dealt? 

I chose the enthusiasm card, and I feel it is appropriately me. This card is my reminder to not change my optimistic heart and to continue to be happy and blessed with where I am. I'm overjoyed and fortunate enough to get to chase my dreams, and I really do have the opportunity to make lasting changes for the better in education. What more could I possibly ask for?

Humor Lights the World

"I am blessed by wit and humor. I see the light side of dark times. I see the antic grace in awkwardness, the comic foibles in human nature. I am serious in my commitments but I am lighthearted in my fulfillment of them."

This is the second card I chose. It resonated with me because humor is the elixir of life. I grew up in a household that was filled with laughter daily. Few things make me happier than stomach-cramping, rolling-on-the-ground laughter. My teaching style is grounded in my ability to tell stories filled with emotion and wit. I'm a serious person and definitely uptight, but I can laugh at myself. On the days that I am most stressed, I just laugh at my misfortunes. Why not? I want to always remember how much I enjoy my laughter and wit and continue to bring them into my daily work.

So, who needs a life coach? Well, some days, I do. 

I'm glad this card-pulling has become something of a tradition at our annual holiday party. It gives me a constant reminder of the good I have inside me, the blessings I can offer my field, and what I need to improve and change within myself to reach my goals.

2013 Highlights by the Month - July - December Edition

Welcome back to my 2013 Highlights by the Month! 

Here is the July - December edition. Enjoy!

July - AERA Proposals and Meta-Analysis Class

Two big things happened in July that are huge in affecting the course of my academic career. First of all, AERA proposals were due for the following year. These proposals are a big deal. Over 12,000 proposals were submitted for the 2014 conference, and for the most part, they are all good. I worked tirelessly the entire month on 5 different proposals. Some I wrote the majority of, some I helped edit, and some I co-authored. It was tough. So tough, in fact, I had my second highest recorded writing hours of the year - over 75. It was a learning experience and not an enjoyable process. I don't like being that close to a deadline - this year, I've already started writing my AERA proposals. 6 months ahead of the deadline. Go me!

Also in July, I took a meta-analysis class. I was excited to take this course because I had been interested in meta-analysis since I first heard about it, but I had no clue how to actually do one. This class was a 4-week, intensive, online course. We were expected to go through the entire meta-analysis process from research question and article searches to coding and calculations in ONE MONTH! Yikes! Thankfully, it was a group paper, and I got to work with a group I trusted. While the course was not fun because it was so intensive, it was immensely useful. Since this course, I have written one meta-analysis for work and am in the process of writing a second. It is one of the best skills I have learned as a researcher. Who knew?

August - Teaching Graduate Students

I got my first opportunity to teach and mentor graduate students in August when I served as a TA Mentor for the Center for Teaching Excellence. Basically, I got to teach new GAs the ropes of being a GA. While we had to teach prescribed lessons, I enjoyed getting to put my own spin on things. It was fun to get to work with graduate students instead of undergraduates for a change. Some of these students have stayed in contact with me, and I have gotten to serve as an unofficial mentor to them. Great experience!

September - Reviews and Being a "Voice"

September was a month of reviews, review, reviews. Every conference that I apply to, I volunteer to be a reviewer. It doesn't take a great deal of time (except for AERA), and I love getting to see how other people write proposals and what kinds of research they are doing. It is a huge learning experience. I also get to review for a couple of journals now. Those reviews take longer, but again, I find it so interesting. Also, in September, it came to my attention that as a leader of the student organization in my department, I am also part of the college's graduate student advisory committee. I was not happy about being part of another committee and having to attend another meeting each month. However, this committee actually does stuff. We really are a voice for the graduate students. As such, I got to help write two proposals to help graduate students, one involving stipends and one involving family medical leave. For once, I really do feel like I got to make a small difference in changing policies that affect all graduate students. 

October - Too Much Goodness for Words

October is usually the month in which I cry the most. When I was teaching middle school, one dreary day in October, my master teacher entered my classroom during my off period to give me a surprise Heath bar (my favorite candy) only to find me bawling at my desk. Weeping uncontrollably. I was just upset, had low morale, and felt like I couldn't keep up with all the demands. At that point, she let me in on a little secret. She said, "Did you know that when people study to get their principal or superintendent certifications, they have to take a course on leadership and morale? In that course, they are told that October is the month in the fall in which teachers have the lowest morale. They are encouraged to actively try to make their faculty happier during that month. You aren't alone, and this is normal." Wow! I was so surprised. That moment has really stayed with me, and it continues. Every October, I feel icky. Thankfully, this October had too many good things happen for words!

First of all, I again worked my little tail off and had my highest recorded number of hours written - over 85! Geez. Secondly, my first manuscript, that I helped co-author, was published. Publication numero uno in the books. :) A second manuscript that I felt VERY strongly about and love with all my heart, was accepted with minimal revisions for publication. It will be published this spring. That's two publications in one month! In reality, I learned about them within days of each other. Finally, I got to attend the Kappa Delta Pi Convocation that only happens every two years. This conference was a thorn in my side and something I did NOT want to do. I was helping with two presentations, but I just didn't want to spend the four days in Dallas not being able to do my own work. Turns out, I was pleasantly surprised with the conference, had fun, and made some great connections. October turned out to be my most prosperous month by far! Way to change my perspective.

November - AERA Proposal Reveal

There was a big moment we were all waiting for ALL fall - the revelation of the AERA proposals which had been accepted. If you remember, when I discussed July, I mentioned how important this was and how hard it is to get accepted. On November 1st, we finally got an end to our waiting game. The results were in. I submitted 5 proposals that had my name on them in some capacity. Of the 5 proposals, I definitely had a favorite, I always do. Beyond all my wildest expectations, my favorite proposal is the only one that got accepted. I was so elated by the fact that any of my proposals were accepted and even more excited that this was the one that did. My colleagues and I will be traveling to Philadelphia in April for AERA #2 - and I get to present! :) Besides being published, this is the highlight of my year.

December - Surviving it all and thriving

This past December, I was happy just to survive it all. All the work, all the craziness, all the sleepless nights. I was able to make substantial progress toward my goals and definitely proved myself capable of research and juggling multiple projects. I'm blessed and happy to be doing what I love and thriving, not just surviving. I can't imagine what 2014 will hold, but I'm ready for it all!

What. A. Year. :)

2013 Highlights by the Month - January - June Edition

2013 was a big year for me, academically. 

So much wonderful happened.

I've been working hard for the past few years on this degree. One of the hardest parts of academia is the waiting and patience it requires. It can take years to see a project through to completion. It can take months, or even years, to have a manuscript published (after it is written). Everything takes a while. Sometimes, academia is worse than a hospital on the waiting bit. Nevertheless, the waiting and patience doesn't dull the elated feelings when you see your hard work has paid off. I was blessed to get to have a lot of those moments this past year. :) Here they are by the month...

January - Teaching Methods

My first semester to teach at A&M, I got to teach Children's Literature. It was perfect. The course was a writing-intensive class, which I love, and focused on children and adolescent literature. This course seemed a perfect fit for me. I absolutely loved teaching it and swore I would only teach this course for the rest of my life (not really, but I would have been happy with that). As a graduate student, it is never guaranteed that you will get to teach a course you want, or even teach at all. I was surprised when I was told in December that come January, I would be teaching the Junior Methods course - Classroom Management. Eek! I was nervous about this. Classroom Management was not one of my strengths as a teacher. My first year teaching was a disaster because of this topic (though every teacher's is). As I continued teaching, I learned some tricks and strategies, but most of my methods were a bit unorthodox, and I'm not even sure they were backed by research. How would I teach impressionable young minds about this topic? 

Well, I dove in in January and LOVED it! I discovered that teaching methods-based courses as opposed to content courses suits me better. I love them! I fully plan to search for a job that allows me the flexibility of doing research and teaching the practitioner courses. 

February - Southwest Education Research Association Conference in San Antonio

(SERA #1)

February was a busy month, conference-wise, for me. I actually presented at three conferences that month: (1) SERA in San Antonio, (2) Teaching with Technology at TAMU, and (3) The Texas Gifted and Talented in Corpus Christi. By far, the most impactful and fun conferences was SERA in San Antonio. This is a small, graduate-student oriented conference that is meant to allow graduate students a forum for presenting their work. I co-presented one paper at the conference but found it to be a great networking experience. It was also fun to enjoy San Antonio. My favorite part about conferences is getting to travel to new places and enjoy the sites. While San Antonio is not new, it was still fun to go. 

March - First Intervention Study

When it comes to research, I am very hands-on. I don't enjoy literature reviews or "desk work". I prefer to be in the trenches working with teachers and kiddos. I was fortunate enough to get selected to work on a small-scale intervention study with my advisor and a small research team. This research is something I am highly interested in as it focuses on perspective-taking and motivation to read. For the study, I was helpful with the methodology and got to be one of the intervention teachers. As an intervention teacher, I got to work one-on-one with the sweet kiddos and remembered how much I love teaching kids. It was a great experience to be so integrated into the classroom again and to see how our intervention was helping students. As my first "get your hands dirty" study, I am beyond pleased. Right now, we are working to write up the results and will be presenting them at several conferences in the near future. 

April - American Education Research Association in San Francisco

(AERA #1)

AERA is THE conference for education research. Anyone who is anyone is presenting there and it is a great opportunity to rub shoulders with the most influential people in the field. It's also a really big deal to present there as a graduate student. I knew I would want to try to present at this conference in the future, so I wanted to go once to see what all the fuss was about. I was fortunate enough to get some funding to help offset the cost and got to go! I was excited to get to see San Francisco as I had never been and attend an uber-professional conference. 

AERA proved to be nothing short of awe-inspiring. I have never seen so many academic professionals in all my life. It was overwhelming and impossible to see everything I wanted to see. My colleague and I were able to attend just a few presentations and panel discussions in our few days there. We also got to attend several receptions that included wine, food, and networking like crazy. Through these experiences, we met many important people and made some great connections for future job searching and collaborations. I felt that this experience was the beginning of my professional career outside of A&M. This is what the field is all about, getting your research out there so people can benefit from it. Here's to AERA #1 as I plan to attend this conference every year for the foreseeable future...

May - Hardest I've ever worked for an "A"

This one is silly, I realize that. Historically, I have been a terrible student. Until my master's degree, I was always bored in school. As a high school student, I joined so many clubs and sports that I only attended classes 2 or 3 times a week. I remember my sophomore chemistry teacher asking me one day, "What are you doing here?" when I had been to school 3 days out of the week. As an undergraduate, my motto was "why work hard for an A when I can do the minimum and get a B?" My parents were thrilled. 

Once I started my master's degree, I enjoyed what I was doing and was interested in it, so I put forth more effort. As a Ph.D. student, I definitely work hard. I began taking the dreaded stats courses this past year with a professor who is known for being difficult. I did my usual "why work hard' dance the first semester of his course and made it out with a B. The hardest hurting B I've ever made. I decided that would not do, and I wanted to prove myself to this professor. By working my little tail off the spring semester, I sailed through his course with an A and a deep understanding of the material that has proven extremely valuable in my own research. This past fall, I took two courses from him and plan to take another in the spring. Masochistic, yes, but the man knows his stuff.

June - Teaching Excellence Award

I love teaching. I've mentioned this before on this blog and to anyone I've ever met. I fought this profession for many years, but ultimately realized that it is my calling. It is what I am meant to do, I love it, and I'm not half bad at it either. In June, this became official. I was the recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award given by my department to graduate students who demonstrate high levels of effectiveness in teaching. The award is based on a statement of purpose written by me, letters of recommendation, and evaluations from my students. I was so honored to have been given this award and think it is one of my favorite awards to date. To me, it means so much to be thought of as a good teacher. 

I hope you have enjoyed the January - June edition of my 2013 Highlights by the Month. 

Stay tuned for the second half of the year! 

2014 Academic Resolutions

I love New Years' Resolutions. At the beginning of every year, I enjoy reflecting on all I have accomplished over the past year while looking ahead at where I want to go. One of the professors I respect most once asked me, "What is your mission statement?" I was really confused by the question as I had never considered having a mission statement for my life. As I thought about this more and more, I discovered that a mission statement could be a great way to keep yourself grounded. It is easy to get caught up in those things we do to bring glory to ourselves, but by keeping in mind your true passion, you can stay grounded.

While I don't have a specific mission statement yet, I have an idea of a mission statement. The one thing that if my life is known for, I can die satisfied. In reflecting on this past year and the lessons I learned, I have a clear vision of what I would like to accomplish in 2014, which is being dubbed "The Year of the Dissertation".

Writing Goals

I have done a great job planning my writing time, structuring my writing area, and using strategies that help me be more productive. The best thing for me to do is to continue being productive and efficient in my time. The greatest gift I can give myself to continue doing this is:

Say "no". 

At this point in my career, I do not need to spend a great deal of time reviewing papers for other people, editing, or doing favors that help others as much as I did in 2013. This is not to say that I plan to be cold and unhelpful. Over the past year, I did not keep my own time as sacred as I should have. Frequently, I allowed other people to intrude on my personal writing/working time, or I agreed to help someone with a paper when I did not have the time to do it. In 2014, I want to have a clearer idea of the time I can provide to help others and not allow my helping others to affect my own work.

Write more for fun.

I was productive in 2013, no doubts. It was a lot of hard work and at the end of the year, I was very tired. I realized that I did not spend nearly as much time writing for myself as I should have. I spent a lot of time writing papers, presentations, and for projects, but little time writing for enjoyment. To keep myself grounded and level-headed, I need the escape and release of pleasure writing. I hope that 2014 will see far more of that. As a start, I want to make the goal of updating this little blog at least twice per month!

Get 2 more manuscripts at minimum "under review" by December.

I want to publish more. I have the itch. My goal is to have at least two manuscripts under review by December. For at least one of these, I want to be the first author. I'm excluding book chapters from this goal, too. 

Writing my teaching philosophy and research agenda.

I will need both of these documents as I begin my job search in August. They are not difficult to write but will take some time and energy. I would like to slowly use the next few months getting them prepared so I can send them out for feedback and perfect them by the time the job search begins. That will be one less thing I need to worry about come August. 

Reading Goals

I feel like I read so many books this past year, especially for statistics. I already can foresee how many articles and books I will be reading for my dissertation, but it is important to stay up-to-date on things that are in my field, but not my dissertation topic as well. 

Read at least 4 books about writing.

I love books about writing. They are so fun to read, enjoyable, and completely applicable to my writing sessions. They are a nice break from the sometimes dense academic, research-based writing, too. When I was first introduced to a new way of writing and strategies to help it, I read books about writing quite frequently. However, I got away from that as I got busier with projects. Thankfully, I have a long list of books that I think will make great candidates for accomplishing this goal.

Teaching Goals

I was born to teach, and I love it. Teaching is my bread and butter. Few things make me happier than standing before a class, preparing lessons, and impacting impressionable minds. I love teaching. While I feel I am a strong teacher, there are a few things I would like to improve upon.

Mapping my course.

I would like to try the idea of "course mapping" these next few semesters. Course mapping is based on the idea that the professor sets a timeline and sequence of topics, assignments, and learning objectives. The entire course is built around this map. I think my teaching would be stronger if I could build in connections among topics and a smoother flow of ideas. 

Teaching fewer topics more deeply.

When I taught middle school, I never felt like I had enough time to teach everything I wanted to teach. Now that I teach undergraduates, I KNOW that I don't have enough time to teach everything I want to teach. The entire semester flies by far too quickly, and I always finish going, "I wish I could have covered this more." I realize that through each course, I can only give my students a brief introduction to some topics while delving more deeply into other topics. With the help of my other teaching goal, I hope that I will find the core group of topics I want to really focus on. Then, I will be able to teach these topics deeply while just introducing supplementary topics. 

I have listed out 7 goals for 2014. I believe that is manageable and will keep me focused throughout the year. 

Happy writing, reading, and teaching, academics!