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!