Category Archives: Write6x6

In Search of My Inspiration. How Do I Expand Beyond?

I have to admit I’m borderline burnout, but what keeps me going these days are the people I work with on a daily basis. My inspiration comes from all of those faculty and staff who take the time to better themselves and be the best they can be and utilize the CLTE to help them with that. I can’t be a slacker around these folks. Oh no, so I’m inspired to step my game up and help provide the services they need, and it reminds me of why I’m doing this job in the first place. It’s easy to forget at times.

So the last thing I need to be doing right now is agonizing over a journal post, but I’m inspired to do so because of the 10+ posts already posted on Write6x6.com from last week. They are my inspiration to post, to share. They are my inspiration to complete a tedious FPG application for an upcoming workshop. My inspiration to schedule FMS training in the CTLE. My inspiration to send out yet another announcement about what we have to offer, knowing very few will bother to read it. But it’s that few that inspire me.

Recently I attended a district event at SCC called TechTalks. It’s a TEDTalks type of event where 8 speakers talk about their experience with using technology in their life or work environment. These talks are very inspirational, but on this particular Friday I had every legitimate excuse to not miss work and not attend. I’m so glad I didn’t give in to any one of those excuses because that’s all they are is excuses. Attending TechTalks rejuvenated me. It inspired me. It made me want to go and do ALL those things those speakers talked about. I wanted to understand data, play with virtual reality, create portfolios for my students, create OER, and even make a music video despite my lack of music and movie making skills. I was inspired. Again by my colleagues in Maricopa. I’m so glad I didn’t pass up this one of a multitude of opportunities to be inspired because what good am I to you, my colleagues, my students if I’m not inspired to do my job?

 

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff – Reflection from 2/2

From Thursday, 2/2/2017:

This morning, the woman who collects tuition for my son’s school made the discovery of a four inch gaping hole lined with the fringe of shredded fabric on the side of my skirt, “You have a HUGE string hanging off there! Do you want me to cut it?” Of course, this was after leaving the house, dropping kids off, and stretching my brain into work mode. On the drive in and after the discovery, instead of listening to news and attempting to decipher whether it is fake or not, I went into existential mode in thinking about how the more life piles on, the less we have to care about the significance of not noticing a ripped skirt in the scheme of things. I mean, really, how could I have dressed myself and not noticed such a glaring wardrobe malfunction? Did it matter? How is it that the older I get, the more I am forced to “not sweat the small stuff” due to pure circumstance?

It is something I was ruminating about, and then as it tends to happen, serendipitously, of course, after me crudely attempting to mend the gash with a makeshift sewing kit, two brief moments emerged to reaffirm my thoughts.

A returning student of mine stayed after class to let me know that in his previous life, he was a government official who use to care for the special needs population in his community. In class, we have been discussing identities, stereotypes about our identities that society makes, and embedded arguments that perpetuate the assumptions. His family had to leave their homeland in 2008, and they came to the United States with nothing. Nothing. After his narrative of displacement, he continued. Radiating with pride, he says, “We had nothing. But today, today, you know, I have three daughters. All three of my daughters are college graduates from GCC and GCU with nursing degrees.”  He makes sure I know that the lessons his family learned from their hardship are the reasons his daughters are so successful today.

Moments later, I was signing out of the computer, crossing my t’s and dotting my i’s in leaving the classroom ready for the next instructor. “Hi Mrs. Dewey,” chimed someone. It was a familiar someone and one of my highly motivated students from ENG091 and ENG101. Last semester, she enthusiastically signed up for the CRE101 and ENG102 Learning Community, but on the first day, she was not there. It was not like her to disappear, so here and there, I would wonder if all was alright in her world. As it happens, this semester, she is working three jobs while taking her prerequisites to get into the nursing program. Visibly, ENG102 would not work with her packed schedule. She wanted me to know that she would be back for ENG102 in the forthcoming semesters and wanted to check in so I would know what happened.

Tiny yet grandiose moments like this happen every day in my work here.Tiny because they are small in duration. Grandiose because every time they happen, I gain new insight, clarity, and perspective on all that small stuff.

 

I Made My Mentee Cry

It all took place while I sat at the  car dealership waiting for my 2006 Mazda 3 to get repaired.

I didn’t mean to make her cry.

But she inspires me and she needed to hear it.

This set a thought process in motion that inspired me to write. GCC Faculty work very hard and are incredibly dedicated to student success. We really don’t hear enough about them and their stories that are so inspiring, so I will share one.

As a PAR Mentor, I was reviewing her hybrid 101 course, specifically looking at a series of videos she had created about exercise motivation and adherence. She designed the videos so the students could “chunk and chew” the information for the module. Each of the seven videos were about seven minutes long. Just enough time to engage a student and maintain their attention.

She didn’t have to do this at all. She could have easily said “read the chapter, take notes, and take the quiz.” But she didn’t. She saw a need and an opportunity and she went for it, despite all of her other responsibilities as full-time faculty.

She knew the students could play these videos over and over as a listening tool while driving or exercising, or to watch while sitting at the computer after school. She knew the students would appreciate the extra effort she made.

Do you know how long it takes to record, edit and upload a seven-minute video? It takes a lot of time and love. She did this seven times, and then created quizzes to go with the videos so the students would know if they really understood the material.

Our faculty do a lot of behind-the-scenes work that they don’t boast about. They do it because of their passion for teaching and ensuring the students are getting what they need for success.

So, go ahead and make a faculty member cry.  You might get a quote like this:

“Oh my goodness! You just made me cry! I cannot thank you enough for your kind words and encouragement. You have lit a fire under me to work harder and give more.”

 

Whoops, I Did it Again!

NAU Lumberjill

I am a lifelong learner but have to confess, it’s been many years since I took a credit class for an actual grade or credit. Oh, I’ve noodled around and taken credit classes like Hiking, Body Sculpting, even Accounting, but that was for sh*ts and giggles, not for reals. I have long felt an emptiness and a yearning to go back to school for something concrete and real, not simply for fun. Don’t get me wrong, the fun classes were mostly health-related and that is a very good thing, but I felt a need to work on my mental muscles.

SO, to make a long story short, I found the program I have been searching for – I am enrolled in NAU’s Master’s in English, Professional Writing program. It is scary and exhilarating at the same time. I had to dig up an old transcript when applying for the program and realized I haven’t taken classes towards a degree since 2003! Whoa, times have changed and that is a long time to not have homework, exams, or for time spent on study. I have had 13 years of playing video games, goofing off, and relaxing with a boatload of free time. That is gone, long gone.

I completed two classes in fall and just started one this spring. I have gotten over the panic of navigating my first online course and am now digging in and getting into this whole new learning gig. My plan for 6×6 is to document the journey and path I just stepped foot on.

Wish me well, good peeps!

 

 

 

Why I’m excited to teach here!

I recently was asked why I wanted to focus more of my teaching time on literacy.  This is an excerpt of my response:

Although our course catalog separates English from reading, I have always seen myself as a literacy instructor.  My master’s degree and professional studies focus on reading and writing across the curriculum.  I teach children’s literature and ESL strategies using integrated literacy activities.  My CRE101 students write college-level essays in APA format using elements from the rubrics from ENG101.  My ENG081 students write clear paragraphs after reading quality text written at an appropriately challenging Lexile level.  My greatest joy is seeing an ENG071 or RDG071 student master college-level material in CRE101.  My ESL students tell me that the active learning strategies we use in our classes help them acquire vocabulary and feel successful.

I have become a better teacher at Glendale because of the rich resources we have within our department and across our campus.  I love the support of the CTLE as I revise and improve my face-to-face, hybrid, and online course offerings using Google tools and open educational resources.  I enjoy learning from others to provide meaningful activities such as the ESL peer tutoring experiences with Betsey Wheeler and Larissa Hill.

I currently have a terrific teaching assignment as a reading, education, and English instructor; however, I find that I want to do more in literacy.  My goal in becoming a full-time member of our department is to be able to say yes to opportunities to create new learning communities that integrate reading and writing.  I’m excited about the possibility of accelerated models and creative scheduling to help all of our students attain their academic goals more quickly.

 

Haiku To You, Too

I have been having fun reading some of the posts and comments from days gone by here at the Write 6×6. Thank you all for the fun and inspiration. I was especially influenced by The STEAM Hub’s work with Haiku poetry. I thought I’d give it a try. I’ve always been comfortable with syllables, almost effortlessly babbling my way through the day one syllable at a time. At a recent education conference, a colleague from Japan reported that if we’d only pay attention, we’d learn. At first I felt a chuckle at the obviousness of this, but in time I began to see the profoundness of it. How much of our lives is spent without attention? This semester, I began on day one by asking my students to “pay attention.” No matter how frighteningly complex,  drearily mundane, or fabulously fresh our educational task, learn. Our successes and our failures, our laughter and our tears, they provide teachable moments. Pay attention, and one moment at a time, we find our way to all that we desire, for that way is paved with learning.  Here’s the set of sobering syllables:

Night skies ask of us
Mindful participation
Toward sun-filled mornings
 

Why I Work Here.

As I look back on my life, I see that I have always enjoyed helping people. When I was growing up on the family farm I would often go over to the neighbors when I was done with jobs at our farm looking for things to do to help them. In school I always found myself helping my friends with their math. In fact, during my senior year in high school when we lost our math teacher (calculus class) and we got a permanent substitute, whose major was English, my dad, who taught math at PC, would teach me the math the night before and then in class I’d teach the students. At MCC I was a tutor. I found that I really enjoyed doing that. In fact, I had an experience there where a student tackled me one morning while going to class because she had just gotten her first A on a math test ever. That was the exact moment I decided, I need to teach 🙂

There is no better feeling than to see someone “get it” and you know that you were instrumental in their increase in understanding. That is why I do what I do.

 

¡España: nos vemos en junio!

Bueno, empecé a escribir en este sitio en español y me gustaría terminar con este idioma, ya que es el idioma que llevo en el corazón. De niña, mi madre siempre me decía que su apellido era de una región del sur de España. Nunca he viajado por el sur de España, pero este verano, tendré la oportunidad de hacerlo. Hace ya tres años, estudié en Salamanca, en el norte del país y me encantó el clima, la gente tan amable, los edificios históricos y sobre todo la música. Me acordaba de mi niñez en la escuela de flamenco en Panamá.
En septiembre del año pasado, escribí una propuesta junto con mi colega, Guio para volver a llevar a nuestros estudiantes a España. Inmediatamente después de haber sido aceptada la propuesta empezamos a trabajar. Desde noviembre hemos trabajado arduamente para reclutar la cantidad adecuada de estudiantes para estudiar español en Madrid. Hoy puedo decir con orgullo que ya casi lo hemos logrado. Tanto Guio como yo hemos anunciado la propaganda, mandado correos electrónicos y llamado a estudiantes que podrían estar interesados en aprender español. He aprendido a hacer volantes y a convertirme en toda una malabarista del tiempo para poder cumplir con todo a tiempo. Con nosotras irán dos profesoras de comunicación y una bibliotecaria de nuestra institución. Me siento muy contenta de saber que existe interés en nuestros estudiantes por viajar a España. Sé de seguro que les encantará mucho. Este país tiene tanta cultura e historia que los sorprenderá en cada esquina. Iremos a Toledo y a Granada. Como nunca he estado en Granada y siempre he oído historias maravillosas de este lugar, quiero guardar todas mis energías para esta visita. Entre muchas otras cosas, me gustaría comprar un vestido original de flamenco, castañuelas nuevas, mantillas y joyas de la región. Hace ya tantos años que no bailo profesionalmente y la idea de volver a escuchar la música y ver un show de flamenco en Granada, me ilusiona mucho. Nuestro programa es 3 veces más barato que el programa de otras instituciones y ofrece mucho más. Nuestra próxima y última reunión informativa para este programa de verano para estudiar en Madrid, será el 15 de abril a la 1:00PM en HU-111. ¡Qué vengan tod@s para que entre tod@s descubramos lo maravilloso que es España!

Flier Madrid Last Revision

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Granada de noche

 

Speaking a Different Language Can Save Your Life

The other day, I met a gentleman in his seventies who has been learning foreign languages all of his life.  He is writing a book on how he learned to speak fluently in 10 different languages.  While speaking with him, I suddenly felt the need to ask him to share some of his learning techniques.  I was totally impressed when he said that he learned 2,000 Chinese characters in less than half-a-year, especially when it takes Chinese people close to 12 years to learn them in order to read the newspaper.  He told me anecdotes of how being Irish and being able to speak fluent Chinese, Korean and Japanese have saved his life in different occasions.  I have found somebody to share some of my experiences while learning languages, and I was thrilled to meet such a smart man who came to my office to ask a question about editing.  He shared that even though English was his first language, he could identify better with certain words in various languages to communicate with his family.   I also shared with him that certain phrases had more of an emotional impact if I said them in a certain language. For the first time, I felt validated on my usage of words from other languages to express a thought.   For example, I use aiyaaa  wodemaya! when I am upset.  So, instead of saying the English oh my gosh, I always say aiyaaa wodemaya.   I say ven acá instead of come here or dígame instead of tell me because they sound more direct in my mind.  And then I remembered an event in an unnamed Latin American City, where I was totally overwhelmed by feelings of fear.  My husband and I were going to be mugged, and a “xiaoxin, xiaoxin” saved us from an attack from 2 thieves.  “Xiaoxin” means “be careful” in Chinese, and it was our secret phrase in case we were in a dangerous situation.  But what really saved us was the fact that I could understand Spanish perfectly.  I have heard the two thieves behind our backs planning their attack: one was going to get my purse, while the other was going to grab my husband’s camera.  When I told my husband xiaoxin, xiaoxin, we jumped into the subway train, and escaped misfortune.  If I would not have understood Spanish or had a secret word to escape, it would have been a very different and sad story.

 

On Top of The World

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What’s my dream job, you ask? I’m doing it! I’m on top of the world, literally and figuratively.

Thanks to technology, and for a reasonable price, I can access wifi on an airplane above the Atlantic! I am in my mobile office, grading and interacting with my online students.

My dream job is right here, right now. It is always now. My thoughts about my job are always positive. When they are not, I think again and make them positive.

I could choose to dwell on negative things if I wanted to. Every job has negative aspects to it. I could have a field day on negativity if I wanted to, but I’ve been there and done that and bought the T-shirt. But it does nothing for progress.

So I choose to look on the bright side, because it is good for me and it is good for the people I interact with. It is good for the soul. It is good for the psyche. It is good for the body.

My job affords me flexibility….not less hours or less productivity. I can teach on a plane, I can teach in the classroom, and I can take  a walk to clear my head if I feel like taking a walk. I can take a whole summer off if I choose to (but I don’t) and I can choose to earn extra money teaching over the summer (and I do!).

I could go on, but I think I will leave you to dwell on the reasons you love your job on the days that you love your job! Actually, my battery is about to die…the technology irony….