January 10, 2025 – First Week Back

HELLO FRIDAY… and 2025. It’s the first week back to work after a wonderful, restful, and exciting winter break. So much had happened to conclude 2024 and I left that year feeling STRONG despite a challenging start. I loved how the year concluded with minor surgery, a new home, a vacation in Vegas, and a new cat. It was a wonderful way to end 2024 with much gratitude and grace. Admittedly, it took much effort from me to jump back into work to figure out new timelines, etc.

I will tell you that my new cat, Simon, did NOT like me staying up into the wee hours of the night (i.e., my tiger time) to prep for my classes. She seemed beside herself in terms of me staying up, click-clacking on the grey box, and not complying to the routines established during the winter break. I can see her disappointment and disapproval, but I had no choice but to continue working on my prep until I felt that I was ready to teach my two classes well on Monday.

Always with a new term, I am given a new schedule. I am grateful that I have taught 3 of the 4 classes I am teaching before. However, the schedule, students, and readings (also myself) do change the pace and facilitation of these courses. So, I am grateful to have some familiarity of teaching these courses, including the fourth course, of which is an online graduate course, is reassuring and makes it feel possible to ease into the winter term, there are still some changes.

I feel that this was one of my “aha’s” from 2024. The transition from the outgoing and incoming cohorts in the teacher education program seemed so dramatic or noticeable in comparison to previous years. I noticed the change in momentum, prior knowledge, and social dynamics. These differences are always a given, but for some reason, I was struck by what I needed to do to adapt my class to “meet where the students are” and continue to achieve the same learning goals.

Personally, I loved the challenge, but also to add to the mix, my job assignment changed too. So, I was approaching the fall term was different as well. Anyway, starting the winter term had similar vibes. I am teaching two 4-hour classes back-to-back on Mondays, I have an undergraduate class on Tuesday night (which is now in person), and I have a graduate class on Thursday night online. As it turns out, Sundays have now become an important working day for me.

I am on campus on Mondays and Tuesdays, the rest of the week can be spent working from home. I have been working consistently at my desk in my “new” bedroom, which has been great. I am also in the mindset with work that this is not TEMPORARY, but rather a new way of being. I am excited by the pace of the winter term and it seems to start the week very strong and then tapers throughout the rest of the week with meetings, night class, and writing-time.

What I need to figure out is to focus my “non-teaching” time to be structured in a way that I can be productive and get as many publications out that is in balance with my “teaching time.” I feel that I have a good sense how this term will go in terms of workflow, workload, and momentum. I will not sacrifice my sleep time and “be a person” time. Those are very important to me. I also realized on Thursday night on what bring me JOY (and what I LOVE to do) is TEACHING.

My writing will be on the SCHOLARSHIP OF TEACHING and staying true to my #OneWord2025, the work that I do has to be about what I love to learn about. I love learning from teaching and my research should also reflect that, as well as my curiosity, joy, and areas of interest. I am really looking forward to 2025 and the lessons, struggles, and challenges it presents for me to overcome and excel. There is nothing I love more than doing something that lifts me and others UP!!