Director’s Letter
Author: lskramer
Author: lskramer
Dear all,
As someone who lives by an academic calendar, I usually lose September completely in the rush of starting a new semester, meeting new students, and facing myriad summer-is-over demands on my time and attention. Poof! What happened to September? Where did it go? I’m guessing many of you can relate.
This year, I have intentionally been more present in September. What is happening right now? ENGL 150 students and instructors have been working on personal narratives, and now they are starting profiles. ENGL 250 students and instructors are finishing up rhetorical analyses and looking toward research projects. I imagine students are feeling curious and perhaps anxious about getting grades on their first major assignments, and instructors may be feeling the same way about grading.
As we find our footing in the new semester, I encourage you to reflect on how teaching is going so far. What is going well that you want to carry forward into the rest of the semester? What might benefit from a quick reset? It’s not too late to make a change that will benefit you and your students—and it’s not too early either. Now could be a great time to try one or more of the following ideas:
These are just a few of many possibilities to try as you compose your teaching life this semester. As always, thank you for the work you do.
All best,
Lesley