Takeaways from my first semester as a graduate student
As I’m continuing to work through finals week, and all the while enjoying peppermint hot chocolates and beautiful early winter weather, I have done some reflecting on myself as a student. I made a list of things to stop and start doing next semester, which reflects the lessons learned this semester.
My first takeaway is that there are two things that I should immediately stop doing, and they go hand-in-hand. The first is procrastinating and the second is treating my schoolwork like “work.” With a lot of assignments, I get bogged down by all that I have to do and don’t see the value in them. However, graduate school is different from undergrad because I’m interested in everything that I have to do! Now, that rule is not one-hundred-percent-of-the-time applicable, but it is surely close enough. If I am fortunate enough to perform a wide range of research in my career, even if it’s just for a grade, I better treat it like it’s worth my time. It is the bulk of my education and what I put in, I will get out. Procrastinating means I won’t be giving it my all, and I regret ever doing that to myself.
The second takeaway is that there are several things that I wish I did more. I lost some of my favorite things this semester, in the form of wasted time, lounging, and procrastinating. I did not read quite as much as I would like, not in long, uninterrupted waves where I could really internalize knowledge and adventures and, at the same time, be somewhere else. I did not spend much time in solitude nor reflection; my daily journaling habit sometimes became weekly or bi-weekly. I need my books, my morning pages, my long walks around the lake alone...to be a little more happy, and a little more myself. I’ve discussed academics already, but these simple personal moments are what I’m really going to strive for next semester as my schedule gets even busier.
I’m proud of my achievements: reading Greek with a little more ease and fluency; investigating issues that matter to me, reading entire books on them, and writing things productive; presenting on these important issues, and watching the eyes of the audience flash with understanding, its face nodding, its mouth asking questions with genuine concern; writing an entire novel during the month of November, in 25 days to be exact; being accepted into not one but two conferences, including one of the larger regional Classics ones; receiving two scholarships to study abroad during spring break next semester; continuing to thrive and learn every single day. I am proud.
On Monday, I gave my final presentation to my Cognitive Development course: "Trauma and TESOL." I developed the entire thing on the morning of the presentation, but it was very easy and comfortable to talk about, especially since I'm so interested in the topic. (And since I still have it in my dreams to teach English to refugees and immigrants, or abroad with the Peace Corps or government, it is very relevant to me.)
Yesterday was an exciting day. I met with the Department of Classics to discuss potentially applying for the MA program to begin after my M.Ed. has finished. It turns out, too, that if I play my cards right, I can knock out a good chunk of credits now that would count towards the degree. I might only need to go full time for one year once I finish, given I continue taking language classes each semester. I'm incredibly excited since it is much more feasible than I once thought. I have been working since 2017 to develop my language proficiency in order to apply for an MA program. It is finally in reach.
Otherwise, I can't say that I've been very optimistic lately. Since I have become very impassioned about the humanities debate and how to advocate for them, I have also become quite bitter. I won't give too many details about my workplace on campus, but it essentially encompasses everything that is wrong with the humanities crisis. It is a service for students on the other end of the academic spectrum who, not being in as difficult of a place as students of the humanities, I honestly believe don't need or deserve anything like this. Every day when I come to work now, I am overcome with a sense of loss: my precious time is spent for a cause I don't believe in. There are a plethora of other problems I am facing at work, too, that makes it so the time does not pass by productively or proudly.
I am just too drained. I need to pick myself back up, though, to get through my last final paper and finally my Greek exam this Saturday. The winter term will not be kind to me, either, as I need to take a winter class to accommodate my degree change in addition to writing two conference papers (both my abstracts got accepted this year)! I'm surprised and stoked and scared all at once! Next semester is going to be entirely exhausting...
On November 1st, I wrote thing with the intent to post:
I created this blog in order to track every intricacy of graduate school. I never realized how much could happen in just a week here. In a single day, I could be given full funding to study abroad, be accepted into a conference, and granted an interview at a big institution. The next week, I could fail a major exam that I worked hard for, pass one with flying colors that I didn't work hard enough for, get an internship offer, get an internship rejection, and all at once become more apathetic as the days become shorter.
My classes have become a bit dull (or maybe my motivation is just wavering). My current projects are: my continued research on humanities departments in higher education (which will lead to a study proposal); a literature review on the benefits of studying classical languages on persons with learning disabilities; my paper for the conference on Homer and mythology in pop culture; and otherwise trying to figure out what I am doing with this degree and with this little life.
Since then, in now a brisk December, I have figured out what I was doing with the degree: dropping it. I switched from educational research, from the realms of researching the humanities and the Classics disciplines, to a “practical” degree. Before entering graduate school, I was a ESOL teacher, and I actually had applied here and was admitted into the TESOL program. I became ambitious, however, and switched to research. That is not, I found, my forte.
I became an ESOL teacher for the purpose of going out of the world and helping the people that needed it. I lost some of the meaning in my life when I started pursuing research. Since switching degree programs back, I have felt my mid-semester slump ease off. I know exactly what I’m doing now, and it’s something I am so proud of. I will be able to, after all, pursue those non-academic dreams one day after all. No need to rush the PhD.
On October 31, my boyfriend and I saw The Bacchae at our university. We attended a talk about the show, and about theatre overall, and learned that theatre is a place of opposition, participation, dialogue, and further, in the Greek world particularly, a model for the ideal society. The Bacchae is a dangerous tragedy that makes you question your humanity. I recommend it.
On November 1, I started my own tragedy for NaNoWriMo. And, I won, writing 50,000 words in 25 days. I am so proud that I could do that among all of my schoolwork and other ambitions. I am currently plotting for what I call GraNoWriMo, Graphic Novel Writing Month, which I’d like to pursue either this month or next. I adore the time I’m spending on myself and developing these personal projects. I feel like my life is so utterly full.
I have four big milestones to finish up this semester: my final paper for cognitive development (a literature review on trauma and ESL students), my final paper for educational research (my final literature review on humanities education), and finally, a quiz and exam for Greek. I’m hoping I can get through everything quickly and feel at ease. I want to feel proud of myself, and relax until winter term.
I hope that everyone facing finals and papers now can be diligent and focused, and create things that they are utterly proud of.
If you don’t write paragraphs on paragraphs on shit absolutely nobody but you and maybe 2 other people give a shit about you are not living your most authentic life
I just finished “What’s the Point of College?” (Neem, 2019) and its themes resonated well with where I am right now. The main argument of the book is that a liberal education accomplishes the central goal of the university (to foster and encourage the pursuit of knowledge) which should be the central goal of the student in the academic environment as well. A liberal education is valuable in its own right; it does not need to be defended by its ability to develop workforce skills; it does not need to force students into one path to professorship; it prepares them for the world.
October has shown itself to have been latent with possibility. I’ve applied to internships at the Smithsonian, attended career sessions in publishing, and expanded the boundaries of my graduate education to do many things for me: equip me for a career, sharpen me for several graduate school paths in different departments, allow me research options in several departments. My professors have gone out of their way for me in each department; my Greek professor offered to have an independent study with me so I can read the works that suit me best; my research professor has gone out of his way to help me develop my seminar paper into a stronger research proposal; my old philosophy professor met with me to encourage an interdisciplinary Classics degree which would allow me to specialize in ancient philosophy and pursue my love of Greek all the same.
Life in graduate school is difficult. I don’t have much money; I don’t have much time. I’m often tired; I’m often sick. But the air of the university is filled with the perfume of promise. I am excited for what might be waiting for me at the end of these two years. May I chase whatever that is.
The e-mail sent from Jason Pedicone, President of the Paideia Institute, following the Sportula’s Statement:
An Update on Diversity and Inclusivity at Paideia
Dear Friends,
Ten years ago, the Paideia Institute was founded on a clear mission to make the study of Classics more vivid, more accessible, and, above all, more inclusive. Since our founding we have promoted the study and appreciation of the Classical humanities to thousands of students through our signature programs, including outreach that increases access and engagement for a broader spectrum of students. We are very proud of the impact we have made on students and our contributions to the field. We continue to align our programs and our workplace with our mission, where people of all identities and backgrounds feel empowered to contribute their efforts and talents.
With the current scrutiny of the field of Classics – and recent criticism leveled specifically at Paideia – around important issues of diversity and inclusion, I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on the steps we are taking to ensure we continue to evolve into a world-class educational organization, internally and externally.
Internally, since last March, we have taken a number of concrete steps to improve in these areas as an organization. In response to feedback from members of our faculty, the Paideia Institute contracted with an independent consultant, Karen Fleshman, whose expertise is in the area of diversity and inclusive excellence. Ms. Fleshman helped us set out a plan to create more inclusive practices throughout the Institute, which we are implementing. A significant element of this effort was gathering staff and faculty feedback. Based on this input we are putting in place a series of actions and practices to be adopted throughout the organization.
Among the top priorities:
All staff and contractors will be required to participate in diversity and inclusivity training along with the existing mandatory companywide sexual harassment training.
We have formed a new Human Resources Committee, led by Georgia Nugent, and drafted a new Employee Handbook and Code of Conduct with explicit attention to the prevention of harassment and discrimination in order to ensure our employees’ security and safety.
Our leadership, including Eric Hewett and me, have participated in leadership training, with particular focus on best practices in diversity and inclusivity.
We have recently promoted another woman to a management position and have recruited people of color to our board and our part-time staff.
We are incorporating language into all our vendor contracts outlining expectations for their behavior toward our staff.
Going forward, we will ensure that all promotional materials more accurately reflect the diversity of our students and staff.
We are introducing quarterly overview and feedback sessions for our contractors to provide more input into strategic and programming decisions. .
Externally, we are proud to play an important role in celebrating the diverse perspectives in Classical studies by facilitating important conversations and events highlighting historically marginalized voices in Classical literature and history, and reaching out to those who otherwise may not have access to the field.
Among the highlights:
Our Aequora program began as a project to bring Latin to one community center serving at-risk youth in Bushwick. Today, Aequora is taught at almost 50 schools, libraries, and community centers across North America, supported by a full-time curriculum development staff. It reaches more than 600 students in under-resourced communities and offers high school and college students a one-of-a-kind opportunity to engage with these communities through service.
Just this past weekend, we organized “Dux femina facti,” a weekend spoken-Latin retreat for female-identifying latinists, in order to create a space especially for women within the spoken Latin community.
This February, our Living Latin in New York City Conference will be on the theme of “Neglected Voices,” devoted to highlighting historically marginalized voices and perspectives in classical literature and history. We have already received twenty-six abstracts, the most that have ever been submitted for the conference.
We should all be proud of the work we have done and the impact we have had. That being said, there is much more work to do. We will continue to strive to be a learning organization, improving our student, employee, faculty experiences in every way.
Our continued success is possible thanks to the hard work and support of an engaged group of friends and colleagues who share the goals of our mission: To provide opportunities for rigorous study of Latin and Greek from all historical periods; to inspire students to form close personal relationships with the Classics through extraordinary learning experiences; and to increase access to and engagement with the Classical humanities across all sectors of society. Thank you for your continued friendship.
Potential Interventions for the Humanities “Crisis”
In my previous paper, I argued that the root of the humanities “crisis” is the lack of support from universities to its humanities students in helping them develop workforce employability. The question that had remained unanswered is, what potential interventions have already been proposed to solve this “crisis”? This paper will examine three potential interventions: establishing a core curricula in the humanities, implementing co-op programs in humanities departments, and encouraging and offering ‘alt-ac’ (alternative-to-academia) career preparation.
Adler (2016) attributes a part of the “crisis” to the most prominent model of higher education undergraduate curricula—the general education system—which “informs students that no subject is more worthy of attention than any other.” This ideology, Adler reports, deters students from taking “taxing” courses, such as the ancient languages which comprise his field of Classics. Similarly, it offers no rationale for students to enroll in humanities courses at all, since all classes in this curricula have more-the-less the same value. Adler describes the ways in which professors can navigate the system and make it convincing to enroll in humanities courses, such as designing syllabi that highlight modern relevance and applicability. But how is this relevant to the university’s role in increasing student employability in its humanities majors? A system that reduces many humanities courses to merely optional general education requirements is publicly devaluing those programs, rather than encouraging students to find the value that is in them. In contrast, establishing a wide-audience program that defends the value of the humanities and identifies specific employable skills would benefit all students seeking to increase their employability. Adler advocates a traditional core curricula model, which clearly presents the benefits of the humanities. Yale University’s Directed Studies advocates the workforce skills students develop in humanities classes and provides alumni testimonies on how those skills have contributed to their careers (Yale University, 2019). Their students have names for, and concrete examples of, the skills that make them competitive when they market themselves to employers, unlike other students of humanities.
Unfortunately, recognition of employable skills developed by humanities students is unconvincing in solving the humanities “crisis,” as students continue to struggle to enter the workforce (Lewin, 2013). McNeil (2013) acknowledges the value of skills developed by humanities students, but declares that “they need to demonstrate the relevance of their skill sets outside of an academic context.” A solution to that, as argued by both McNeil (2013) and Moss (2013), is weaving co-op programs into the fabrics of humanities degree programs. Co-op programs, which are commonplace in degree programs like engineering and akin to less-demanding internship opportunities, allow students to opt out of a full schedule of classes to work in professional settings full time. This context helps students to “develop their network, build their resume, and explore further career options” (McNeil, 2013). Students would no longer have to argue the case that their humanities skills make them good workers; their capacity for success in the workplace will be proven with the experience they’ve accumulated.
Rogers (2015) argues that it is “essential” that students are offered ‘alt-ac’ (alternative-to-academia) career preparation immediately upon matriculation in graduate school in the humanities. Currently, programming such as career workshops, guest speakers, and networking opportunities outside of academia are little-to-none in humanities departments (Grafton & Grossman, 2011). These interventions would be significant because 74% of students at this point strive to be tenure-track professors (Rogers, 2015), but only approximately 6% of students will eventually obtain that goal (Schumann, 2013). This predilection towards professorship is likely contributed to the fact that there is a strong disapproval for ‘alt-ac’ plans in the academy (Schumann, 2013). An intervention that would ensure students are prepared for professional careers might consist of: creating an academic culture which encourages career preparation; providing that career preparation in the department such as programming listed above; and giving students opportunities outside of the department to actualize their goals, such as giving students space in their schedules to take relevant coursework outside of their degree area (Grafton and Grossman, 2011).
I have identified and described three potential interventions to the humanities “crisis” in universities. However, I am left unsatisfied with the literature’s inability to show me examples these interventions in context that provide evidence (or even just probability) for potential success. The next question to pose the literature would be this: in what context might we be able to accurately gauge the potential success of wide-scale interventions like the ones proposed above?
References
Adler, E. (2016). Classics, the culture wars, and beyond. University of Michigan Press.
Directed Studies. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://directedstudies.yale.edu/.
Grafton, A. T., & Grossman, J. (2011). No more plan B: a very modest proposal for graduate programs in history. Perspectives on History, 49(5).
Lewin, T. (2013). As interest fades in the humanities, colleges worry. The New York Times, 30.
McNeil, A. (2013). Co-op and career centres and faculty collaborating to support graduate students' career success. ESC: English Studies in Canada, 39(4), 13-16.
Moss, L. (2013). Sustaining the humanities. Canadian Literature A Quarterly of Criticism and Review, 1.
Rogers, K. (2015). Humanities unbound: Supporting careers and scholarship beyond the tenure track. Digital Humanities Quarterly, 9(1).
Schuman, R. (2013). Thesis Hatement: Getting a literature phd will turn you into an emotional trainwreck, not a professor. Slate. com, 5.
Preparing for the “Probability” of a Jobless Future in Academia
This week was like any other fall week at the university. I cherished the time that I could escape to enjoy gardens and patches of soft grass. I read extensively—Greek comedies and orations, biographies of early anthropologists, ethics and rhetoric studies of Aristotle, articles and chapters on higher education.
Of what I’ve read this week, I was troubled most by a particular article—This Academic Took a Job at BuzzFeed. Here’s Her Advice to Graduate Programs. (Zamudio-Suaréz, 2018)—and its discussion that graduate students should be "building [themselves] a life raft for the very real not just possibility but probability that you will not gain full-time employment.” But how can you build that life raft and prepare yourself adequately for academia?
Growing up on the outskirts of the Smithsonian Institution, I have always been captivated with the museum world and considered in an alternative to academia. This is my life raft, though one that is also competitive. I’m enrolled in a certificate program in Museum Studies; I have several internship applications in the works for spring museum positions. However, the more I develop this plan and strive to make it complete, I feel the possibility of academia shrinking, as would have likely been predicted by Zamudio-Suarez.
The more I invest in the back-up plan, the less time I have for developing myself academically. Zamudio-Suarez declares, “it’s hard to keep [students] on that main path when you admit there’s a secondary path.” I was lucky this semester to complete two abstracts already (and they are merely abstracts, not even the papers themselves) outside of my schoolwork and assistantship. If the spring brings me an internship on top of my 20-hour per week assistantship, I can’t imagine being able to pursue these extra efforts to build myself as a scholar and especially when those extra efforts are, likely, for absolutely nothing.
For scholars to have any chance at achieving the future they seek in academia, they must be the best of the best. A small step back to focus on anything else can jeopardize them, if they’re not already jeopardized by an academy that will gleefully train them, take their money, and promise them something impossible. If you refuse to go all-in, does is always mean you don’t have faith in yourself, as Zamudio-Suarez expressed? Not necessarily. But you are, in a way, giving up on that miniscule chance by not investing everything you have in your academic career. It makes me wonder: have I given up already?
Going forward, I will be working tirelessly to build myself as a scholar and professional. This will likely be a recurring theme in my updates; but worthwhile to track as I navigate through my twenties. No matter, I hope to continue to feel gentle and happy in this everyday life of graduate school and only hope the time won’t go too fast.
Professor of Classical Studies Emily Wilson has been named a 2019 MacArthur Fellow by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, receiving what is known as the “genius grant.”
It was interesting to go from reading a book chapter entitled “Toward Ending the Crisis for Classics” (Adler, 2016) to seeing this pop up on my social media feed today.
It finally feels like fall. I have been spending my afternoons in the campus gardens, watching blue jays and chipmunks in between class readings and Greek translations. In the evenings, my boyfriend and I ride our bikes around the sunset lake, play hide-and-seek around campus, and read The Goldfinch out loud to each other. Early mornings are spent with chai lattes, studying under Corinthian columns on open porticos or in library shelves (thank goodness for a 24-hour library).
The brief paper I posted yesterday was the depth of this week. I had an interesting conversation in my seminar last night, paired with a soon-to-be doctoral student studying motivation and emotions in “objective” science. While part of my will-be thesis research will include motivation in studying Classics, it was actually a pair of perfect opposites. The most interesting thing about talking to her, someone straight out of STEM, was her lack of understanding of what the “humanities” are. It was eye-opening to see that if you haven’t properly pursued the humanities, they aren’t just self-explanatory. On her end, she was surprised at my being a humanist not being able to find any value in the science classes that I took as an undergraduate. We delved into what our fields mean to us, and tried to convince each other along the way. It was reflective, I think, of what our research hopes to advocate.
I submitted my first abstract today to a Classics conference. I’ll hold off on posting my abstract until (perhaps?) good news might come. Nevertheless, it felt really good to feel apart of the larger system of academica by taking that leap. There are two more Calls for Papers that I hope to respond to; I have already written an abstract for one of them and as for the other, hopefully I can come up with a topic soon. It is a little more Classics-heavy (rather than pedagogically focused like the abstract I submitted today) and I am very nervous about my abilities.
I unfortunately have nothing to report in terms of readings, hopefully I’ll make up for that next week. Part of what I like about grad school the most right now is that the vast amount of reading and research energizes me; I know that I am exponentially becoming more knowledgeable as the weeks go by. I am exactly where I am supposed to be.
Humanities in ‘Crisis’? A one-pager describing a research question that is meaningful to me.
Humanities departments at universities have been, for decades, ‘in crisis’ due to a combination of under-enrollment, under-funding, and modern society’s predilection for STEM fields. Campion (2018) does not believe in this ‘crisis’ and supports with qualitative data that the humanities are rather in a position of stagnation. Students are still enrolling in humanities departments, at the undergraduate and graduate level. However, they are not staying (Lewin, 2013), or if they do, they cannot find jobs afterwards (Benton, 2009). Students and their parents seek workforce preparation from universities more than anything else (Lewin, 2013), and the humanities are not delivering.
Campion (2018) argues that departments are contributing to the stagnation of the humanities because they are faculty-focused and not student-focused, thus ignoring learning outcomes that students want. Mills and Moulton (2017), following a synonymous hypothesis, shows that there are differences in the student’s goals and the faculty member's goals in Foreign Language departments. The problem at hand is not what is thought of as the humanities crisis described above nor is it that students cannot find employment—these are merely factors. The problem itself is that departments are not conforming to their students in order to help them meet their needs.
My degree in Classical Languages and Literatures made me a ‘better’ person—from critical thinking to decision making to articulation—skills that overwhelmingly helped me in every job I’ve held since. These soft skills are valued by employers “over the long term” (Lewin, 2013), and championed in defense of the humanities. But they don’t help grads to initially enter the job market (Lewin, 2013). While I consider studying the humanities was the best thing I have ever done, it was true: I was not adequately prepared for a job upon graduation. Was that the fault of humanities? I would argue instead that it was the fault of the institution. Universities need to step up and meet their students where they are, regardless of their field.
This problem is meaningful to me because it is my reality. As someone who may soon take the risk of pursuing a PhD in the humanities, which is warned against by professors themselves (Benton, 2009), I want to be supported by academe and society alike. I was appalled in my research to find articles boasting that we should just cut humanities departments because they do not produce jobs (Cohan, 2012). Studying the humanities is what made my life worth living again after my father passed, and I wouldn’t want anyone to lose the opportunity because of the fear that is associated with it.
Benton, T. H. (2009). Graduate school in the humanities: Just don’t go. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 30.
Campion, C. (2018). Whither the humanities?—Reinterpreting the relevance of an essential and embattled field. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 17(4), 433-448.
Cohan, P. (2012). To Boost Post-College Prospects, Cut Humanities Departments. Forbes.[online][Accessed: 09/18/2019].
Lewin, T. (2013). As interest fades in the humanities, colleges worry. The New York Times, 30.
Mills, N., & Moulton, S. T. (2017). Students’ and instructors’ perceived value of language and content curricular goals. Foreign Language Annals, 50(4), 717-733.
Week Three Recap: a Spark of Interest in Higher Education Research
The conglomeration of all the things contained in this birthday week has pushed me in one direction: Higher Education. From class discussions and presentations to guests and advisor meetings to personal reading, I have become impassioned by this field as a direction for my research. Let me explain first by providing a relevant reading list for this week.
As Interest Fades in the Humanities, Colleges Worry (Levin, 2013).
Graduate School in the Humanities: Just Don’t Go (Benton, 2019).
Students’ and Instructors’ Perceived Value of Language and Content Curricular Goals (Mills & Moulton, 2017).
The Humanities’ Fear of Judgement (Clune, 2019).
Liberal Education and the Possibility of Valuational Progress (Callard, 2017).
The theme is obviously the connection of higher education in the context of the liberal arts and humanities. A few of these were personal readings that emerged from the rabbit hole of The Chronicle (the fact that I sneak my free time at work to explore HIgher Education news speaks for itself), and a few of them are articles pulled from from Google Scholar in relation to a current class project that is requiring me to identify a problem in education that is important to me.
I’ve only skimmed the first few readings on my list, and thus will not pretend to reflect on them. However, the titles are nearly self-explanatory in how this is relevant to me being a Classicist-Turned-Educational-Researcher.
Continuing through the list, Clune’s excerpt on The Chronicle was particularly interesting. It discussed how the works discussed in humanities classes are supposed to be special in some way, perhaps even “better” in a sense. But when different people have different tastes and perspectives on what is “good,” is it appropriate for professors and teachers to deem something as worthy of teaching whilst something else is not? In an increasingly multicultural American learning environment, how might we make value judgements between different cultural works, objectively? Callard’s work continued to discuss, how do we teach the “value” that is in these works? How do students, over time, see a value that they have not seen before? Is it objective, based on the perspective taught by the instructor, or is it a subjective value? I am fascinated by these questions.
Before I turn away from my readings, I wanted to throw in another article that I found to be a nice read this week: Why Young Koreans Love to Splurge (Kim, 2019). Just an interesting take on modern culture that it is rational for millenials to make everyday purchases that most people would consider unnecessary or wastes of money (like my bubble tea obsession?) because the instant gratification adds higher life value than miserably saving for an “unattainable” future goal of buying a house, for example. Incredibly relevant to American culture.
On Thursday (my 25th birthday), I had both an advisor meeting and my first presentation of the semester, which was just a briefing of the previous classwork. In the meeting, I indicated my interest in continuing to a PhD, whether that be Classics or Education. For the latter, my advisor was not optimistic. He said, “To get a faculty position in a College of Education, you will not be competitive without K-12 Certification and teaching experience.” It didn’t quite sound right to me, but I realized that I was mistaken when I introduced my intentions. I had told him I wanted to “continue my current research” (which is a thesis regarding secondary school reader response of classical texts in translation) as opposed to build off the implications of that research in order to study students at the undergraduate level and how they perceive Classics. It might even end up that my thesis will become comparative---we will see. Nonetheless, I realized that applying to a PhD in Education would likely be a Higher Education program. Continuing forward to my briefing, I employed several student engagement techniques in order to spark discussion. I learned these last week in a supplementary program that I participate in at my university: a University Teaching and Learning Program for students and faculty to develop their teaching in university settings. It felt nice heading a university level class, even for a few minutes. I feel more secure and determined than ever in the career path I am chasing.
After my briefing, we had a few doctoral students and graduates come in to discuss their experiences with research. It was beneficial to see the a later stage in my life laid out in front of me in terms of these examples. I actually was familiar with one of the guests, a post-doc named Hannah, who leads the workshops that I participate in through the program mentioned above. She performed research in education at the undergraduate level, which is fairly rare in my department that is K-12 focused. Her story helped teach me that like my Master’s program, PhD programs in education are very malleable to your research and interests. I just need to be deliberate about my planning for the education I want.
My second week of graduate school has come to a close. Despite being sick, for the second week in a row, I felt very content with the progress that I’ve made this week. To summarize this week, I’ll just briefly reflect on the things that I’ve read this week.
Academic Reading
What Research District Leaders Find Useful (Penuel, Farrell, Allen, Toyama, Coburn, 2018). This study examined what educational research is used by district leaders and how. The top uses of educational research are: to support district leader’s own professional learning, to provide instructional leadership, to design policies, programs, and initiatives, and to support and monitor implementation efforts. We are currently critiquing this study in small groups during class time.
Marching Forward, Marching in Circles: A History of Problems and Dilemmas in Teacher Preparation (Schneider, 2017). This essay provides a historical account of teacher preparation in the United States. The history is split into four eras: Teaching Unregulated (1800-1860), Early Bureaucracy (1860-1920), Late Bureaucracy (1920-1980), and Resurgent Deregulation (1980 - Present). Throughout the descriptions of the eras, Schneider poses problems and dilemmas of teacher preparation over time. The difference between problems and dilemmas is that problems and be solved, dilemmas can only be managed. For example, a problem in Era I was that standards for teacher preparation were null; this was fixed over time with increasing standards. But the associated dilemma is that we must balance with these standards with teaching remaining an accessible career, lest we are left with a shortage of teachers. Personally, I enjoyed the articles historical methods. It inspired me to start thinking about writing a similar piece to highlight the challenges of classical education in the United States, particularly in the university setting. I have been interested in writing a higher education piece about the state of the humanities Classics for awhile now, and I think this would be a great starting point.
The Case for Self-Care as a Core Practice for Teaching (Peercy, 2019). Peercy highlights the particular challenges of novice ESOL teachers in secondary schools. Their unique struggles include having to work with students that are emotional traumatized, prove themselves and their worth in the school system, and counteract the perceptions of other professionals, which frequently will use ESOL teachers for grunt work. Just coming out of my first year of teaching ESOL in the private sector, this article was particularly interesting to me. It encouraged me to think about the struggles that I had as a novice teacher, namely: a feeling of dispensability as a teacher, a lack of trust and support in staff, and expectations for unpaid administrative work and preparation. I’m curious to how much research has been done on other private sector teachers. In seminar on Thursday, Peercy herself spoke to us via webcam and discussed her research methods, qualitative and inclusive of self-study. The most interesting part of the conversation was that she and the participants “co-generated knowledge” involved in this study. Until the teachers involved in the study started discussing what was happening with other teachers, they didn’t necessarily realize that self-care was what they each were missing to counteract their stress.
I also read Piaget’s Theory of Development and I also have a few extra associated readings that I have not attended to yet. I will likely follow up later on these, but what I will mention now is that I was really challenged by Piaget. I have never read anything in the field of development, psychology, cognition, etc., etc.!
In terms of Greek this week, we translated an adaption of Herodotus. I fervorously studied principal parts and subjunctive forms for yesterday’s quiz...but it ended up just being more Herodotus.
Personal Reading
Empress (Shan Sa). I’m about halfway through this novel. At first I was disinterested by it, but the pace picked up pretty quickly and the dynamics of the Inner Court during the Tang Dynasty became fascinating to me. I’m pretty hooked on it now.
The Academic Self (Donald Eugene Hall). I’ve only read the introduction, but I’m also hooked on this read. So far, it’s just been a commentary on the struggles of life in academia. That’s of course relevant to me, so I’m looking forward to continuing through and posting some reflections every once in awhile.
“Gin, Sex, Malaria, and the Hunt for Academic Prestige” (Charles King). I loved this excerpt from King’s book regarding the adventures of early anthropologists and how their studies influenced not just anthropology, but social science at large. My biggest takeaway from this reading is the length of which an academic’s work is an extension of his or herself. Margaret Mead wrote in a letter: “I’m more than ever convinced that the only logical place for the anthropologist is in the field — most of the time — for the first ten years, or even fifteen years of his anthropological life.” To me, Mead’s use of “logical” indicates urgency, and this reminds me of myself; I have often felt an urgency to needing to be on campus, in classrooms, among library shelves. As anthropologists must be in the field, academics must be in the academy.
I’ve read even more this week, undoubtedly, but I’m content to wrap up here. This weekend, I want to do more than what is expected of me and meet progress towards my goals. For today, I have to complete my Piaget readings, write discussion questions, and hopefully finish two abstracts so I can review them with my advisor and submit them to their respective conferences! I’m so excited!
I didn’t have any expectations for graduate school. Returning to my undergraduate institution, I felt no need for orientations, welcome events, eager connections with peers. My situation is a bit odd, too, as a candidate in the College of Education who has the ultimate goal of pursuing a PhD in Classics. My expectations were null because---I’ll admit now---I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing when I applied, enrolled, fought for funding and won, and finally started my classes this past Monday. But...despite this, despite everything, I made the correct decision. Any expectations that I could have had would have been exceeded to the highest degree.
As a Classicist lost inside an Education program, I was scared to meet with my faculty advisor. What if my research isn’t interesting enough? Relevant enough? Important enough? What if I’m not permitted to continue Greek? Or take classes to my benefit? What if I’m not welcome? Accepted? Liked? Supported? But, immediately upon entering my advisor’s office, I was lauded for my initiative, engaged in about my research interests, and given autonomy over my coursework. I foresaw a dark academy, but was met with only daylight.
My classes this week were not just relevant, but fascinating. If I ever had had to picture a graduate classroom, it would be exactly as these are: long tables with students on either side, facing each other as a means of engagement; hours of intelligent discussion, reflection, idea-sharing, growth; a trusting autonomy of research and projects; professors wearing blazers, suspenders, or t-shirts; the implicit notion that our research is valuable and that we are all working to expand a universal knowledge. I felt it on my very first day: those classrooms are like home; the academy is like home.
I’m currently working on my first big research project, a paper to submit to the upcoming CAMWS conference. I am writing about pedagogy of Classics-in-translation in secondary school classrooms and how graphic novels can be used to engage students of diverse backgrounds and abilities. There is an underlying intention of introducing how we can build equity in English/Language Arts classrooms by the incorporation of different materials. I almost felt overwhelmed by the vast amount of research that I am encountering and considering, but I did not and will not let myself face discouragement. This is, with certainty, the nature of the rest of my life. I am prepared to go forward.
And as I go forward, my intentions and expectations for myself are the following:
Exceed any requirements posed by an instructor, assignment, syllabus
Prepare for each class, discussion, etc. with an open and expansive mindset; be clever
Interact with everyone and everything intentionally, which specifically means not giving attention to things that don’t deserve it (namely: people that I used to know on campus that I bump into, social media---which I’ve cleaned excessively for this purpose, and negative emotions and doubts)
Account for everything in your planning
Be better than I ever was (just like @taylorswift is)
That’s enough for this week’s recap; I hope that I can find time on some posts that will help me reflect on specific classes, articles that I’ve read, ideas and opinions to pose. The weather is perfect right now and I’m sitting outside; so I’m on to a restful, productive day.
