Time Off
20 July 2022
What do teachers and professors do in our time off? Well it depends on what we’re taking time off from. It’s currently the week before the teaching semester officially starts, but I’ve been preparing for this unofficially for months. What type of preparation do we need to do before a single student shows up to class? Let’s dig a little deeper - a teacher’s day in the life leading up to the start of semester.
Closing the Loop - Conference Diaries Vol III
22 June 2022
I’ve just finished up presenting at my first in-person conference in over two years, and I’ve connected with many amazing teachers and contacts. As I wrap things up on the trip I need to make the most of the fleeting moments of network building and make sure the trip was worth it for my professional development. Travel has a baseline level of stress already so it can be really easy to lose track of every new thing you learnt or any new connections you’ve made. How should you close the loop and solidify all of the progress you made on this work trip after you’ve come home?
Why I Became a Teacher - Conference Diaries Vol II
15 June 2022
There has been a wave of transformation across education to say the least. Our new normal is trying to predict the unpredictable - class sizes, delivery modes, technology, all can change or evaporate overnight. As much as teachers champion life-long learning at university, I don’t think we quite bargained for a life-time of learning condensed into such a short time. With so many things up in the air, it is more important now than ever before to reflect on our origin story in education. What motivated us to become teachers in the first place has to be what keeps us going in this time of uncertainty.
In Transit - Conference Diaries Vol I
9 June 2022
Travel is just opening up again, I recently attended my first in-person conference in over two years. I’ve been to my fair share of conferences, but it’s been a minute and I felt a familiar sense of nerves creeping back in. I’m sure students and ECRs about to attend their first conference have similar sentiments of anxiety, and are a bit tentative about what to make of the whole experience. What should you be aiming to get out of this conference? What I’ve found over the years is that shifting the focus away from my own neuroses towards what I can do for others allows things to click into place. How can you help the conference organisers, your supervisors, or other students on the trip? How does your work allow others to accomplish something meaningful? When you do this consistently, you’d be surprised how much value you get out of the experience for yourself.