Three Things Thursday: Teaching, Writing, and Reading

The semester is almost upon us and I’m not nearly as prepared for next week as I’d like to be. I wish I were more on top of my teaching, had more research traction, and found a bit more reading discipline, but that I’m sure will come along as the semester finds its rhythm. 

For this semester I have three priorities.

Thing the First

I want to do more to activate in class discussion especially in my survey classes. For many years, I’ve more or less relied on students to generate their own momentum during group discussions. I’ve stressed that they need to self-organize, figure out how to work together, and talk to and learn from each other. In general, this has worked. 

Lately, however, it has stumbled a bit. I wonder whether the “COVID Generation” students are a bit less confident among their peers. Perhaps I’ve become a bit more lazy in the classroom and less inclined to float about and engage with whatever is going on. I’ve also blamed the spaces where our classes meet as being difficult for discussions because they are really designed for lectures. 

This semester, I’m going to be not only more active in stirring the pot in the classroom to try to get my discussion groups more actively engaged in their work while still trying to avoid being that weird lurking professor dude.

Thing the Second

I’m going to get back to writing this month. I want to finish a draft of the Work Force Housing book this semester and submit it for review. I also have a bunch of smaller odds and ends to complete (including a peer review of a manuscript and a book review). Here’s a rough draft of the photographs and interviews to be included in the book. You can trace some of the book’s themes through the blog posts here. 

I will also need to find time on the long gestating collaborative projects such as finishing PKAP2 and the first volume of the new Polis series. These projects will involve me being patient and giving others the time and grace to do their parts.

I need to find time to write this semester despite having a five-day-a-week teaching schedule for the first time in years. This will require a level of discipline that I’ve struggled to achieve. 

Thing the Third

Over the last few years, I’ve started to sacrifice some of my reading time for other tasks. There is always something that I need to grade, to write, and to process. This semester when time will be a bit more precious will require me to be that much more disciplined with my reading time. My stack of books that I should read, want to read, and really could benefit from reading is getting pretty tall. I need to get back at it.