Month: November 2017

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Writing is an intense and vulnerable process that can conjure up feelings from relief to self-doubt, leading one to question: “When will I have time to write this?” “Do I have to share this with someone?” “Will the reader like my ideas?” “Is that sentence perfect enough?”

A few weekends ago I was privileged to witness 30 master’s and doctoral students, currently pursuing degrees in various CEHD programs, publicly commit to achieving short-term writing goals at the CEHD Writer’s Retreat. This was the second time the CEHD Office of Student and Academic Affairs (SAA) hosted a Writer’s Retreat for our graduate students. During this 8-hour retreat, attendees participated in two interactive mini workshops around goal setting and navigating databases and did some extensive writing. The retreat was ideal for students needing accountability, dedicated space, minimized distraction, and assistance from writing consultants to receive feedback on their writing and to help get unstuck.

Writing comes easy for some people, while others struggle to generate written products of high quality. As the saying goes, “the struggle is real.” Although waking up at 6:00am to ensure an arrival on campus by 7:00am and staffing an event until 5:00pm isn’t my ideal way to spend a Saturday, it’s warming, inspiring, and affirming to be in the company of students publicly declaring with their physical and mental presence and words, “I need help.”

Writing is an intense and vulnerable process that can conjure up feelings from relief to self-doubt, leading one to question: “When will I have time to write this?” “Do I have to share this with someone?” “Will the reader like my ideas?” “Is that sentence perfect enough?”

While staffing the Writer’s Retreat check-in, a young lady walked up to the table to find her nametag amongst the sea of nametags and noticed other recognizable names. She expressed with joy, “I’m so happy to see that there are other PhD students who signed up to be here! I thought I was going to be the only one.” In that moment, she reminded me of the courage it took for her and others to fill out the registration form to attend the retreat, to actually show up, and to also sign up to meet with a writing consultant for additional help.

I want you to know that we see you and understand the vulnerability and courage it takes to ask for help, particularly with your writing, from getting started to finding accountability partners and receiving feedback on your product. These recurring thoughts, feelings, and actions are all part of the process of learning, growing, and developing into scholars and professionals.

Here are three tips to reducing writing anxiety:

1. Give yourself permission to be a student. Sometimes we are so focused on presenting ourselves as a scholar who has it all together. Thus, we get stuck on writing the perfect sentence(s), share only what we self-determine as a written “masterpiece” for initial review, and express difficulty in being receptive to any critical feedback. Give yourself permission to spend time in the “lab” being a student: an inquisitive learner and becoming scholar.

2. Accept feedback as a sign of respect. Learning that the masterpiece you’ve written has flaws can crush your spirit. Page after page you see heavy track changes or red ink spewed all over your document. In that moment, you can ignore the feedback, defend your product, or choose to be receptive to the reviewer’s suggestions for improvements. It’s is so easy to write off a reviewer as “out to get you” because they ripped your paper to shreds. However, I would argue that the more feedback you receive the better. It’s not very often that you’ll meet someone who is willing to invest their time, especially if it’s at no charge, in giving you extensive feedback. Critical feedback is necessary to strengthening your scholarship. Find a few good colleagues, mentors, or advisors who are willing to invest in you. Give them your writing projects and let them have at it! You’ll greatly benefit in the end.

3. Keep showing up. We will continue to provide spaces and opportunities, such as the Writer’s Retreat, to aid in your writing process and, more broadly, your scholarly development. We ask that you keep showing up, not just to our retreats but to your own “retreats”. When you’re feeling knocked down, defeated, rejected, incompetent, and/or unmotivated, tap into your inner championand get back up and go back at it one more time. Don’t stop showing up for yourself and the folks who are invested in you!

That’s all for now.

Peace and blessings.

What I learned when I was a college student, and have continued to promote as a student affairs professional, is that fall/Thanksgiving break may not be the most ideal time to “break, break”.

We are all overdue for a much-needed extended break, and, as luck would have it, fall/Thanksgiving break is headed Mason’s way Wednesday, November 22 – Sunday, November 26!

Although I rarely make it home to Louisiana for major holidays or extended breaks, I’m still nostalgic about eating a slice of my play cousin’s famous sweet potato pie; listening to my favorite auntie spill the latest tea on all of the family, church, and neighborhood happenings; and watching daddy sneak away from all the festivities to take a nap in his favorite reclining chair.

The break is also a time to “kick it” with my childhood friends and high school and college classmates as well as binge watch all of my favorite shows that I’ve been neglecting as a result of late nights and early mornings in the office. And did I mention sleep? Oh yes, lots of sleep!

When I break, I break!

However, what I learned when I was a college student, and have continued to promote as a student affairs professional, is that fall/Thanksgiving break may not be the most ideal time to “break, break”. Think about it. When classes resume on Monday, November 27, there will only be two weeks remaining until the last day of classes (December 9). As such, you can’t afford to take advantage of the break in its entirety. You have to stay in the academic zone! Instructors will be ready to go into overdrive to make it through all the chapters in your textbook, and final exams and papers are on the horizon! There simply isn’t enough time to re-acclimate yourself to the depth of your course material and to the educational space, in general, if you decide to “break, break”. You’ve been laser-focused on your academics for the past 13 weeks and to “come up for air” for an extended period of time could easily throw your game off. How you approach the break can determine whether B’s turn into A’s or C’s.

I recommend you be intentional with organizing a schedule for the break in advance. Carve out some time to spend with your family, friends, and bae. They miss you and are deserving of some uninterrupted time! Also, be sure to dedicate some time to connect with yourself and recharge your internal battery through rest and relaxation. But, don’t neglect Ms. Statistics, Mr. Biology, and English bae! School bae will come back to haunt you during the semester wrap-up and finals!

That’s all for now. Enjoy your fall “break” and Happy Thanksgiving!

Peace and blessings.

Twelve College of Education and Human Development students were initiated into the Nu Alpha Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi education honor society on Monday, November 13 at a ceremony in Thompson Hall.  The new members were nominated by faculty as exemplars of scholarship, leadership, and service – the core values of Kappa Delta Pi.

Members were welcomed by Chapter Counselor and Teacher Licensure Specialist, Rebekah Flis. Dean Mark Ginsberg gave the charge to initiates, reminding them of Nelson Mandela’s words, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”  Flis and CEHD Student Engagement Coordinator Brandon Quiles then led the new members in their oath to uphold the society’s values. Each member was presented with a certificate, pin, and Kappa Delta Pi’s distinctive purple and green cords to be worn proudly at commencement.

Kappa Delta Pi is an international organization with an initiated membership of over 1.2 million, stretching back more than a century, with the goals of fostering excellence in education and promoting fellowship among those dedicated to teaching. Mason’s initiates take their places alongside distinguished members including Margaret Mead, Eleanor Roosevelt, James William Fulbright, and Albert Einstein.

The newest members of Mason’s Nu Alpha Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi are:

Maimoona H. Al Abri	PhD, Education Learning Technologies Design Research
Catherine L. Daniel	MS, Educational Psychology  Learning, Cognition, and Motivation
Leticia A. Guzman	PhD, Education Higher Education
Christopher Kidd	MEd, Curriculum and Instruction Early Childhood Education for Diverse Learners
Carla Mowen	MEd, Special Education Early Childhood Special Education
Syed Mustafa Hassan	PhD, Education
Ruth F. Narcisse	MEd, Curriculum and Instruction Literacy Leadership for Diverse Schools: K-12 Reading
Danielle Reese Nixon	MEd, Curriculum and Instruction ASTL Literacy: Reading Specialist
Karen V. Priftis	MEd, Curriculum and Instruction ASTL Literacy: Reading Specialist
Stephanie Reininger	MEd, Curriculum and Instruction Early Childhood Education for Diverse Learners
Wendy Thomas	Graduate Certificate Literacy K-12 Reading Specialist
Boshra F. Zawawi	PhD, Education Learning Technologies Design Research