Spring Semester 2021

I think this is the longest gap I've ever had between blog posts...for anyone still checking/reading, thanks, and I appreciate you and your patience! The whole calendar year so far has been a blur, but I'll try to get caught up on the major things from the last few months! 

Work

Our semester started early this spring, on January 11, because BGSU cancelled the winter session (which we'd only had for two years, but that was long enough to make it feel light a really tight turn around between semesters!). The week before was full with placement testing and class prep. 

I taught 3 classes: TESOL Methods (remote synchronous, and the first time cross-listed for undergrads and grad students) plus 2 sections of WRIT 1120, a research writing class which I'd only taught once before, about 6 years ago, before a significant curriculum update. These WRIT 1120 sections were online asynchronous, so that meant a lot of planning ahead to be sure the students had what they needed to keep making progress on the work. TESOL Methods is one of my absolute favorite classes to teach, and I tried some new things this year to adjust for the delivery mode that actually worked out pretty well. And the students, as always, were fantastic. I enjoyed the 1120 class as well, though there were times when the grading certainly got overwhelming. I started the semester with the idea that it would be version 1.0 of the class--knowing I just wouldn't have time to do everything I would have liked, and that was wise, because I definitely didn't! But we still met the learning objectives and had a fairly good experience together. The thing I like most about that class is that everything is centered on a big research project/paper, and since I allow the students to choose their own topics (with some guidelines and requirements to follow), there's always a lot of variety. And I learn a lot from them about things that I might never have looked into otherwise! Again, the students did a great job--I was pleasantly surprised by how well they hung in there with me (I'd heard about lots of attrition in the fully online sections, even pre-COVID, so I was very pleased to only have two students in each section drop). Hopefully I can build on what I did this time through to make a new-and-improved version of the class next time I teach it. 

Monday night teaching setup at the kitchen table 

In addition to the teaching, I had 10 hours a week for my T/ESOL program director job (just enough time to do the most important tasks and keep up with email...barely...and no time to spare for anything else!). Plus two committees--one working on a major policy update for the English Department (we came so close, but next year's group will have to pick it up again to get it finalized). 

I continued to work from home all semester, which certainly has pros and cons. I think my ideal work week in the future will be a mix--3-4 days on campus and 1-2 days at home. I've had that sort of schedule before, and I think it's the best of both worlds. (Actually, I should be able to do just that in the fall...if there aren't major schedule changes). 

Also, the TESOL International Convention was held virtually in late March, and I was able to attend with funds from the English Department. I gave a small pre-recorded presentation about basic accessibility features in MS Word (plus a live Q&A with other presenters from the same segment of the program). I tried to attend as many live sessions as I could during the actual dates, but we have access to the site till mid June to view recorded sessions (so far...I've only gone back to one, but I hope to catch at least a few more!). I also coordinated a time for to chat with my ESOL colleagues that week--like we might have done in person if we'd gone to an actual event. It wasn't quite the same, but it was nice to see them outside of regular work meetings!

screenshot of the TESOL President's Keynote

screenshot taken with BGSU colleagues

Finals were the last week of April, so my grades were posted on May 3. Since then, I've had some meetings and admin work, and that'll continue a bit through the summer. I'm transitioning out of the program director role, so my top priorities right now are providing good support for the incoming director and finishing the planning for fall placement testing (which the new director and I will oversee together). I also need to get back to campus one of these days to move out of the program director office so she can move in! I think I've done a respectable job as program director, but I am definitely ready to step away for a bit. Our intention is to have a rotation, so it'll be my turn again in a few years, but it's clear to me that I need a break. And the colleague who is stepping in will do a great job, so I just hope to be as supportive of her as possible in the meantime! 

House Hunting

We decided in the fall that we wanted to buy a house, so that took a lot of our time and energy throughout the winter and spring. It's an extreme seller's market right now, with very limited inventory, but we worked with a great realtor and all of our efforts eventually paid off! We closed on our house on April 30 and moved in shortly after that. I'll write up a couple other posts for anyone who is interested in more details...stay tuned!

Miscellaneous 

Between work and the house hunt, it didn't feel like I had a lot of time or energy for much else. But continued facilitating our every-other-week virtual Common Meal group, so I stayed in touch with those folks pretty well. We're off for the summer, but I'm very hopeful that we'll resume in-person potluck dinners in August--it'll be great to share meals again. 

Another highlight of the spring was getting our COVID vaccines! Mark ended up getting his along with other public school employees (through his work at Delta high school)--first dose in February, second in March. I'd heard from some local acquaintances about the wait list at Rite-Aid pharmacy, which had no eligibility restrictions, and was just used if there were any unclaimed doses at the end of the day. Sure enough, I got a call late afternoon in mid-March and was able to get my 1st dose! I was so overwhelmed by gratitude and excitement that I cried in the car on the way home. :-) As it turns out, eligibility in OH opened up very quickly after that, so most of my friends were getting vaccinated at the big clinics on campus and elsewhere right around the same time. This worked out great, because so many people I know were fully vaccinated right around the end of the semester, and we've all been starting to get together in person again--it's wonderful! Truly, every friend or family member who has gotten the vaccine has been a celebration for me. And though it's been a bit confusing and challenging to figure out how to re-enter the world post-vaccination, I'm just so thrilled to have had access to this powerful tool and see the whole situation in the US really improving. (FWIW, if you have COVID-related questions, Dear Pandemic has become one of my favorite resources--I really appreciate how they give a "just the facts" short answer, an extended explanation, and links to sources on everything they share). 

But for the most part, we were staying pretty close to home this spring, so no big outings to report. Instead, I passed time reading, watching TV/movies, and listening to podcasts. Some favorites: Modern Love, Brooklyn 99, Parks & Rec, Poldark, House Hunters, Fixer Upper, Home Town, This is Us (tv shows); Just Mercy, This Beautiful Fantastic (movies); Runaway Midwife, the Girl Who Wrote in Silk, My Calamity Jane, Friday Night Knitting Club series, Days of Distraction, Out of Sorts: Making Peace with an Evolving Faith (books); and Twenty Thousand Hertz, Next Right Thing, Pantsuit Politics, Curious Cases (podcasts). 

I also loved participating in the Mock Caldecott group hosted by one of the BGSU librarians (I think this was my second year). We were virtual this year, but it worked out great. We even had a guest author/illustrator join us for one of the meetings! And although my favorite book, We Are Water Protectors, didn't end up being the BGSU group's pic, it was the actual award winner! 

screenshot with our guest author/illustrator

We also took lots of walks--outdoors all year round! We continued to enjoy the joke of the day from one of our neighbors (though now that we've moved, we don't walk by there anymore!). By late spring, one of my friends who lives in SV had a new goldendoodle puppy, so we had a great time running into them on walks, too. (Puppies are great when you don't have to live with them!). 

Joke of the Day

some flowering trees--a beautiful sign of spring!

Despite everything I've said here, this semester was also a struggle for me--I've heard it described by others as languishing or hibernating...I've felt both of those things. I was also exhausted, overwhelmed, and emotional a lot of the time. I felt lonely, anxious, unmotivated, and discouraged at various points. Looking back at all the highlights I've compiled above, I'm thinking that sounds like a pretty good life! But the truth is, the last year plus has also been really hard. And it's important, I think, to recognize that complexity--there were wonderful things and terribly difficulty things. Sometimes I responded to what was going on with grace, hope, and optimism. Sometimes I cried, spoke too quickly in anger or frustration, or just plain shut down for a bit. Given all the time spent at home, Mark saw all of the worst of it, and I continue to appreciate his unconditional love and support--I'm so blessed to be his wife. I don't mean to end on a low note here, it just seemed dishonest to paint a rosy picture when the reality was much more complicated. At this moment, though, I am so glad to have finished the semester, gotten fully vaccinated, and actually bought a house! I'm looking forward to spending a summer enjoying things that haven't been available to me for months--starting with lots of reconnecting in-person with friends and family. Even so, I've had some difficulty figuring out how to re-enter the world. But I'm taking it step-by-step. And I feel cautiously hopeful, so much more so than a year ago at this time--that's something to celebrate! 

Well, if you've made it this far, thanks for jumping back in with me. More to come soon!