Recently, I downloaded from Itunes a speech by Lee Shulman given at Stanford University entitled “Preparing Minds for Chance Favors: The Challenges of Routine and Surprise in Professional Education.” http://castroller.com/Podcasts/WhatsNewAt/950182 Shulman attributes the origin of the word “serendipity” to Horace Walpole, who told a fairy tale about the princes of Seridip. In the story, the king sent his three sons out to learn about the world. According to Walpole, “as their highnesses traveled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of.” Shulman links chance to happy accidents and sagacity to having a prepared mind that recognizes opportunities when presented. I mention this story because it leads directly into my path to and through graduate school as a doctoral candidate.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Doctoral Confessions: Serendipity Embraced
By Suzanne Porath
Recently, I downloaded from Itunes a speech by Lee Shulman given at Stanford University entitled “Preparing Minds for Chance Favors: The Challenges of Routine and Surprise in Professional Education.” http://castroller.com/Podcasts/WhatsNewAt/950182 Shulman attributes the origin of the word “serendipity” to Horace Walpole, who told a fairy tale about the princes of Seridip. In the story, the king sent his three sons out to learn about the world. According to Walpole, “as their highnesses traveled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of.” Shulman links chance to happy accidents and sagacity to having a prepared mind that recognizes opportunities when presented. I mention this story because it leads directly into my path to and through graduate school as a doctoral candidate.
Recently, I downloaded from Itunes a speech by Lee Shulman given at Stanford University entitled “Preparing Minds for Chance Favors: The Challenges of Routine and Surprise in Professional Education.” http://castroller.com/Podcasts/WhatsNewAt/950182 Shulman attributes the origin of the word “serendipity” to Horace Walpole, who told a fairy tale about the princes of Seridip. In the story, the king sent his three sons out to learn about the world. According to Walpole, “as their highnesses traveled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of.” Shulman links chance to happy accidents and sagacity to having a prepared mind that recognizes opportunities when presented. I mention this story because it leads directly into my path to and through graduate school as a doctoral candidate.
It
began with a tearful phone call from my mom that informed me that my dad was
diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. At
the time, I was teaching at an international school in Aruba. It was time to return to the US and without a
job, housing, or clear plan, I ended the school year – anxious yet gleefully anticipating a new
stage in my life. (Just a quick preview,
so you aren't distressed, my dad is still with us and most likely working in
the garden as I write this. He received
both chemo and radiation treatments with a positive attitude and has thrived.)
I had considered completing my PhD in
education while overseas, but the online programs were not designed for
ex-patriots. I knew this was the
opportunity for me to take the time to pursue my degree. Since the goal was to
be near my parents, my choice of graduate school was limited to two
schools. I prepared a solid CV and
statement of purpose, but without the advantage of knowing the campus or
professors, I depended on someone taking a chance on me and accept me as their
doctoral student. Clearly, someone did
take that chance, as I was accepted to UW-Madison in Curriculum and Instruction
and will finish my dissertation in the next year. Throughout this process, though, I've learned
a few lessons about being a PhD student.
Lesson 1 – Be open to possibilities
when they are presented.
Serendipity
came into play again during my first meeting with my adviser just weeks before
classes were to begin. She asked if I
was looking for funding, as the Teaching Assistant who was supervising student
teachers had recently resigned. Having
been a classroom teacher for 12 years, I jumped at the chance. I was fortunately to have that funding for
4.5 years. Even though it was at moments, time-consuming and stressful, I am
grateful for the support and having the opportunity to visit numerous
classrooms and schools. I didn't know I
was supposed to be looking for funding – so this was more chance than being
prepared! Throughout my graduate life, I
worked hard to be prepared, but I also had to be an the lookout for chance opportunities
when they arose. When my initial adviser
left the university, I had to find a new adviser, but through this I found a
supportive group of critical peers and we write and present together.
Lesson 2 – Get in the habit of goal
setting, writing and publishing – it is academia after all!
Having
lived overseas for over 10 years, I thought I was going to weather the culture
shock of returning to the US fairly well, but I wasn't prepared for the culture
shock of academia. Within the first
month I was overwhelmed by the reading and writing and the constant doubt
whether I had the smarts and gumption to complete the degree. When I first reached out for help from
veteran grad students, I was quickly slapped with the statement, “Graduate
school is sink or swim. If you can't
swim, you don't belong here.”
Fortunately, I stumbled on Paul Silvia's book How to Write a Lot: A
Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing and formed my own supportive
writing group. I credit my own survival and positive attitude about academia to
this group. We used positive peer
pressure to set and achieve writing goals, and, along the way, encouraged each
other through the dramas of grad school.
In addition, an article I wrote connected me to my current research
site. Now that I'm a veteran grad
student, I make sure to give the type of support to the new students that I was
looking for. And, I encourage everyone
who will listen to plan and schedule writing sessions with an eye to
publication.
Lesson 3 – Not everything you do needs
to get 100% effort 100% of the time. Prioritize!
In
my program, we have three years of classes before preliminary exams, which tend
to be the literature review for the dissertation, including both methodology
and theoretical framework. My department
tends to be qualitative focused, though more professors are beginning to do
mixed-method work. The guiding
philosophy given to new graduate students is to explore, sift, and then
winnow. What many students, including
myself, struggle with is having the doors flung open to every possibility and
then having to deal with the recognition that you don't and can't know it
all. However, have faith in the process
– as I got nearer to writing my proposal, my own focus become clearer. I can see this struggle in the faces of the
newbies – as they frantically try to thoroughly read every assignment. As a grad student I had to balance supervising,
teaching and my own course work, along with family responsibilities. Jim Burke, my favorite writer and teacher,
encouraged me to “honor your roles” - consciously choosing to prioritize and
make time for those things that matter most, and sometimes that meant accepting
an incomplete on a course until I could devote the time to it.
Lesson 4 – Look forward and backward –
but stay focused on the present.
Five
years ago, I had no idea I would be a doctoral candidate. A year ago, I had no idea I would be
researching in an elementary school. A
month ago, I had no idea I would be teaching 6th grade in the fall
as I finish writing up my dissertation. I am excited to see how my 4 years of
intensive study has changed the way I teach. While I have plans for the future,
I know that chance favors the prepared mind, so I'm staying focused in the
present to enjoy the companionship of friends and family, the excitement of
teaching middle school, and the challenge of
academia.
Suzanne Porath is a dissertator at the University of
Wisconsin – Madison in Curriculum and Instruction, Literacy studies. Her research focus is embedded professional development of teachers through
collaborative reflection. In addition, she is an adjunct faculty member at Concordia University Wisconsin. Having been a classroom teacher for 12 years, Suzanne has returned to the full-time classroom teaching in middle school
humanities. Married to a director of
information technology, her own professional development is infused with
technology through Twitter @LitProfSuz and her blog http://heartofateacher.blogspot.com/ which recounts her classroom days and
grad school meanderings.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Fashion Advice for the Maturing Woman
By Rachel
Matthews Burton
Mature’. Unless associated with a vintage wine, or an aged cheese, we, womankind, do not particularly like the label. Especially when it comes to our clothes. The fashion challenge as we age, is finding clothing that respects that we are not twenty-one anymore, but does not transform us into our Grandmother. So, how do we put together a look that says, “I am not old, I am sophisticated. I am not irrelevant, (even though marketers seem to believe so), I am a professional and modern woman, who has it going on!”.
Spend most of your budget on your blazer, as cheap jackets tend to look, well, cheap. If you can afford one in a few neutral colours, go for it! The next step is to turn these few basics into something fabulous, fashion conscious and sophisticated.
If colour is simply something you can’t get comfortable with, take your inspiration from a woman who is always in the public eye and whose image is under very close scrutiny. Michelle Obama commands respect, dresses with impeccable style, is always on-trend and still manages to ‘look her age’.
Mature’. Unless associated with a vintage wine, or an aged cheese, we, womankind, do not particularly like the label. Especially when it comes to our clothes. The fashion challenge as we age, is finding clothing that respects that we are not twenty-one anymore, but does not transform us into our Grandmother. So, how do we put together a look that says, “I am not old, I am sophisticated. I am not irrelevant, (even though marketers seem to believe so), I am a professional and modern woman, who has it going on!”.
Let us begin with the basics; A neutral
pant, dress, skirt and blazer. ‘Neutral’ meaning a colour that will play well
with others: black, grey, tan, navy. Find a great fit in the basics. Trust and
patience is required here, oh! and
please, go hunting with an open mind. You must throw yourself at the mercy of a
good sales associate and ask for their guidance in finding a shape that works
well for your body. Here are some good examples of basics:
Spend most of your budget on your blazer, as cheap jackets tend to look, well, cheap. If you can afford one in a few neutral colours, go for it! The next step is to turn these few basics into something fabulous, fashion conscious and sophisticated.
Here`s how I suggest you do it: Blouses,
shoes, belts, scarves and shoes that have pattern and, or, colour. (Because nothing
screams drab and `mature` like a navy suit with a white shirt, navy pumps, belt
and matching purse). A punch of colour can give you an instant facelift and
will catapult you into this season. It will also revive boring blazers and
carry you from the office to the weekend, (if you style it the right way).
Images: skirt: thisnext.com. Beige suit: bananarepublic.com.
Images: skirt: thisnext.com. Beige suit: bananarepublic.com.
Just because you work in a corporate
environment doesn`t mean you should wear a uniform of black or grey. Here are some great examples of how to wear colour fabulously:
Images in order of appearance: youlookfab.com. jcrew.com
But, if these brights scare you a little, scale down the colour with a purse or a belt:
Images: where.ca. llbean.com
Images in order of appearance: youlookfab.com. jcrew.com
But, if these brights scare you a little, scale down the colour with a purse or a belt:
Images: where.ca. llbean.com
If colour is simply something you can’t get comfortable with, take your inspiration from a woman who is always in the public eye and whose image is under very close scrutiny. Michelle Obama commands respect, dresses with impeccable style, is always on-trend and still manages to ‘look her age’.
To finish, I`d like you to take a look at
the two looks and decide for yourself which feel `mature` in a good way,
or, in not so good way. When you`re done, ask yourself why. Remember, you are
as old as you feel and you feel the way you think, so think joyfully!
Rachel Matthews Burton was born and raised
in the United Kingdom and Asia, she now calls Canada her home. A mother, wife and business woman, Rachel has
lived her passion as a professional fashion stylist and in her fourteen year
career has become a top-billing veteran of the image-making industry. RMB has
styled models, celebrities and everyday people for magazines, advertising
campaigns and television shows. She has appeared as a style expert on dozens of
television series, a spokesperson for large corporations and has been a guest
writer in several high-profile magazines and online posts. Her ‘Rack to Rack’
fashion workshops have received accolades from local and national press, well
known websites and respected fashion bloggers. Her partial portfolio and TV
reel can be viewed at www.judyinc.com and
more on her workshops can be seen at www.racktorack.com
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
USC Rossier Global Executive Doctor of Education Program
The University of Southern California Rossier School's
Global Executive Ed.D. program prepares senior educational leaders for the
challenging task of improving individual and national educational outcomes.
Learn more about this innovative program by watching this video, and by
visiting them online at http://rossier.usc.edu/academic/global-edd/.
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