Category Archives: schools

Back to school and a new normal….

Posted on August 30, 2017 by rglw

School starts today. Maybe in your neck of the woods, you have a few precious days to squeeze out of summer vacation. Ours ends now. And it comes just in time because we’re all losing our minds. Camp is long … Continue reading →

Posted in everyday life, family, kids, lessons learned, parenthood, personal, schools, students, summer, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Soliloquy on the occasion of one’s second rodeo

Posted on August 31, 2016 by rglw

My little muffin, This day is finally here. You are about to enter kindergarten. And while you have watched your older sister learn the ins and outs of the school, while you have already mastered the big kid monkey bars and … Continue reading →

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When first days and last days collide: back to school

Posted on September 4, 2014 by rglw

Summer is over and no matter how hard I try to conjure up corn on the cob, swimming with my littles, picking berries, lazy post-dinner walks, or getting some sun, those last days are fading. Every last bit of everything has … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, blogging, everyday life, higher education, lessons learned, personal, schools, summer, teaching, what professors do, work, writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

What I want to tell my daughter on her first day of school

Posted on August 28, 2014 by rglw

Baby-girl, You have no idea what’s about to happen. Well, maybe you do. People have been grilling you about your level of enthusiasm over this transition for months, asking you at every opportunity, “Are you going to Kindergarten? Are you … Continue reading →

Posted in everyday life, family, kids, lessons learned, motherhood, parenthood, personal, schools, students | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Students are people, too: When you’re the professor and the therapist and the career counselor…

Posted on February 12, 2014 by rglw

Towards the end of last semester, a blog that I follow featured an essay entitled “I’m Your Professor Not Your Therapist.” In it, the author described feeling helpless and unprepared for dealing with students in crisis. The only advice offered … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, grad school, higher education, schools, students, teaching, work | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Taking your own professional advice is tough: on teaching

Posted on January 13, 2014 by rglw

This isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve prepped plenty of new classes. Every time I do, though, I go through the same exercise. Where to start, what to include, what to exclude, how to structure the semester…. My desk starts to … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, education reform, higher education, lessons learned, procrastinating, productivity, schools, teaching, work | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s not easy being a sociologist, so just don’t talk shop with your dental hygienist

Posted on September 18, 2013 by rglw

It is tough enough having your actual profession confused daily by every person you encounter. If I had a dollar for every time someone confused sociology and social work, I’d have quite a few dollars (but not enough to quit … Continue reading →

Posted in education reform, kids, parenthood, personal, politics, race, schools, social class, work | 1 Comment

Unfounded parenting guilt on the first day of school

Posted on August 29, 2013 by rglw

In my four years as a parent, I have not found one person who thought that they had it together all of the time.  I have met some folks who project a put-together image and I have met some folks who … Continue reading →

Posted in family, kids, lessons learned, motherhood, parenthood, personal, schools, summer, Uncategorized, vacation, work | 3 Comments

The calm before the storm: on course prep and a reality check

Posted on August 21, 2013 by rglw

I need to get over myself. I am doing exactly what I have done for semesters now: I am over prepping my courses. I’m paralyzed thinking about updating the syllabus for a course I’ve already taught because I know it … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, higher education, lessons learned, reading, schools, students, teaching, work, writing | 1 Comment

We were on a break!

Posted on January 7, 2013 by rglw

Academic breaks are an awkward time for us scholars. With only 15 weeks in the classroom every semester, there is little time to escape, little chance for a “vacation” day. Academic breaks are a time to recharge and to play … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, higher education, holidays, schools, work, writing | 3 Comments