Reinforcements Arrive!

My parents arrived on Friday, September 23rd! It’s been just over a week and I’ve gotten more work done than I did all summer. My son is absolutely head-over-heels in love with his grandparents and I’m convinced he thinks they are his very best friends. With the extra help I’ve been able to make great progress on my Critical Race Theory exam list.

Basically, as a 3rd year phd student I’m required to read a corpus of books/articles in 3 areas I’m interested in. I have 2 minors (approximately 25 books each) and 1 major (approximately 50 books). Once I’m done reading I’ll take 3 written tests and 1 oral exam. The process is rigorous but so far the reading has been rewarding. My 3 research areas are critical race theory (a field born out of legal studies), assessment (concentrating on assessing student work), and my major focuses on the history of Composition (specifically how it shapes writing teacher education). Each of these areas will eventually help me better understand how race and/or social location (race, gender, ability, sexuality, etc) affect student perceptions of teachers and teachers perceptions of students.

Each day I wake up thankful that I have my son, my husband, and all my friends and family. I’m thankful that I have the opportunity to study, research, and write about things that matter to me and will positively effect the world we live in. It can be overwhelming and frustrating at times, but when I get particularly anxious I try and remember that above all I am fortunate.