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Happy Lazy Labor Day!

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Today is Labor Day, and both my husband and daughter are working. It seems weird being the only one with the day off.

I did sleep in, but once breakfast and my devotional time was over, I did have to send out an invoice. But afterwards I decided not to do any work today. I just didn’t realize how difficult that would be.

First, I had to check my work email. I started to respond to one, then remembered, “Oh yes, it’s Labor Day. I’m not working today. This can wait until tomorrow.” Yet I found it incredibly difficult not to hit “reply” and type up my response.

Next, I checked the email I use for job applications. There weren’t any openings that interested me, so I was able to restrain myself from checking the various job boards.

Usually, I would be online all morning, answering emails, grading homework, and planning for my next class session. But yesterday I woke up with a scratchy throat and decided I’d better take advantage of the time off to rest, rejuvenate and restore my health.

So, what did I do after church yesterday? I went to two groceries to pick up a rotisserie chicken and some lemons. I did get a quick nap after, but still cooked supper.

Why is it so hard for us to stop working? We are not our jobs. We are so much more than that. We deserve time off to recharge without feeling guilty.

So, if you’re, like me, feeling like you can’t take any time off, do it anyway. You have my permission! 🙂 Try hard not to do anything you “have” to do — no work-related emails, calls, or typing. See how you feel afterwards.

Let me know how it went for you in the comments section below. I’ll be here, forcing myself not to work, and cheering you on!

Libraries – Who Needs Them?

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Every time I hear someone say we don’t need libraries anymore, my blood boils. I was a librarian for 20 years and absolutely loved my job. I know just how many services libraries, and librarians, provide.

As a college professor, I always find myself with my students in the library at least once a week. Our college’s librarian is wonderful at providing assistance, but with so many students and only one librarian, I never mind helping out. I love showing them how to use one of the library’s databases, search for the perfect article, or even use the copier.

Teaching online I didn’t expect to do as much library work, but I was very pleasantly surprised at the reality. Online classes have many students and many of them are hesitant to contact the college’s librarian. Of course, I always encourage them to make use of the many amazing services the wonderful college librarians provide. And I am always amazed at just how quickly the librarians respond to my emails or chat messages.

I love creating fun videos to show my students how to access the library’s databases and find the perfect sources for their research papers. And I never mind working one-on-one with them either, as we meet in the class zoom room and peruse the library’s databases together.

As a professor, I have access to my college’s databases and amazing librarians. But I still use my local public library for many things. I love checking out actual physical books as well as eBooks. But I also make use of their databases and online streaming services, as well as the reference services they still provide in person, online and even by phone.

Whenever I visit the public library, I’m always pleasantly surprised to see how busy it is. There are children listening intently to story hour, pages shelving, clerks checking items out, reference librarians answering questions, avid readers perusing the stacks, and countless people making use of the computer terminals to search for jobs, take courses, or conduct research.

So, the next time you hear someone say we don’t need libraries or librarians, remind them we all do.

A Different Perspective

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I love walking my dog. We travel to different nearby parks and enjoy exploring them together. At the end of November, however, I was walking him and stepped in a hole. I went down like an axed redwood and ended up with a fractured right fibula.

So now I’m in a boot cast and using crutches. I work from home, so I didn’t think this would have much of an effect on my work life.

Was I wrong! I’ve managed to do my job to my usual exacting standards, but it definitely requires some accommodations. Just getting my lapdesk out of my office closet takes planning. I must get up, put on my boot, put on the one shoe I have that is the same height as my boot cast, get my crutches, work my way into that room, open my door, and then somehow manage to carry the lapdesk to my bed. No problem.

But then when I must teach, I need my lap desk, my headset, my camera, relevant textbooks, my notebook, my pen, and my USB extension plugin. Since I could only carry one of these items at the time, it took me much longer than normal to set up for my classes.

I did figure out I could use a tote bag for some items and carry more at the time. And my husband and daughter were eager to help whenever I asked. I just didn’t like asking them for help.

So what’s the point of this post? As teachers, we need to remember two things:

  1. Some students may require a bit more time for an assignment than others.

When an assignment is due, give students who are late a grace period if possible. Even better, talk to them and find out what is going on in their world. It can be difficult to get your assignments in when your little one is in the hospital, you’re working double shifts, or one of your elderly parents is ill.

Other students may have difficulty using the online LMS. When that happens, consider allowing students to email their work to you. You can then post it for them. I’ve also made short videos showing them just how to submit their work and texted the videos to them.

2. Students may be afraid to ask for help.

Rather than waiting for a student to ask you for help, when you notice they haven’t participated in your course for a few days, reach out to them. Call or text them to let them know you’re concerned.

My students respond well to texts that say something like “How’s it going?” or “Is everything okay?” When you keep it simple, they feel less attacked and are more likely to talk with you and let you know why they haven’t submitted their work.

Building relationships, especially in online courses, brings a human element to your class and makes your students much more likely to be successful.

No Excuses

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Recently I had a student who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in the third week of class. I was heartbroken for them. I pondered what I would do in that situation and imagined I would quit school and focus on my illness and family.

But this student did not quit. They decided that if they had four years, they were going to get their degree in three years. Giving up was not an option for them.

The doctors recommended starting treatment immediately. The chemotherapy made this student so sick they were hospitalized. I called and texted but didn’t hear from them for a couple of weeks. I was afraid they had gotten worse.

Finally, after two weeks I saw the student’s name on my caller ID, and eagerly answered. Their hands and feet had swollen from the chemotherapy, making it impossible for them to type.

So, what did this amazing student do? They put a pen in their mouth and used it as a stylus to tap the keys on their phone and laptop.

I was (for probably the first time in my life) dumbstruck. And ashamed of the times I’d given up too easily because I had a mild headache or was tired. I decided I would never do that again. That whenever I felt like quitting, I’d remember this student and keep on moving forward. If they could keep going with a terminal diagnosis and horrible side effects from the treatment, there would be no excuses for me.

Best of all, this student successfully completed the class and is continuing to pursue their degree. It was an honor and privilege to be their professor.

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I don’t need no grammar help! ;)

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When I started working at my last position, one of my trainers recommended we install the Grammarly app. As an English major and experienced English professor, I thought, “Why should I use grammarly? I can proofread my own work just fine.”

A few days later, however, everything else this wonderful trainer had shared with me proved so beneficial I decided to give Grammarly a try. After all, it was free. What did I have to lose?

It only took one day of using Grammarly to become absolutely impressed. I loved how it made suggestions not only for grammatical errors but for other issues such as clarity and coherience. I also enjoyed seeing this app pop up on my online classroom posts and even my social media jottings.

I’ve been recommending it to all of my students ever since. I mentioned it recently to a new ESL class and found many were already using this great app.

When you are the writer, it is incredibly easy to overlook simple grammatical mistakes because your brain automatically fills them in for you. Grammarly takes care of that issue for you.

I was also impressed that, unlike the editor built into the word processing software I use, Grammarly caught word usage errors – such as using “red” for “read”.

And yes, I know that there is a grammatical error in the title – got your attention, didn’t it? And yes, my Grammarly app did catch the mistake.

If you haven’t tried Grammarly, give it a shot and let me know what you think in the comments section below. And if you have tried it, feel free to share what you like about this amazing tool.

My Teaching Philosophy

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As a teacher, I am not the “sage on the stage”. Rather, I see myself as a facilitator, there to help my students discover how they learn best and use that knowledge to process the material they need from my course to be successful in college, in their careers, and in their lives.

     Learning should be joyful; my engaging and enthusiastic teaching style translates well to the online classroom and reaches students who may not have had the best classroom experiences.

     I genuinely enjoy getting to know my students.  I feel honored and humbled to be a part of their life-changing decision to obtain an education. 

     At a recent position I had a student who was always a few minutes late for my class.  After checking with her advisor, I found out she was homeless and living in a shelter.  Every day before class she had to ride the bus to work, work all day, ride the bus back to the shelter to grab her class materials, and then take the bus back to my class.

     While she was usually late due to the buses, she was always well-prepared and added tremendously to our discussions.  After class she went to the campus library and worked until the library closed.  She then caught the last bus back to the shelter, only to do the very same thing the next day. 

      A few weeks into my class she walked in one night on time, with a huge smile on her face.  When I greeted her, she shared that she had saved up enough money from her job to buy her first car.  I was so excited and happy for her! The entire class went out to the parking lot to see her new vehicle and congratulate her.

     She continued being a vital part of the class and received a well-earned “A” at the end.  But even better, she found an apartment and went on to finish her degree and obtain a better job.  Students like her are why I teach. 

A Taste of My Own Medicine

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The Picky Professor

The Picky Professor

This weekend I spent a few hours creating a Powerpoint for Sunday’s church service.  After finishing it, I emailed it to the music director and the graphic artist who usually creates the shows.  The music director suggested a couple of very simple changes.  The graphic artist suggested five.  I made the changes before church, saved the powerpoint to the flash drive, and went to church.

Before Sunday school started I hurried to the sanctuary to load the presentation on the computer used for services.  I quickly loaded it and added a missing slide.  Woo Hoo – time for Sunday school!  I love my class; I always receive so much love and inspiration from my fellow attendees.

Then the graphic artist (who is absolutely amazing, by the way) came in and wanted to show me some more changes I needed to make.  “Oh, I fixed those this morning before I left,” I proudly stated. . .only to find out there were MORE mistakes.  I was mortified, but willingly agreed to work with her to fix them.

The changes seemed minor to me – replacing hard returns with soft returns, a little spacing, changing a title to all caps, etc.  They all seemed very finicky to me. Nevertheless, when I viewed the Powerpoint afterwards, I was absolutely amazed at the differences those changes made.

I admit I didn’t really like having to do so many corrections–I am an excellent powerpoint creator AND an English professor.  It was humbling to sit in the chair and have someone else point out flaws and showed me how to fix them.  Even worse, by the time I was finished,  I’d missed my Sunday school class.

Then it hit me; this must be how MY students feel when I sit down with them and edit their essays!  While I have a very warm, caring personality, I am also extremely particular when it comes to good academic writing.  My goal is to make my students the very best college writers they can possibly be.

God had sent me a wonderful reminder of what it was like on the other side of the desk.  Our graphic artist is very warm and kind in all of her suggestions.  It never hurts to remember how vulnerable constructive criticism can make my students feel.  Here’s to giving my students positive, loving criticism on their work in the new year!

No Man is a Study Island

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First, my apologies to my favorite poet, John Donne.  I couldn’t resist.

My current employer is using a program called Study Island for FCAT preparation.  Computerized programs?  Ugh.  Not another one.

But that was BEFORE I used the program.  I’m impressed.  Study Island is easy to use for both teachers and students.  There are activities and games and quizzes for all of the standards in your particular state.  My favorite part, however, are the lesson plans.  I don’t know who actually writes them, but they are so creative and entertaining.  The students really like them AND learn well from them.

Not only do they have these lesson plans, they also have supplemental printed materials and powerpoints.  And it looks like they’re going to be added videos and other resources soon.

I love coming up with new ways to teach the same old things.  I use videos, props, powerpoints, even food to get my point across.  (Food works especially well with all ages.)  Study Island is a great tool I’ve added to my toolbox.  Check it out for yourself at:

http://www.studyisland.com/

Tell ’em I sent you; maybe they’ll offer me a job if I get people interested in their product!

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FCAT: I like it! I really like it!

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One Room Schoolhoue - Franklin County, Kansas

Two weeks until FCAT testing begins.

I’ve always been a free spirit.  While I saw tests as puzzles to challenge my brain, I knew that many others disliked testing to the point of phobia.  Naturally,  I was constitutionally opposed to FCAT testing.  Yet when my team leader gave me the administrator’s handbook, I was enthralled.  I sat and read it cover to cover, like a bestseller.

Although I’ve proctored the SAT and other standardized tests, this will be my first time proctoring the FCAT.  I wasn’t looking forward to it.  But after reading the manual, I found, to my surprise, that I was quite intrigued, even turned on, by all the testing procedures, task lists, security measures, and scripts.  My creative brain admired the neatness, the organization, and the lack of surprises.  Every eventuality seemed to be provided for.

I like the quiet during standardized testing.  That’s the only time I get to hear the “sound of silence”, with apologies to Simon and Garfunkel.  I like the freshly sharpened pencils, sealed test books, and bubbled in answer sheets.  My view of composition and language arts are never this straightforward and easily categorized.  But I have found during my career that I like test results – they show me if I’m doing my job.  I love being able to quantify the learning I see happening with solid physical data.

I’ve also read up on some of the question design – what is required for writing questions for each standard.  When I’m not actually teaching in public schools I wouldn’t mind giving test writing a try.  You just know the editors of the testing materials sit around a table arguing over every word, punctuation mark, font, etc.  I like the detail that goes into creating standardized test materials.

Of course, I won’t be able to read a single word of the FCAT tests.  Teachers aren’t allowed to do so.  But I’ll definitely enjoy the reports for the county schools when they are released.  For an English major with major math anxiety, I can really get into those statistics.

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Introduction

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Louise C. Leonard, The Redheaded Professor

Welcome to my blog.  I’m Louise C. Leonard, aka the Redheaded Professor.  I’ll be writing about teaching English Composition, Developmental Reading, Basic English and Literature at the college level.

I love using instructional technology in my classroom.  I’m also constantly looking for new pedagogies to best meet the need of my students.  Best of all, however, I love being a part of my students’ journeys.  It’s an honor and a privilege to be a part of that.

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