Hi everyone, and happy Monday!
First, my apologies for today’s announcement coming out slightly later than expected … I had technical difficulties this morning, but thankfully it’s all been sorted out!
Second, thanks to all who submitted their Unit 3 final drafts by the deadline last night. I was excited to see them all roll in, and am especially enjoying checking out your new genre compositions!
Third, we’re in the serious home stretch of the semester now, with just a few weeks left. This week launches our final unit (Unit 4), which takes a holistic approach to the work we’ve done together this semester. It also prioritizes deep and meaningful revision & reflection.
We kick off this week with some new readings and resources on revision, as well as a review of work we’ve done in that area all that semester. On Wednesday, we’ll do a deep-dive into Unit 4 and begin drafting work for that final project. Links to the Unit 4 assignment, writing workshop, and draft will go live on Wednesday.
As always, I’m available to provide additional support to you on this final project. Comment below with any questions, or send me an email.
Please note that, in addition to my regular weekly Office Hours on Thursday (12/8) 11:30am-12:30pm, I’m offering a pop-up office hour this week on Wednesday, (12/7) 3:00-4:00pm. Feel free to come by either day (or both days!) to discuss your Unit 4 plans, revisions of previous work, or anything else related to your work in the course.
I welcome (and strongly encourage) everyone, as always, to come conference with me in my Office Hours. We can cover so much ground in just a few minutes there, and it’s always a joy to connect with you all individually and to discuss your writing.
And speaking of joy …
It was so very lovely to see your “joy” comments from last week — thank you for sharing!
As I mentioned last week, I know that this time of the year (and semester) can be quite difficult: feelings of stress, burnout, & overwhelm all creep in. In times like these, it’s crucial to take care of ourselves so that we can stay healthy, grounded, and happy. Let’s get ahead of things by sharing tips for self-care with this week’s low-stakes discussion.
Do you practice self-care? If so, what are your self-care routines? What is one new thing you’d like to try to promote your self-care? When can you incorporate this new self-care practice this week? (make sure you choose something that’s do-able, since next week you’re going to report back on what you did & how it went)
As always, everyone should comment at least once, by EOD (end of day) today, Monday, 12/5.
Thanks all, and have a wonderful week 🙂
Hello, well this weekend I was able to sleep on Saturday almost all day and yesterday I couldn’t sleep, lol. But I am grateful I am alive!!! Because I can’t go to the gym I started to work out for 15 minutes before I get ready to go to work, I had been doing it for about a month now and I lost 8 pounds, a little slow but I can’t ask for more with so little effort, my goal is to loose 12 more pounds. Hopefully when the semester finish, will get into a real routine.
For self-care, I think of washing my hair. Having a nice clean scalp feels amazing. I have curly hair so I can’t wash my hair more than once a week because it gets dry and frizzy. So after the end of the week, I get to wash my hair. Sometimes I get to use a hair mask(which I only use every 2-3 weeks because using too much of something isn’t always good) and it makes my hair so curly and defined. It also smells really good, lol. I don’t know, what it is but every time I wash my hair it puts me in a good mood, my head feels light and free. Maybe I can try making my own hair mask. I’ve seen a lot of youtube videos using aloe vera and avocado, maybe I can try that.
I have been going to the gym for self care. It’s a good way to get the body moving and the blood pumping. I’m aiming to go the gym 3 times this week.
I don’t really do self care but when I do I usually do facials, get my nails done , listen to music.I’d like to try breathing techniques it helps with being in this peaceful like mindset .Most likely I’ll have time Wednesday afternoon to do this new self care plan.
For self-care, I try to stay home and just relax, I would lift weights, play video games or just watch shows. Since I feel school and work are more mentally tiring than anything else. Recently I haven’t been able to get a day off for the last month, since on my day off from work I go to school, and if school is closed I would be back at work.
self care for me means staying home and watching my favorite Netflix show with snacks. every week I do try to give myself at least one day of self care, I think its important to “recharge”. I know this month will feel overwhelming but I like to remind my self that its only temporary.
Thanks everyone for sharing these thoughts on self-care. Loving learning about what you do to prioritize your own well-being. I know it can seem difficult to find the time to offer care to yourself when we’re all already always stretched so thin, but even small tweaks to our daily routines can make a huge impact (both in the moment & over time, as they accumulate). Something I learned years ago and that has been hugely impactful on me is that, when you’re feeling flooded with emotions (stressed, fearful, anxious, angry), pausing and taking five deep, intentional breaths allows a calming and a reset. It’s hard to remember to do it sometimes in the moment, but it really does make a huge difference. I encourage you all to give it a try sometime, especially when you turn to your writing (which, as we know, can bring up all-the-feelz!).
*Also, my apologies for the fact that the announcement post came through yesterday with duplicate content. Not sure what happened, but it should be fixed now. Thanks for your patience!
Self care to me means that I have a good night rest of sleep and that my sleep schedule is in check. Right now my sleep schedule is all over the place but I usually like getting at least 10 hours of sleep. My sleep schedule is kind of all over the place because of work, school, and personal reasons but I am currently trying to fix it.
Self care to me means having fun, I often feel the need to have free time to go out, I like going to places where I can do physical activities like ice skating, batting cages, softball practice, basketball courts. It is important for me to always stay active so that I can balance school and life.
For self care all I do is just watch whatever that is interesting and not move much. I want to try meditation , meditation is focusing your mind spend time time with it. Can probably meditate during the morning.
Good morning Professor, do we have the link for tomorrow’s assignment?
Hi Indira, thanks for checking in. Yes, links are on the Schedule page.
Hi everyone, and happy Thursday! A few friendly reminders:
Thanks.