Category: Uncategorized

I am committed to furthering diversity and inclusion in my classroom. My approach is particularly informed by two theories: intersectionality and trauma-informed pedagogy (TIP). I also follow pedagogical practices in writing that minimize the effects of colonization on marginalized people in their work. I strive to create an equitable environment in which we do not discriminate based on culture, gender, race, gender identity, sexual identity, ability, appearance, or religion. We seek to understand each other better to unpack our biases and expand our schemas. 

I create space for all voices in my classroom, but I work to center marginalized voices whenever possible. This means allowing students with intersecting identities of oppression space to discuss their perspectives and experiences as frequently as possible and encouraging research and discussion on and by populations that are under-researched. 

Trauma-Informed Pedagogy provides guidelines for minimizing harm to students who may experience secondary trauma from the study or discussion of traumatic issues, such as violence, family abuse, and childhood sexual abuse. I allow students to use coping mechanisms in the classroom and provide alternative assignments for students who may have first-hand experiences of these and other issues.

Finally, when designing and evaluating writing assignments, I value the ability to think and communicate clearly over replicating the white, privileged norms of grammar and syntax in academic writing. My training in minimal marking practices helps students prioritize communication over perfection, and allows students to develop their thinking while improving their writing. 

More news and stuff.

John Oliver on legal immigration – really good look at our immigration process and how difficult it is, especially from large countries
Hassan Minhaj on coffee shitty research.
Hassan talking to Desi kids and apparently being peak uncle.

Things to calm your brain:

This corgi.
Paul Rudd eating spicy wings while being totally meta (and super immature you’ve been warned).
Birds are weird.
Belated doggo halloween awesomeness

Hidden Brain – Outrage culture on the internet – we discussed this in 347 this week

Sticks and Stones: On the Media – the history of free speech in the US (this is intense but really, really interesting and apropos of our discussions)

Hassan Minhaj testifies before Congress on Student Loans – this is a short clip from the whole testimony. It’s funny but also pretty on the nose.

Breaks from reality:

Otters Chasing a Butterfly

This guy.

Hasan Minhaj testifies in Congress on student loan debt

John Oliver on Legal Immigration

John Oliver on the Filibuster – this has come up in the debates and is way more critical than I realized. Do we end the filibuster or gerrymandering or the electoral college only if it benefits our current party? Or do we end them because they violate the basic ethical norms of society? I’m going with the latter…

More fun with medical bias in the news

And to lower your blood pressure after that crap: Can dogs love cats too much?

Ted Talk: How the way English is taught silences students of color – The idea of NOT grading papers based on ideas grounded in colonialism is taught in an (optional) continuing education course available to UT professors and TAs. It profoundly changed how I teach writing flags. More of us need to take this, and take it in.

NPR: The Economists – an interview with an author on his book on the rise of economists as a social and political power in the US. We discussed briefly in 347. Highly recommended if you want to dig deeper into the conflation of unregulated capitalism with democracy.

Hasan Minhaj on Policing in America – Serious trigger warning here. It is, however, really informative if you’ve ever asked yourself, “How the hell does this keep happening?” when nobody ever gets prosecuted for killing unarmed people of color. Beyond the obvious aspects of systemic racism, there is some really effed up, but mostly hidden structural stuff that protects cops who violate the law to the exclusion of all else. Minhaj does a really good job of unpacking some of it.

On a lighter note:
Lizzo and Cookie Monster

Postpartum Depression: It’s not just for moms

I haven’t written about it much on this blog, but I had really bad Postpartum Depression (PPD) for about 1.5 years after having my daughter. PPD has a significant chemical component, but it’s also behavioral and situational:

1. Your life has changed forever and that throws your self-concept into question, especially if it wasn’t built on being a mother.
2. You are seriously sleep deprived, dehydrated, exhausted, and tired of a tiny person being attached to you in some way all the time.
3. Everyone tells you what to do and how you’re doing it wrong, forever. You are already grappling with the reality that you have no fucking idea what you’re doing and you will be failing, forever.

This is a potent cocktail. But the thing is, there are other times in our lives when we have very similar experiences, minus the hormones. Getting my PhD was one such experience.

I didn’t blog much in between finishing my degree and getting my current job. This is because I was in an increasingly deep depression with a garnish of anxiety. For me, depression is always almost over. Any minute it’s going to lift and I’m going to feel normal again, so I avoid the fact that I’m actually a hot mess and may remain that way for some time. My blog during my PPD is always, it’s getting better! And reading it now I’m like, “Girl, it’s really not. Buckle in.” But when I look at the circumstances surrounding writing my dissertation and getting my PhD, it looks awfully familiar:

1. I was recovering from stress-induced sickness, drug side-effects, and emotional upheaval.
2. I was terrified I wouldn’t be able to get a job and start paying off the massive debt I had accrued and would run my family’s finances into the ground.
3. There was no roadmap for success and I had no experience trying to get work as a qualified PhD.
4. People say stupid shit like, “so you’re going to go to school forever” or “what are you going to do with a PhD in that?” or “Academia is really competitive” (Thanks, Captain Obvious).

So basically, my mental and physical health took a big hit due to crazy high stress, which made me have to take steroids (which are hormones), which further screwed up my mental and physical health. And I was transitioning to a new career/life phase and had no bloody idea what I was doing. Um.

So why am I thinking about this right now? Because many of my graduating students are freaking out about what life is going to be like on the other side, while getting hazed by their elders for not knowing what they can’t possibly know yet. I’ve found myself giving them very similar advice to what I was given a lifetime ago about post-performance letdown. We get all amped up for this one big moment, and then (if you’re a singer) you go eat a big meal, drink a bunch of wine, and fall facedown in your bed and wake up the next day wondering why everything is awful. I had a shrink who was a musician, and he said we need to be as deliberate and gentle with ourselves after a big event as we are before.

I do not always take this advice, but I dispense it freely and try to remember it when I’m facing the end of a cycle. So students, if you are graduating have fun, celebrate, and then remember to work some extra self care into your routine after the excitement is over, because that is when shit often gets real. Take naps. Go running. Anything to compensate for the endorphin crash. Post graduation I ended up working out almost every day because I could literally burn off my anxiety that way. Netflix binges are totally cool, but make sure you are doing something that keeps your body running optimally because that will help your mind. I also ended up increasing my medication, and decreasing it after things leveled out. This is totally okay.

While using PPD as a diagnosis for post-graduation yuck is technically incorrect, it works symbolically. You have essentially birthed a new version of yourself. That self is insecure, unsure, excited, and exhausted. So set up some mechanisms and safety checks now so you can check in with yourself later and evaluate how you are doing. Life change is hard, and some people can be dicks when you are feeling vulnerable and worn out. Take care of yourself and don’t let the assholes get you down.