In less than 30 days, I will begin the comprehensive exam process--an open-note, at-home version that gives me one week with each question. That means for five weeks, I'll be eyes-deep in urban geography, political ecology, and pastoralism in America. The timeline took me a bit by surprise; I'd been anticipating a February start date. Instead, I'll begin just a week after the semester recommences and wrap up with time to spare before spring break--a break I fully intend to give myself for the first time ever.
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I wrote about my feelings on the Paris terrorist attacks--odd phrasing. Feelings toward terrorist attacks are always awful. There's nothing unique about feeling pain & anger. But this struck unexpectedly close to my heart, as my former students were directly affected. I wonder if any teacher these days will escape this concern for their students--whether the attack happens in the classroom (a fear that lingers at the periphery each time my husband heads to work) or while we each go about our lives. I wonder, too, who we can use our position as compassionate authority figures to help them through this time--encouraging them to talk to a counselor & urging them to resist generalizations about people based on radicals that cause tragedy. How do I walk back into my American classroom on Tuesday and do each of my students--past & present--justice?
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My baby is now a month old, & we are seven weeks into the semester. This week, I returned to class. Next week, I return to my part-time job (for part of that part-time, doing most of the hours from home). The week after that, I start teaching my Community Gardens & Community Orchard special topics class. Two days ago, I mailed a check to the Association of American Geographers to renew my membership. This morning, I got an e-mail notifying me that registration for the Dimensions of Political Ecology conference at the University of Kentucky is open. I sat at my desk, surrounded by the piles of books for my comprehensive exams. My color-coding materials--sticky tags, Post It notes, highlighters, note cards--are scattered as I read Vasishth and Sloane's "Returning to ecology: An ecosystem approach to understanding the city." My baby is sleeping in a bassinet next to me.
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