Coffee and Chocolate Chip Yogurt Novelty
I feel suddenly tired. It was a productive work day, but a lot of paperwork, the kind of thing that makes up most of my official job description, but in reality is the thing that rarely takes up the majority of my day. ...And there was a storm, thunder and lightning, moments of torrential downpours, and yet, now it seems to be clearing off. We were going to try another outdoor dance and music soiree tonight, but called it off incase there was more rain, or the ground was too wet, but I was looking forward to it. I'll have to wait or another day.
I learned a friend of the family is sick yesterday. Not with the virus, but something else and the prognosis is not good. This morning I wrote about her and the push and pull between living in the moment as fully as possible, and the other desire to conserve one's life and live as long as possible. I joked with myself about growing fat with decadence, indulging in the ever present now. And contrasting that with hiding under layers of sunscreen and eating yogurt ice cream novelties. But the reality is that there is always a balance, the dichotomy is rarely so clear, and decadence has consequences as does the spartan frugality of the self preservationist. And now, in the midst of the pandemic, more than ever, we are faced with both of those things where we need and want those things that bring us immediate pleasure, something to make our day special, but we are also thinking about what comes next, hoping we stay healthy, trying to keep the long goal in mind and not succumb to the desire to recklessly socialize, attend political rallies, or go to pool parties in the Ozarks.
I jest, of course. But, we are struggling with those desires and instinctual needs. I was reading a ProPublica story about a CEO who led a double life, and besides the salacious details of such a life, there was the idea of how we will be remembered. On one hand, a long list of achievements and accolades, and on the other, all the indiscretions, all the failures. We are all composed of both, of course. And public figures suffer the travails of the categories we put ourselves in more acutely than others (maybe). But, we also question whether it was worth it? Was the denial of something, the abstinence, worth the lack of consequence? Was the indulgence, and the subsequent repercussions worth it?
One of my reoccurring pandemic lunches is a decadent tortilla chips with guacamole and salsa, topped off with a grapefruit eaten after I'm done with the chips. It is extravagant, I love chips, the saltiness and crunch. And simultaneously, I think of it as healthy. The fresh tomatoes and onions. What is more wholesome seeming than an avocado? And then, afterwards, the grapefruit halved and eaten like a breakfast grapefruit is a refreshing conclusion to the meal that makes one feel clean and bright. If I gauge things right, I consume half a container of avocado, an equal amount of salsa, and a grapefruit. But I feel like I didn't quite get the ratio right today and something didn't sit right. As I've gotten older, my body, and my digestive system in particular has become more sensitive and temperamental. Or maybe, like the other pandemic lunch favorites that have preceded it, maybe I've grown physically weary of the chips, guacamole, salsa, and grapefruit lunch. I hope it is just a temporary setback, a temporary consequence of mis-measured proportions, because that lunch did bring me joy. And it is so easy.
I feel lucky to be on this earth and to know each of you. I hope we get to play music together again, dance, laugh, tell each other stories, and eat decadent ice cream (full strength) together.
Take care, be well, and hug the ones you love,
Leo
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Another funny looking one today.
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From Our Friends:
From Jen Simms:
Join Academics for Black Survival and Wellness:
The Rewind and Remix
Beginning on Saturday, August 1 - Friday, August 21, 2020
A 21-day personal and professional development initiative for non-Black academics to honor the toll of racial trauma on Black people, resist anti-Blackness and white supremacy, and facilitate accountability and collective action. A 21-day space of wellness for Black academics as we prepare for the Fall.
We are rewinding #Academics4BlackLives, sharing the original materials with new participants. We are also remixing it, adding in new content and materials for both the training and wellness tracks to enhance both learning and healing. Our team is working hard to deliver three weeks of empirically-grounded and culturally relevant content (8/1-8/21) that will move us closer to Black liberation. Please explore our website to learn more, sign our call to action, and scroll down to register for the events!
From the Chronicle of Higher Ed:
Jennifer Patrice Sims thinks that books like White Fragility that cover the basics of race and dispel common misunderstandings can be a good place for students to start. But they shouldn’t stop there — those books give students a foundation to take on more advanced ones, especially those by Black writers and other writers of color. You can read Sims’s back-and-forth with other instructors about how best to introduce students to race in this thread.
From Mass Poetry:
Mass Poetry is still accepting applications for our Development Assistant Internship position untilAugust 16th.
The Development Assistant Intern for the Fall 2020 semester (September – December) will support the Executive Director with Mass Poetry’s fundraising efforts. This role has an August start date and has the possibility to extend beyond the Fall 2020 semester.
Full job listing & how to applyFrom the Rural Assembly:
Calling all Rural and Native Youth: Submit to PBS American Portrait
Through our Rural and Native Youth Initiative, we are thrilled to announce a partnership with PBS American Portrait: A National Storytelling Project. PBS American Portrait is an ongoing, evolving initiative that is asking for people all across the country to contribute their experiences and perspectives to create a documentary series that captures the diversity and realities of our country. They need to hear from rural and Native young people! Do you know any rural and Native youth who may be interested in contributing? Find out more at the link below. |
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From Higher Ed Jobs:
Is Liberation a Viable Outcome for Students Who Attend College?
by Dr. Gina Ann Garcia 
In post-secondary education, we place value on academic outcomes such as 4-year and 6-year graduation rates, year-to-year persistence, course completion rates, withdrawal rates, and GPA. However, these outcomes are highly correlated with student-level demographics and experiences such as race, socio-economic status, mother's education level, access to quality K-12 schooling, and racism. Gina Ann Garcia, author of "Becoming Hispanic Serving Institutions: Opportunities for Colleges and Universities," argues that in order to effectively educate and serve minoritized students in college, we must embrace liberation as an outcome. From Code Switch:
Karen Grigsby Bates, senior correspondent: “The documentary John Lewis: Good Trouble was released shortly before Congressman Lewis died. Taking that as a sign from the universe, I sat down and streamed it. Really, it was the perfect counterpoint to these angry, roiling times. The vintage footage reminded us there have been other tumultuous periods in the country’s history, and that good, in the face of tremendous and sometimes breath-taking evil, prevailed. Perhaps it can now, too. That gave me a bit of something Rep. Lewis had in abundance—hope. Also, it included this little snippet of joy, which makes me smile every time I see it.” The film is streaming on several platforms, including Apple TV and Amazon Prime video. From the It Gets Better Project:
Labels help us navigate the world and affirm our identities. For a deep dive into LGBTQ+ terminology, visit our glossary.
From the NYT:
Parents who never before considered home schooling have begun looking into it — especially in combination with a small number of other families, to share the teaching load and let their children interact with others. Some are trying to hire private tutors. One example is a popular new Facebook group called Pandemic Pods and Microschools, created by Lian Chang, a mother in San Francisco. From Pearson:
Ensuring diversity & inclusion in the online classroom
Help students prepare for the 21st-century workplace by ensuring an inclusive environment and supporting tolerance, especially in an online classroom.
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Howl's Caverns
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Today's Online Teaching Tips:
From Magna Online:
Learning from Pandemic Pedagogy: Best Practices for a Quick and Inclusive Transition to Online Teaching
July 28 | 1:00 PM Central | 60 Minutes
For faculty transitioning to online delivery due to pandemic-related university policies who are looking for guidance in good teaching practices in this uncertain environment, this Magna Online Seminar will assist in pedagogy for course conversion as well as help with inclusive practices that might have been overlooked at first. |
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Backward Design: Aligning Outcomes to Activities and Assessments
August 11 | 1:00 PM Central | 60 Minutes
The best courses start with the end in mind. What will students learn or be able to do by the end of this class? This Magna Online Seminar helps you organize your workflow and equips you with the tools to line up your course learning elements with your student learning outcomes. |
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Maximizing Student Engagement with Course Readings
August 18 | 1:00 PM Central | 60 Minutes
Have you ever had difficulty getting students to complete required readings? Is it a challenge to get them to think more critically about the content? This Magna Online Seminar will introduce four methods for increasing your students’ engagement with course readings. Each method will be explored in detail, and all materials will be supplied for you to use these activities with your own classes. |
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Reimagining STEM Education Through a Humanities Lens
September 1 | 1:00 PM Central | 60 Minutes
This Magna Online Seminar is for any educator thinking about how to reintegrate the arts and humanities into STEM education. Participants will be introduced to a phenomenological framework on STEM-inclusive teaching. Explore concrete, evidence-informed strategies to align what students expect from their education with what faculty think; transform the classroom—virtual or in-person—into a sanctuary where all students can explore life; and create a meaning-centered education which is grounded in love of knowledge, beauty, and humanity. |
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Harnessing the Power of Open Pedagogy and Open Syllabi to Promote Student Success
September 10 | 1:00 PM Central | 60 Minutes
Through the use of open pedagogy and open syllabi, instructors can empower students to play a larger role in the development and curation of learning materials for their classes. In this Magna Online Seminar, we will introduce the concepts of open pedagogy and open syllabi and discuss practical ways they have been successfully used in classroom settings with both commercial and open educational resource (OER) materials. |
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From Pearson:
Staying home doesn’t mean going it alone
An online-only environment can feel challenging or intimidating. Explore our tips for helping students get the course support they need while taking online courses.
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