Teenster

I just finished up the first two weeks of classes for my 19th year of teaching. Things are going fairly well (knock on wood); even with teaching eight classes and having a very busy Tuesday/Thursday schedule, I’m feeling pretty good about the rest of the semester. I was a bit skeptical going into this school year, as I’ve seen some pretty big changes in students (incoming students to college) and…

SINK stands for single income, no kids. I’ve noticed that there has been some negative dialogue about this group of people, especially as we get closer to the election. Some call us lonely cat ladies or they may claim that we shouldn’t have a political voice because we don’t have kids. Well, here is my perspective… as a SINK. It’s wrong to assume that SINKs don’t like kids and are not willing to…

While this post will sound wildly similar to What you Need to Know About Gen Z, there are a few differences. Since I am a college professor, I have the pleasure of working with many students who are new to college. One’s first year of college (especially the first semester) can be a challenge that many struggle with. Some students want an experience that mirrors what they had in high school,…

This is probably be the last part of this series because I don’t have any more questions on my list. Though, if someone out there has a question, just ask! The last three are questions that students usually ask me in the “Ask Me Anything” activity at the end of the semester for my TCH class. I’ve also gotten these questions “out in the wild” as well. This is probably because my journey to where…

Each semester in my TCH 216 class (a class where students participate in a clinical where they get to teach high school students), I do an activity where I let the students as me whatever they want… about teaching. I close the door and I’m super honest with them. Though, if they were to ask me something during the rest of the semester, I’d be honest with them then as well. Though at the end of…

One thing I love about this time of year is listening or reading transcripts of commencement speeches. I also teach public speaking and communication, so it tracks. With a lot of focus being drawn to specific commencement speeches this year, I thought, because I am highly qualified, I’d give a few tips on how to write an appropriate commencement speech. First, understand and consider your…

I’ve already answered one question about camp (why did you leave camp?), though there are a few camp questions I’ve gotten in addition that I’ll address here… since camp will be starting in a few short weeks! If given the chance, would you go back to camp? Why or why not?This is a tough one, because some days are a yes and some days are a no. In fact, last summer I applied to a few camps. Sadly…

Happy Missouri Valley Conference tournament week! I’ll be announcing 11 softball games in 4 days starting on Wednesday. So, in honor of that, here are four announcing questions I get. How can I see you when you’re announcing? I turn the game on ESPN+, but you’re not announcing, it’s some guy. Ahh yes, some guy. Anyway, I do public address announcing. That’s the announcing that’s done on the…

Three seemingly random questions for the next installment of frequently asked questions. Why did you leave camp? Do you miss it?Ah yes, a question that has come up a few times this past month. From who you ask? Well, I’m not going to disclose that, but it’s come up enough that I’m addressing it here. I did post a series about my 17 summers working at camps a few years ago. That answered most of…

I’ve been teaching at the college level since 2016, and one thing that has been the same the entire time is that the spring semester is far less superior to the fall semester. There was a little bit of that while teaching high school, but it’s much worse at the college level. It’s almost as if all students, it doesn’t matter if they are in their first year of college or last year of college, have…

As a college instructor, I often get random questions from students because they are early in the planning stages of their lives. Many are very interested in the fact that I was an undergraduate at ISU and others are curious about my first few years of teaching. Then sometimes, I get questions just to waste time. Through a series of (I don’t know how many) blog posts, I’ll address some of my most…

As a college instructor, I work primarily with Gen Z students. I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but I’ve learned quite a bit over the past few years about this generation of students. Additionally, some of my research for my doc program focuses on the mental health of college students (and teachers). It’s also evident that this generation is starting to get a bad wrap, in a similar fashion to…

Photo by Jens Mahnke on Pexels.com Alright team, a lot to digest in this final installment of the blog no one asked for… We’ve got a long wait until season 3 (probably well over a year), so let’s jump in. Spoilers ahead for “Storytelling” and do we have a story to tell. Starting with the wilderness, a lot and and not much happened with the team. They bring Javi back for dinner. Natalie tells…

My next @yellowjackets96 offering has more questions than answers. Maybe if I got some wilderness mail... What does the coat mean? Is the Antler Queen in the adult timeline? We hear the wilderness, does it really hear us? #Yellowjackets

Photo by Nibman on Pexels.com What do we have to uncover for the next Yellowjackets offering? Did this episode hold up after last week’s shocking ending? All that and more! Spoilers ahead! Starting with the team’s time line. The team is stuck inside because of a blizzard, and it’s been a big one, they can’t even get outside there’s so much snow! Shauna is not doing well and is still clutching…

Here's my next offering for @yellowjackets96! Episode 206 was intense, lots to talk about! But what I want to know... what's the baby's name!?! #Yellowjackets

My recap for @yellowjackets96 episode 205! Do we have a supernatural force at play? When will Shauna have her baby? What will you do during the two week hiatus? #Yellowjackets

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com It’s time for the fifth installment of my “no one asked for” Yellowjackets blog. This time we take a look at “Two Truths and a Lie” so spoilers ahead! The episode opens just like we all wanted it to (well at least me), with the introduction of Adult Van. As seen in 204, Van owns a video store in Ohio and based on her unread mail and bills, it’s clear the…