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Let's celebrate and work less!
Kelsey Smith
April 26, 2024
I submitted my grades on Wednesday, and yesterday I kept looking at my laptop, sometimes sitting down in front of my laptop, wondering if there was anything I needed to do. Obviously, I have a problem: I am addicted to my laptop. And possibly work.
My plan to break this addiction(s) involves a lot of yard work and what I call “burning the house down”: Cleaning Chemicals + The Life-Changing Rage of Cleaning Out.
Manual labor, the cure for whatever ails you! (Fingers crossed!)
Let’s celebrate our writing!
Readers of this fine newsletter know that I have been advocating that we, adjunct faculty, spend more time writing. But I realized two months ago that in addition to writing, we need to celebrate our writing, especially when we get something published.
This realization came to me one morning while Amanda Erdmann and I chatted in the bleak room that is 4013 JKB. We were both writing—making time to write while on campus!—and I asked her what she was working on. One sentence led to another and Amanda told me about her first-place essay in The Exponent!
Well, that needs to be celebrated! Any writing that we publish needs to be celebrated! If you have recently had writing published, please send me a quick email, letting me know so I can give you and your work a shoutout (and if there’s a link to it, please send it!).
Now without further ado, here’s a link to the winter edition of The Exponent that features Amanda’s prize-winning essay “Barrel Racing” and fellow adjunct faculty Chanel Earl’s short story “Holiness to the Lord,” which I noticed when scanning the table of contents. Woohoo!
NOTE: Helpful readers have let me know that the links in this newsletter do not work (or only sometimes work). I apologize! Here’s the link to The Exponent if you need to copy and paste it: https://exponentii.org/2024/03/25/vol-43-no-3-winter-2024/.
The Advocate may be moving platforms (again!) in the fall. Bah!
A brief recap of our Adjunct Faculty Award Luncheon
After the excellent Adjunct Faculty Biennial Conference last Thursday, we met on the third floor of the Hinckley Center where we ate, we laughed, and we honored each other’s service at BYU and outstanding work. Thank you to everyone who was able to come and those who were with us in their hearts. :)
Three shoutouts go to Cheri Earl, Erin Rhees, and Susan Morris for taking home the big adjunct faculty awards: citizenship (Cheri) and teaching (Erin and Susan). Watch for their award write-ups to be published in the department newsletter soon!
We need to work less
That’s what I said in my award luncheon epilogue, and I meant it. I hope each of us devote some of our summer to finding ways to work less so we have energy to devote to other pursuits. Teaching, for us, is not a full-time job—and many of us, including myself, need to start treating teaching like the part-time job it is!
If you’d like to read my complete rally cry, click here or copy this into your browser: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-697LXuFgVRdMfwaQ7Jfq5WvXL8dPMSgnB_b-Qpkn70/edit?usp=sharing.
Stuff for your calendar
If nothing on this calendar applies to you, lucky you! As for those of us who are teaching spring or summer, well, good luck!
Remember you can see adjunct faculty happenings on the department Google calendar—our events are in green: The English Department Calendar. (Thank you, Juli Todd!)
APRIL
April 30: Grades DUE by NOON!
April 30: Spring semester starts! Good luck speed teaching!
MAY
May 7: Add/Drop Deadline. Hallelujah! The class rolls are set!
JUNE
June 1: Student Ratings Start. Already?!
June 4: Withdraw Deadline. Remember, a W is better than a F! Encourage struggling students to meet with their academic advisor!
June 17: Last Day of Class.
June 19: Juneteenth. No finals!
June 19: Student Ratings Close.
June 24: Summer semester starts! Say it ain’t so!
June 27: Spring Semester Grades DUE by Noon!
JULY
July 1: Add/Drop Deadline. You now know who you’re working with this semester.
July 4: Fourth of July. No classes!
July 24: Pioneer Day. No classes!
July 30: Withdraw Deadline.
AUGUST
August 12: Last Day of Classes.
August 21: Summer Semester Grades DUE by noon!
Our makeshift website
The Adjunct Faculty Commons website is coming—aiming for the end of spring semester! Until then . . .
Observation Opportunities—sign up to be observed or find someone to observe!
Syllabus Requirements: I just added another option—the RWC’s official syllabus statement that you’re welcome to customize!
Write NOW!—want to get some of your own writing done? Write NOW! can help!