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Something for everyone!
Kelsey Smith
February 09, 2024
On Tuesday, during my monthly conversation with Mary Eyring, the DEC member over adjunct faculty relations, she observed that some full-time faculty members going up for continuing faculty status were spending too much time grading.
We talked about how sometimes it can take some time to realize that not every assignment needs to be graded—or at least not every assignment needs feedback. Then Mary said something I hope to remember forever, “Don’t assign more than you can grade.”
One day I hope to have Noli dare quam potes gradus (“Don’t assign more than you can grade”) etched into my 1960s fireplace’s terrazzo mantle. They’re certainly words to live by.
Something to listen to
Fellow adjunct faculty member, Alison Linnell, sent me a link to the BYU Y Religion podcast she recently enjoyed: "Helping Students Grow without Growing Their Stress." I got excited because it features the authors of the recently published book, Improving Learning and Mental Health in the College Classroom—a book that had not yet been published when I first heard the authors talk about it on another podcast.
I plan to listen to the podcast and buy the book (with my adjunct faculty stipend, of course) this week!
In case you missed our HBLL English Language and Literature Librarian’s January email, Robert Means shared a link to the full version of the MLA 9 Style guide for all students and teachers to use, courtesy of BYU: https://mlahandbookplus.org/.
Something to enjoy this week
This coming Thursday (February 15) we’ll be meeting in 4186 JFSB at 11 am for our first sharing time—this time we’ll be sharing our ideas for teaching narrative writing, any type of narrative writing!
If you’re able to come, RSVP by 5 pm on Monday, February 12 so we can buy the right amount of snacks. And if you’re able to share, here’s what you need to do by the end of February 12. Thank you!
Something I’m proud of
What happens when a BYU art education professor and artist (Tara Carpenter Estrada), a ballet professor and dancer (Hilary Wolfley), and an English department adjunct faculty member (me!) get together?
A book! Finally, our book, Give and Take: Motherhood and Creative Practice, is being published this March!
Give and Take is a book made up of 33 personal narratives by women who are mothers and dancers, playwrights, musicians, visual artists, and writers. The narratives explore how women navigate two occupations—artist and mother—that often demand more than one person can give. (Two of the narratives are by BYU English adjunct faculty: Angelina Dulong, “Full Disclosure’ and me, “Why I Don’t Write”!)
Working on this book with Tara and Hilary gave me the push I needed to get back into writing, and because of the narratives I worked with, I’ve found reasons and ways to write in the midst of being a mom, chauffeur, and teacher. Writing is once again one of my favorite things to do.
Our book is now listed on the Demeter website (and anywhere else you can buy books) for pre-order. If you’re interested, please preorder the book—preorders can help a book gain some momentum. Right now, on the publisher Demeter's website, you can get a 30% discount by using the code MOTHERS. (I apologize for the $20 shipping fee—it came as a shock to me too!)
If you purchase the book, let me know if you can guess which three of the nine sections’ introductions I wrote. I like to think that the readers of The Adjunct Advocate will recognize my style (though admittedly it had to be toned down a little).
Stuff for your calendar
Be sure to read over our calendar—a new event has been added in March! Also you can now see our adjunct faculty happenings on the department Google calendar—our events are in green: The English Department Calendar. Cha cha cha!
FEBRUARY
February 13: Treat Yo’Self to a Professional Development Book! This is just a reminder that you can spend your $200 professional stipend all 2024 long.
February 15: Narrative Sharing Time. Get new ideas, mingle with colleagues, and enjoy some tasty snacks at 11 am in 4186 JFSB! Please send your narrative ideas, activities, and assignments to me, Katie, by February 13. Your contribution doesn’t have to relate to WRTG 150—any and all narrative stuff is wanted! If you missed my email, here’s how Narrative Sharing Time works.
MARCH
March 7–8: The English Symposium. Check out its awesome new website!
March 21: Mental Health Chat. Join fellow adjunct faculty and grad students in B106 JFSB at 11 am for a helpful Q&A with Husband Jon Cox, a psychologist at CAPS. At the time of publication, Jon did not have a title for this chat, so I will propose one: “Your Mental Health Matters Too!”
March 25–29: NEW DATE! Adjunct Faculty Book Club Lunch. Sometime during this week we’ll meet to chat about Verified over lunch. For those of you who signed up, keep an eye out for an email to vote for the best day and time to meet.
March 28: Student Ratings Start! Encourage your students to complete ratings for all of their classes, but especially yours.
APRIL
April 3: Withdrawal Deadline. Use the week before this date to have the a-W-is-better-than-a-F conversation with your students who have many absences and/or are failing. You’ll be grateful you did.
April 18: The Adjunct Faculty Biennial Conference! One of the best days of the year! Great presentations with new ideas and strategies! Please consider presenting! And please come! Your teaching lamp will be refilled! Keep an eye on your email for more information.
April 18: The Adjunct Faculty Award Luncheon! After the biennial conference, we’ll meet for lunch and celebrate all of our good works. Both the conference and the luncheon will take place in the Hinckley Center (I think).
April 18: Student Ratings Close. Perhaps request a rating analysis from the Center for Teaching & Learning SCOT program—and go for the big picture: ask them to sort and categorize your last three years of student ratings (don’t worry if you’ve been at BYU that long :).
April 30: Grades DUE by NOON!
Our makeshift website
As I’ve noted before, Ansalee Greenwood, Greyson Gurley, Kelsey Smith, and I are hard at work writing content for our Adjunct Faculty Website (and we are continually surprised at how much stuff we need to cover!). Until this website is up and running, here are links to some helpful Google docs (which you can also find in your “swag” folder that’s sitting in your mailbox right now):
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!