The Final Stretch!

A few reminders for this semester & other stuff to look forward to

Author

Kelsey Smith
December 01, 2025

Wrapping up & looking ahead!

I hope you were able to have a restful or enjoyable or [insert some other positive adjective] Thanksgiving break. We only have a week and a half left of the semester, and I know this is a crazy time for both you & your students. Best of luck successfully wrapping up your classes and getting all that grading done. And remember, you are invited to the English Department’s annual Christmas reading-day luncheon: December 11 @ 4186/88 JFSB from 12-1:30 pm. See you there!

This will be a brief newsletter with some reminders about upcoming opportunities and trainings. So get out your calendars 🙂 

Winter 2026 Peer Observations

I am grateful for those of you who participated in this semester’s Peer Observation Program and for the feedback I received on the program as well. It was a positive experience for most participants! If you are interested in participating in this program for Winter 2026, please let me know by January 5th! As a brief reminder, this program allows you to earn a $100 stipend for observing a fellow adjunct’s WRTG class. You can read more about the details and requirements of the program here.

January Training & Lunch: Dealing with Disrespectful Students

Thank you to everyone who gave me feedback on November’s survey about their experiences with disrespectful students. We (me & some UWCC members) will be holding a training/discussion about your experiences as well as strategies for managing disrespect, gender bias, etc. on Thursday, January 29th at 11:00 am in 4186/88 JFSB. Lunch will be provided for attendees. Please RSVP by January 15th!

Biennial Adjunct Conference in April

Our biennial adjunct conference is coming up! This conference will have a similar format to the 2024 conference in that prospective presenters can submit proposals on anything that is working in their classroom (an effective lesson plan, a new assignment, a method of teaching a key skill like reflection, etc.) Presenters can choose between giving a 10-minute presentation or a rapid-fire 5-minute “Ignite-style” presentation.

Some details are still TBD, but the conference will be held on Thursday, April 16, 2026, from 9am-1pm. We’ll circulate a call for proposals early January, and the deadline for proposals will be March 15, 2026. Happy proposal brainstorming!

Y Writing Submissions: You could win big!

All adjunct instructors who submit Writing 150 student work for the Y Writing journal will be entered into a drawing! You can submit work from Writing 150 students in any term/semester during 2025. Submit up to two students per category: (1) powerful prose, (2) inquiry and argument, and (3) multimodal projects. The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2026.

Stuff for your calendar

DECEMBER

  • Wednesday, December 10: Last Day of Class

  • Thursday, December 11: English Department Christmas Luncheon @ 12-1:30 pm in 4186/88 JFSB

  • Tuesday, December 23: Grade Submission Deadline

JANUARY

MARCH

  • Saturday, March 15: Biennial Conference Proposal Submission Deadline

APRIL

  • Wednesday, April 15: Last Day of Class

  • Thursday, April 16: Adjunct Biennial Conference @ 9am-1pm @ TBD

  • Tuesday, April 28: Grade Submission Deadline