Course evaluations are imperfect (in a different way, of course, grades are an imperfect measure of student potential). Students evaluating professors is fraught with peril in both directions. That said, there is immense social value in course evaluations, and a professor who doesn’t read their course evaluations or, even better, […]
When I arrived at SMU in 2009, I was not a teacher. I was a researcher. Unfortunately, it has been common in our field to leave people unprepared for the teaching environment. When I was in graduate school, there either were no classes in, or no one advised me to […]
It is day 1 of our annual road trip from Dallas to Park Falls, Wisconsin. The weather in Texas – and in general across the U.S. – has lately been anomalously high. As we departed today, we did so in rainfall. That has continued nearly the entire way so far. […]
When work ends and a break begins, there is a period in between that is painful and difficult. There is the guilt of not working; there is the fear that there is a task left unfinished. There is the sense that one needs to be moving, because one was already […]
Our first Christmas was 17 years ago today. Our ornament from Door County was our first ornament we both got together for our tree; this was the one commemorating the Christmas itself.
Penguins are a recurring theme from when Jodi would travel to Antarctica. These birds became a symbol of her travels. These adorn our tree as a reminder of that era.
This came from the Winchester Mystery House, a fascinating landmark with a crazy history. This is a memory from our many years living in California. We especially loved taking family on tours of this house.