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My Thoughts on Teaching!
All of us professors and lecturers have written and edited (more than once!) our teaching philosophies. But how exactly does that translate when we’re actually in the classroom? How can you turn your philosophy into practice? My philosophy extends over a little more than a page; if I were to sum it up, I would… →
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Dressing for Academic Approachability or Authority
Earlier this month, I wrote about how academic style is political and about the differences in academic attire. Today, I want to examine how clothing choices in academia shape perceptions and professional interactions, and I will share additional resources I found. As in any walk of life, what you wear matters. In academia, it is… →
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Academic Style is Political
yes, even today what you wear matters Everything feels political these days, even what we wear. I’m not talking about elections or national debates. I mean the everyday politics of the workplace. All those power plays, social signals, and silent judgments that affect how we interact. What you wear matters, actually. I’ve seen it (and… →
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Teaching While Learning
Reality often means teaching before you are ready. We get emails about Teaching Assistantships and feel that is maybe what we should do alongside classwork or writing. I was never a TA, but I had experience teaching for the Honors College at my University as an employee. I get wanting to be a TA, and… →
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Why Workshops Matter
Welcome to July! This month’s theme is Teaching Innovation (Workshops, Creativity, Pedagogy). I’ll cover why you should do workshops, how to design them, teaching while you are still learning, and creative teaching techniques. As you can tell, I’m a planner. When I first started this blog post, I called it ‘Why Do Workshops.’ Then I… →
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Read to Create Your Voice
When you write, you have decisions to make. First, find your voice. Developing a strong narrative voice takes time and practice. As you read, notice how writers influence you and help shape your scholarly identity. If you are reading to find gaps in the literature, you are already doing this, introducing an additional layer you… →
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How to Read Your Semester Like a Story
The end of a semester always feels a little blurry. Finals are over, grades are posted, and suddenly everything that made you stress slips away. Before you shake it all off, pause. Look back and read the semester as if it were a story. See what the highlights were and what the lowlights were, so… →
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How Historians Turn Facts into Stories
Narrative Craft Historians are storytellers; they tell the past. They take facts and turn them into meaning. Historians interpret evidence in order to explain ideas, power, and people. Investigating the past is not easy, as you know, because it was written by the victors, but Historians keep digging. That’s not enough. We start with evidence,… →
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Start Simple
OR Go Back the Basics: a review of Several Short Sentences About Writing I wanted to create a space for ideas and resources in academia. I finished my PhD in December 2025 and had so much to share! I’ve also spent the past 10+ years as a director at a university honors college. I chose… →
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All Writing is Writing
It may not look the same, but it’s words to paper! Most of my weekly writing never ends up in essays, conference papers, or chapters. Half the time, it isn’t even academic; it consists of journal entries, long texts to friends, emails, teaching notes, and postcards or letters sent each Sunday as part of the… →
Wendi Kavanaugh 