The Only Constant

When I was hired to teach English here in Richland Center in 2018, the University of Wisconsin colleges were in the middle of a process called regionalization. Previously, all the colleges (except for the flagship campus in Madison) reported to an entity called the University of Wisconsin System, but under the new organization, each region had its own central campuses, with smaller campuses nearby effectively becoming branches of the larger campus. As such, even though I was hired by the University of Wisconsin-Richland, I began…

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For the Wicked

After being a part of the University of Wisconsin System for nearly four years now, I don’t think I’ll get in trouble for saying that in my experience, the only constant for us is change. I showed up here in Richland Center in 2018 as the regionalization process turned our campus into a branch of the larger campus in Platteville (they gave me lots of free swag with the old pre-regionalization logo when I got here), and just as that process seemed to be entering…

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The Weight of the World

[The following blog contains discussion of suicide.] Only 29% of hospitalised COVID-19 patients fully well one year on: Study (channelnewsasia.com)It’s not over: COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in US (sfgate.com)Climate anxiety and high school: How young people are coping (ABC News on MSN) One of the things I’m testing out with my College Writing students this semester is a term-long exercise where students are expected to keep up semi-regular email correspondence with me. In addition to helping students learn the formal and social…

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Tuned Out

I’ve blogged before about how a lot of my early love for learning came from the television shows I watched when I was very young. Children’s television staples like Sesame Street and Mister Rogers’ Neighbourhood had a huge influence on me, of course, but even my love of early-1980’s game shows led to me wanting to understand this thing called “math” that was responsible for all the contestants getting happy or sad during those old weekday morning blocks on the major broadcast networks. Contrary to…

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No Words, No Ideas, No Future

The following blog contains mentions of suicide, child abuse, bullying, homophobia, and transphobia. Poll: Only 52% of Democrats oppose Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ policy (Yahoo! News)Alabama lawmakers approve bill that criminalizes gender-affirming care for trans youth (USA Today via msn.com)Celebrating International Asexuality Day 2022 (thefword.org.uk) I don’t remember if the dune buggy in the back corner of my family’s backyard ever really worked or not, but I remember its rusting shell staying there for year after year when I was very young. It wasn’t exactly…

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