One of the most challenging parts of being a professor is also one of the things I like most about teaching. I teach in communication, mostly journalism. There’s a lot of people who think that journalism is dying or dead, but that’s not true. It’s evolving. Trouble is, no one is sure exactly what it’s … More New Stuff
“Wass mann nicht sterbt, macht mann stark.”–Nietsche I wrote a couple of days ago about how each of us has a story that we are destined to tell. That story could have been something that had been told them in their childhood, a tradition passed on in their family, an experience they had, or … More From the Archive: Scars
In twenty minutes, the first class of the first day of classes of the 2012-2013 school year begins for me. I will approach it with an optimistic attitude. I will be prepared for all of my classes, with plenty of time to grade and review my students’ work. I will be able to accomplish my … More In Twenty Minutes….
I got a call yesterday in my office. My son and daughter in law–who live with us–called to tell me that the doorknob to our outer door had broken. It was exposed to the weather and several years old, and the mechanism had been sticking for a while, so I knew it was time to … More Archive: Fixing Things
I have a very nice pen in my office. I go through a lot of pens, so I am not sure how I came upon this one. It’s light blue, with a springy clip at the top so that you can clip it to things and you are less likely to lose it. The best … More The Purpose of a Pen
I was a bit appalled to see that only one person read my blog yesterday. The rest of you don’t know what you missed…. Actually that whole thing fits nicely into what happened this morning and the writing thing as well. I was with the sophomores at Ozark Adventist Academy this morning, talking to them … More Archive: Addicted to Applause
Those who think teachers have a cushy job with lots of time off have never taught. The first few years I was a college professor I spent any extra hour I had learning the subjects I was expected to teach. After a year to get acclimated, I spent the next five years teaching, running a … More Six Days and Counting
I will be the first to admit that I am a novice in the field of self-publishing. But I have learned a great deal since I jumped into the business at the beginning of 2012. Probably the most significant thing I have learned was how critical two things are as far as book sales are … More What a Difference a Cover Makes!
I know that I have been cheating the past week or two. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve seen that I’ve been posting a lot of older blogs–“archives”–instead of my usual meanderings. The reason I have done so is called August. School starts next week and I am hip deep in alligators, I mean, meetings. … More Reality Strikes
We are working in the back yard this morning. We got up early–well, sort of–and tried to get as much weed pulling done before it gone hot. But 9, 10, and then 10:30 came and the sun started beating down. We thought about jumping in the pool, and that led us to think about our … More From the Archive: Cooper’s Surprise
