August 2017
In my David Attenborough voice –
The indigenous population has returned from its great summer migration. They engage in their ritualistic greetings, such as “Bruh, really!” and “Girl, you wouldn’t even believe!”
And now my writing center feels like home.
July 2017
So my therapist was right about journaling. I get jittery when I don’t journal. Am I an addict? Can you get addicted to journaling? Wait, why did I even sit down to journal?
Ah, yes, budgets. How could I forget budgets. I need to start my budget proposal, and my dream is to expand the OWC. Extensively. How will I ever make that case? I’m not sure, but I know I’m darn sure going to try.
So goals. How do I want to expand the OWC? I want the OWC to serve every student, be a repository for worksheets, etc., have a less than 24-hur turnaround time. For starters. Once the crew gets a break after the end of term rush, we will talk about what a world class OWC looks like and how we will serve students and the community.
Wow, it was kind of scary to write that down but scary good, not scary bad.
7/10/2017
Good morning fabulous OWC coaches!
Well, the time is upon us when the OWC traffic will ramp up. Students are coming off of the holiday and hunkering down to finish their summer terms. While f2f traffic has been light, the OWC has been busier this year than normal (as you know!). Based on how our numbers have increased steadily over the past AY, I anticipate this summer’s rush may be brutal.
I’ll send papers to you as they come in, and I’ll watch your workload, so I don’t inundate you. Please do your best to adhere to our turnaround time. If you can’t, just let me know, and I’ll communicate that to students as I send them their confirmation notices. Oh, and of course, I’m adding our standard crunch time clause to the confirmation notices that due to increased usage, our turnaround time may be delayed.
Please let me know your schedules, so I can plan out how and when to send papers your way. I appreciate your willingness in the past to work beyond your hours, and I’m asking if you’d be willing to do it again. As always, keep track of your hours, and we will flex your overages when the demand decreases. I’m so grateful for you and how you have handled our crunch times in the past. You all are the best.
Per usual, if anything wonky happens or if any nastygrams come your way, let me know and forward all documentation to me. I’ll handle whatever comes up.
It’s an honor to work with the best OWC team on the planet. I’m awed by how such a small crew serves so many students so well.
Let me know what questions or concerns you have or how I can serve you better.
Warmly,
Laila
Higher Order Concerns
Lower Order Concerns
I pointed out some patterns of error, including punctuation and how to recognize a sentence and know when sentences begin and end. I sent the student home with a handout on sentence fragments and run-on sentences, but we spent the bulk of the time in the session on developing the main idea.
Student learning
The student learned that a first draft is a great start, not a final attempt, and to reread work with an eye for what readers will need to understand. Student gained confidence in writing ability.
Dr. Jones’ note to self: Glamorous my life is not. Satisfying it is, yes.
6/9/17 Dr. Laila E. Jones IM messages with a work colleague.
Cecily – are you busy?
I’m always busy. What’s up?
For starters, why even is that your IM pic?
Because he’s fine. Why is that your IM pic?
Because she looks just like me. Sort of. What are you busy with? It’s 3p on Friday.
Just because you’re playing around on Friday afternoon doesn’t mean we all are.
You’re just mad because you played around on a Tuesday afternoon and didn’t finish your project. Give me 15 minutes, and then I’ll help.
But first what did you message me for?
I just had an idea about what if Rolling Stone interviewed Rob Base.
RS: Welcome! What would you like to do?
RB: I wanna rock right now.
RS: Who are you?
RB: I’m Rob Base.
RS: Why are you here?
RB: And I came to get down.
RS: Where are you famous?
RB: I’m not internationally known.
RS: Well, what are you known for?
RB: But I’m known to rock a microphone.
RS: Why?
RB: Because I get stupid.
RS: What do you mean?
RB: I mean outrageous.
RS: Outrageous? What should we do?
RB: Stay away from me, if you’re contagious.
RS: Who are you, the CDC?
RB: Cuz, I’m a winner.
RS: Are you a loser to?
RB: No, not a loser.
RS: So what will you do next?
RB: To be an MC is what I choose (ah)
RS: Who are your fans?
RB: Ladies love me.
RS: Who else?
RB: Girls adore me.
RS: Which ones?
RB: I mean even the ones who never saw me.
RS: Really, why?
RB: Like the way that I rhyme in a show.
RS: What’s the reason?
RB: The reason why, man? I don’t know.
What is wrong with you?
I was inspired by the greatest rhyme in history – choose-ah to rhyme with loser! Yes!
Writers are weird. Are you going to help me now?
Yes and yes.
I have a character, Dr. Laila E. Jones, who runs a university writing center. In my head, her story unfolds through her writing – her emails, journal entries, Teams messages at work, text messages with loved ones, conference proposals, etc. I honestly have no idea where her story will take her or any of us, but I’m excited for her adventure to begin. Below is the first installment.
June 5, 2017
Dear Diary,
Well, that sounds ridiculous – like I’m an angsty preteen, oh, I’m sorry, TWEEN. I sound like an angsty tween. Why even do we use that word? What was wrong with preteen that tween came into existence? I mean preteens were functioning just fine as pseudo adolescents (like pseudopodia perhaps?), and then somebody (who was it I wonder?)
Alright I’m back. According to Wikipedia it was J.R.R Tolkien referring to hobbits in their twenties prior to their coming of age, so it’s a blend of teen and twenty which makes so much more sense now. Why do we even use it for angsty prepubescent children? And should I have written portmanteau? It’s the word that was in my head (probably because it was in the Wikipedia article, but I didn’t have to look it up, so I feel good about that), but it felt pompous and self serving. Can I be pompous and self serving in my own diary? Is this a diary or a journal? It’s a journal. I do NOT plan on doing this daily, despite the advice of my therapist.
So there. Journal reboot begun. And tween is a cool Tolkien word that I should figure out how to repurpose in society, so it’s less angsty. Like me. Ugh. I’m done.