And so it begins…

By the time you read this, I will be standing in front of my JRNL 3367 (Interpretive and Editorial Writing) class, my start to the Spring 2017 semester at University of New Haven. This is my fourth semester teaching there, and I have to say, the contrast between this semester and the first, say, two, is …

When it’s good to miss an anniversary

All this week, I thought today was the anniversary of my last day at my old newspaper, but this says no. Now along with multiple other things I’ve forgotten, I can’t remember the date of my last day at Mother Courant. I guess that’s a good thing. It means I’ve moved on, sort of. I wanted to …

Later, nerds

So University of New Haven, where I teach, had graduation yesterday, in a big ol’ concert venue, and I volunteered to be there. I’m still new enough at the job that I don’t sigh and dig out my regalia with a sense of whatever. (In fact, I don’t own regalia, and the school had to supply …

Because I’m one proud teacher…

Please, if you have a moment, go to the blog written by students in my COMM4500 class (a senior seminar at University of New Haven). At the beginning of the year, I had each student write down what they knew about wealth and income inequality. Some were pretty well informed, and some, not so much, but …

Another shot at an academic-type panel

Wish me luck on this one, too.

So this is my first foray into academic-type panels

Wish me luck?

In which a talking head is born

On Monday, I got a call from the University of New Haven asking if I would be on WTNH (based in New Haven) to talk about tonight’s State of the Union address. Channel 8 had called the school asking for a political scientist or a journalist. I am under no delusion that I was the first person called. There …

I’m done.

This semester, which began in late August, I taught five college courses — one at Central Connecticut State University, and four as a full-time faculty member at University of New Haven. I counted up once, and that meant that — unless there was a rare holiday — I stepped into a class prepared to lecture, cajole, …

On being grateful…

…I am wiped out, truly and totally. We are nearing the end of the semester, and I am either grading, thinking about grading, or wondering why I assigned so much so that I would have to do all this grading. But last night, as everyone was heading home and I was holed up in my …

I love teaching, now that the panic dreams are over

I am in my fourth week of full-time teaching, and let me tell you the things I’ve learned in the interim: 1. My mad organizational skills aren’t that awesome but fortunately 2. Students stand ready to help guide me when I get confused, and 3. The coffee at the end of my hallway at University of New …