Putting the Puzzle Together
Wow, it's been a while, and that was unintended. In many ways, I feel like hte semester has begun. I have meetings and deadlines and work to do. I'm in the office almost daily. I'm already feeling behind.

I guess that's easy the tenure year. I feel like I've been putting the tenure packet off even though I've been working on it for a while. It's not due until September 15, but that will come fast. In the last few days, I've been working on the lists. The part that lists all the committees I've been on and service activities I've undertaken. Tonight, I grabbed all the folders from the last few years in which I threw everything related to service. I started at the top and moved to the bottom, typing in the things I've forgotten, typing in the comments from faculty and students about my work. Someone told me in the first year to print every email where someone says something nice about what I've done. Best. advice. ever. I put bullet points under every item describing the work I did and offering those quotations. The list grew and grew, and I felt better about things. Tomorrow, I'll do it for the professional development activities.

The funny thing is that I used to agonize over whether something was service or professional development or teaching. What a waste of anxiety! I came across a few things tonight that belong in other categories, so I put them there. Duh. I threw the email thanking me for a guest lecture in the service file but scrolled on up to the teaching section and listed it there. I couldn't find the documentation for the CCCC Feminist Workshop I co-chaired in 2004 because it's in the professional development file in my office even though it's a service activity.

That's what this is like. It's a puzzle. You have all the parts in various places and just need to plug them into the right spots. In the end, it will all look smooth and coherent. For now, when I stress out, I try to focus on the good things people have said about me over the years. It doesn't get rid of the stress, but there is some alleviation.
- posted by Nels @ 10:12 PM | | | Link |