Since jf is away, the Tuesday Too was up early this week, but I decided to wait.

1.) What is the most important thing going on in your life this week?

This is a fairly routine week. I guess most significant is evaluating my students' discussion and journal assignments, and giving them a mid-semester idea of how they are doing on those areas of the course. Seems odd to do this after only three weeks! On the trite side, working on the pool this weekend will be the most important fun thing.


2.) Tell us about your quintessential faux pas.

Several years ago, after I got serious about being published, I sent one of my still-favorite (and still unpublished) short-shorts, "For Sale," to House Beautiful. A few weeks later, I received a letter from an editor, saying the story was lovely, but too short for their magazine. A telephone number was listed, and an invitation to call and chat was included. Now, as all writers know, any sort of personal and positive letter, even if it is a rejection, is a big victory for an aspiring author, and I was thrilled.

I gave it some thought, then picked up the phone and called. In my world, higher education administration, that number would have gotten me the editor's secretary, and this is what I expected. But when I asked the person who answered for the editor, it turns out the number was the editor's direct line. I had developed a confidence in my profession as an educator, but as a hungry would-be writer, taken by surprise, I had somewhere around zero self-esteem. I stumbled over what I planned to say, then finally made my pitch, which was to increase the length of "For Sale" to be within House Beautiful's guidelines by adding in some elaboration on - oh, I can't remember exactly what any more, but this was the general idea. She replied, "that story was perfect the way you wrote it; I don't think adding to it would be appropriate. I was thinking maybe you had some ideas for other stories you would like to tell me about." I was speechless; felt like a greenhorn; I had absolutely nothing prepared. I said I didn't have any, I can't remember doing a thing to close any sort of deal or even leave the door open for future exploration, and so -- feeling humiliated and pretty silly, I let a major market opportunity slip through my fingers. But I did learn from that experience.


3.) Why would you most likely be nominated to speak your mind, and what is it you're going to say?

I do speak my mind about educational issues when teaching the Social Foundations of Education, but I try to be fair and as unbiased as possible in my approach, and open to the students' varied perspectives, as I don't believe the lectern should be the bully pulpit. Also, I am interested and experienced in online delivery, the status of adjuncts, and student ethics; these are topics I sometimes share with others.

As an administrator, I made presentations on a regular basis, about mathematics assessment and student preparation level for the study of college mathematics. I continue to be asked, on occasion, to speak on these topics. (In recent years, I don't always agree to do it.)

In terms of personal interests, I have made presentations about various aspects of history: primarily local/regional, and genealogical research, and these are the subjects about which I am most likely to be asked to talk.

What do I say on these subjects? Too much to list here, and some of it is rather dry! I have information on my Gully Brook Press website about history (one room schools), genealogy (here and here), and mathematics assessment (the latter is an excerpt from my dissertation); the July updates that are in the works will focus broadly on education.