Inspirational International Students

Many people are impressed when they find out I completed my PhD.  They admire the work and dedication that went into completing my terminal degree.  I had many obstacles to complete my education including kidney stones, changing my committee four times, and dealing with the politics of academia.  However, my challenges were nothing compared to some of the international students that I met while completing my doctorate.  I would like to share three of their inspiring stories, though I am omitting names to protect privacy.

First, one man from a small African nation lived more than 1000 miles from his wife and more than 1500 miles from his children.  In addition, most his extended family still lived in Africa.  But his challenges did not end there.  He did not have a car and lived with a number of undergraduate students who partied too much and even placed him in danger.  He spent most of his time in the office and even slept there during nights when the weather was too bad to bike home.  In addition, he had students who refused to take the extra time and effort to listen closely to him and joked about his accent.  Yet, through all of this, he always had a smile on his face and never spoke negatively of anyone else.  He was an inspiration to me and no matter how much I struggled, he was always there with a kind, positive word.

I also met a young woman from a Middle Eastern nation who had once been the department head at a university in her home nation.  However, when her nation’s government changed, she was ousted from her position and no university in that country would recognize her degree or experience.  Rather than giving up, she came to the United States to pursue her PhD so that she could teach in the US.  Her hope is to one day return to her home nation to teach, but she understands that this may not be an option.  I often spoke with her during class; she was remarkably intelligent, insightful, and optimistic.  However, due to her manner of dress, many people avoided her and missed a chance to get to know a wonderful person.  I will always admire her dedication to education and her perseverance in the face of great hardship.

Finally, I also had the pleasure of working with a faculty member who was originally from South Korea.  As I was struggling to complete my dissertation and dealing with the politics of the process, he was always willing to lend an ear.  He provided me guidance and encouragement when I was upset and discouraged.  He even shared his experiences with me.  When he was completing his PhD, his wife became pregnant.  While this should have been a joyous time, his chairperson compelled him to send his wife and newborn daughter back to South Korea so that they would not be a distraction as he worked on his dissertation.  His story astonished me.  However, it helped me get through some very difficult times.  I will forever be in his debt for providing perspective as I struggled.

These are only three stories of those who came from other nations, but I met many others that overcame great obstacles to accomplish their dreams.  I often hear Americans complaining about immigrants and international students coming to the US.  However, I have learned that most of these people are not much different than you or me.  They may have different beliefs, clothing, and customs, but deep down the similarities outweigh the differences.  My international peers go to school to improve their income and make a better life for their children.  They have insecurities, fears, and dreams and want to be able to go through life with happiness, to love, and be loved.  I learned a lot about curriculum and instruction while in school, which will help me to land a job.  However, the lessons learned from international students and faculty may be the greatest gift of my education and I will cherish the friendships that I made for a lifetime.

No Extra Credit Allowed!

Every semester, in every course, one hears some iteration of the following question, “Professor Y, can I get extra credit?”  This question seems to be one that is common among students of all ages.  I heard this request from children in the 5^th grade, adolescents in middle school, and young adults at the university.  While I understand a student’s desire to have these additional points, I rarely, if ever, grant extra credit.  I am not suggesting that all teachers should take this same approach as many have used it to great effect.  However, I have also witnessed teachers use extra credit without having an intentional purpose behind it and students are easily confused by some teachers’ use of extra credit.  Therefore, I want to share with you why I choose not to offer extra credit in my classes.

1. My job as an educator is to help students learn the material that has been entrusted to me in a warm, engaging environment. My job is not to ensure everyone gets an A, though I have had classes where the vast majority did so. In an article discussing extra credit, Sackstein, points out that learning is not about points to earn, but about mastery of the skills and knowledge necessary to take the next educational step (2014).  In my first semester of teaching, I offered extra credit and I noticed something rather alarming.  I witnessed students skating through class since they knew they could make up points later.  For these students, it was about the grade rather than learning new skills and developing knowledge.  Extra credit provides a loophole for laziness throughout the year and this my first reason for not offering it in my classes.

 

2. While not all students will use extra credit as a reason for laziness, I also see extra credit as unfair to many students. I feel that my classroom should be as equitable as possible and extra credit does not allow this. For instance, I have had non-traditional students who worked full time, took care of their children, and took 18+ credit hours per semester.  Their workload was already overwhelming and they barely had time to sleep and could not take advantage of any extra credit opportunities.  Additionally, I have witnessed international students who were already working, taking their normal course load, and taking additional English courses to improve their writing and speech.  Again, these students could not take advantage of extra credit.  For this reason, I do not feel extra credit is warranted in my classroom.

 

3. Finally, I do not believe in giving extra credit because it only leads to more work and frustration for both teacher and student. Unfortunately, many students believe that extra credit is earned merely by doing the activity or completing the assignment.  Students often feel that their effort alone merits extra points and a higher grade.  However, in many cases, if they had exerted a little extra effort on previous assignments, they would have no need for extra credit.  Moreover, teachers already have ample grading and assessment to handle and extra credit only adds to this load.  More work is only warranted if students will truly benefit from greater knowledge and skill development and extra credit rarely accomplishes this.

Each time my students hear my answer concerning extra credit, there are usually a few audible sighs and occasionally, an angry, “What, Why?”  I always explain to my students that if they do the required work, come to every class, and focus on learning the material rather than getting a certain percentage of points, they will be quite pleased with their grade.  I still receive a few requests at the end of the semester, but I reaffirm my beliefs to students. Not everyone is happy with my stance, but for the reasons outline above, I am confident in my decision.  What are your thoughts on extra credit?  Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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Sackstein, S. (2014, December 8). No, you can’t do ‘extra credit’. Retrieved from Education Week: http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/work_in_progress/2014/12/no_you_cant_do_extra_credit.html

The Curse of PhD Unemployment

Today marks nearly my 11^th month of job searching.  While I have not been unemployed for that entire time, it is beginning to feel like it.  I finished my PhD in May 2017, but the outlook for jobs is rather bleak.  I have had a few campus interviews, but was not able to earn the job for any of those positions.  Each time, I was devastated as I had enjoyed each university where I interviewed.  Now that I have applied for more than 70 jobs, I have been applying for private sector jobs for the past three months.  Yet, these have all proven unfruitful as well.  In fact, I have never even received a phone call or invitation to interview.  It has become so bad that I have even begun to apply in retail.  At this point, I have run through my emergency fund and had to borrow money just to survive.  I am at risk of losing my apartment and car.  The days do not get any easier as time progresses.  As I search and apply for more jobs, I have been working on this blog, my Facebook page, and about 10 other revenue streams in the hopes that I can build some income as a freelancer.  However, this will take time to start earning money from these endeavors.  Therefore, I am left in a quagmire of unemployment.  The academic jobs I apply for seem to want someone else every time and every private sector job wants someone with less education.  It feels as if my PhD was a colossal mistake.

I am attempting to remain optimistic, but I am not naturally an optimistic person, so this becomes even more difficult for me.  I appreciate everyone’s kind words telling me that I will find something.  I know they mean well, but at the same time, the evidence to the contrary is becoming overwhelming.  If you are going through a similar situation, I can understand your plight.  All my faculty ensured me I would get a job if I published an article or two and presented at a national conference.  Based on their advice, I published 5 articles, have a book chapter in press, and presented at 1 regional and 2 national conferences.  I gave everything I could to my PhD experience.  I joined committees to gain important experience, taught a variety of classes, and went above and beyond on every assignment, paper, and activity.  However, here I sit in my bare apartment searching for the umpteenth time.

I did not write this post to discourage anyone, but to shed light on the reality of the job market for those with a newly polished PhD.  One goes from the acme of academic achievement to the despair of unemployment rather quickly.  While I cannot tell what the future holds, I can tell you that far too many people are lying to graduate students.  I know universities are trying to protect their completion rates, but it appears they are apathetic to the situation of their former students.  My university, former faculty, colleagues, and friends will start a new semester this week with all the eager energy that goes with a new crop of students.  However, there are some of us holding that new degree questioning whether we made the right decision.   The PhD is a proud accomplishment, but it often comes with the curse of prolonged unemployment.

Common Writing Errors – Part I

While this website is in the business of offering editing and proofreading services to any and all who would like to improve their papers, I also want to offer free tips and advice to help students and scholars improve their overall writing skills.  Major projects like dissertations and journal articles may need my services, but smaller pieces of writing offer students a chance to hone their skills without such high stakes.  These smaller writing assignments are more conducive to the advice offered in my blog posts and may not warrant professional proofing and editing.  Therefore, I want to share some of the most common writing errors I have seen as well as a few mistakes that are often made by those whose first language is not English. I also want to share something that I often see in both formal writing and on social media that really annoys me and seems to trip up more people than I ever thought possible.

General Errors:

1. Incorrect word:  Some English words may sound the same, but have different spellings and different meanings.  These words are referred to as homophones and can cause confusion when used improperly.  For instance, the underlined word in the sentence Seeing a familiar face in a faraway land can elicit feelings of joy and comfort for many is often written as illicit.  This spelling actually means forbidden by law, rules, or custom and would not make sense in the sentence above.  For commonly confused homophones please refer to: http://www.scholastic.com/parents/blogs/scholastic-parents-raise-reader/top-20-most-commonly-confused-homophones.
2. Sentence fragments and run-on sentences:  This is a very common error and it detracts greatly from one’s writing.  All sentences should always have a subject and a verb.  Also, multiple sentences should not be run together.  While one can have compound sentences that are separated by a conjunction and a common, one cannot run multiple ideas together into a literary Frankenstein’s monster.
3. Random errors that arise from not proofreading one’s writing:  Many writers fail to actually read what they have written, which often leads to numerous mistakes not visible to computer programs.  Errors such as missing or duplicated words result from writers not reading their own paper thoroughly.  Too many people rely on their software’s spellcheck and grammar check and fail to find many errors.  It takes some extra time, but it is well worth the effort as it speaks to one’s inattention to detail when these errors are seen by a professor or peer reviewer.

English Language Specific (Although some of these are still made by many native English speakers):

1. Incorrect use of adverbs and adjectives:  Many will write I want to do good at the track meet when the word that should be used is well.  A good resource to help in this area can be found at:  http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar/adjAdv.asp
2. Wrong word order:  Due to the differences in language many students write something like Is fixed the car that broke down?  This shows that a writer is thinking in their native language, but writing in English.  One fix for this is to have a native English speaker read the paper or manuscript in order to identify some of these issues.
3. Incorrect plural nouns:  These can include words like childrens and mooses.  Again, this can often be fixed by having a native English speaker look at your paper before submission.

I will be writing about more of the most common errors in writing in the next few weeks, especially those that can be most helpful to non-native English speakers. However, I want to leave you with one final error that I have seen so many times. It makes me cringe every time I see it.  It is more common this time of year with thunderstorms and people writing about the weather.  This error is that of lightning vs. lightening.  I see almost everyone refer to the major storm that hit and they discuss the lightening that took place.  The discharge of electrical energy from the atmosphere is spelled lightning.  The word lightening (notice the extra e) means to make light or lighter, illuminate, or brighten.  It is only a difference of a single letter, but it is a distinction that I must share with my readers.

Waiting and a Special Message to International Students

I am at a point in my academic career where it seems as if everything is about waiting. Waiting on job prospects, for dissertation feedback, journal submissions, and a bevy of other things.  It sometimes seems as half of grad school is spent in limbo.  I have coped by writing and working on new manuscripts and perusing new job listings.  However, the time of year is coming when many faculty positions are being filled and it makes one wonder if they will be in limbo for yet another year.  If you are in a similar position you know how it can feel to be waiting on everyone else.  I write this blog post to share my experiences so others understand that it is a normal part of the process.  We live in a society that worships the immediate and so few have learned delayed gratification.  The longer I wait for job offers and journal decisions, the more I understand how great it will be to finally hear good news.  Yet, I also feel powerless since there is not much I can do, but wait.  I am eager and optimistic for the future, but time seems to drag on.  If you are struggling with waiting for a faculty position, article, or committee response, realize that you are not alone.  If you have done the work and put in the effort, good things will come.

As a side note, I send my thoughts and encouragement to all of those international students who are struggling with waiting while also dealing with the issues presented by changes in immigration.  While it may seem that the US hates you because of the things the President is doing, rest assured there are some people in the country that welcome your presence and want to see you succeed.  While it is easy to think that all Americans are alike, this is not the case and not everyone is a xenophobe.  Good luck with your dissertation, research, and writing.  Stay strong and keep your eye on the goal you have set for yourself.  Sometimes that is all we can do.

Dealing with Professional Rejection

A major part of academic writing and publishing is learning how to handle rejection.  I have had five publications so far and two more under review.  I am also working on three other articles at this time, but handling rejection is still difficult.  Today, I received a call from a university where I interviewed a few weeks ago.  The dean was very complimentary, but the sting of being turned down did not hurt any less.  I have spent 20 years of my life in school and the last 3 working on my PhD.  Each article I write is tackled with enthusiasm and hope and my interview was no different.  I felt like I performed very well and I was very confident that I would get the job.  Unfortunately, someone else did better and accepted the position. It was heartbreaking and it will take me a few days to get back to a place of normalcy, but the one thing that has always helped me to succeed is an attitude of never giving up.  In fact, I may not be the best scholar, teacher, etc., but I always seem to persevere.  However, this would not be possible without a good support system.  My wife, family, and friends have been very supportive today and throughout the process.  If it were not for them, I may not have the strength to forge ahead.  Therefore, I cannot tell you that rejection gets easier, but I can tell you to build a support system that believes in you even when self-doubt begins to creep in.  We will all deal with the dreaded impostor syndrome, but we can surround ourselves with people that will believe in us when we cannot believe in ourselves.  While today’s rejection will hurt for some time, hope still exists and my family and friends have helped to stoke that hope.  When you deal with rejection, whether it is from a journal, conference, or employer, remember that you did not toil toward a PhD or other terminal degree just to give up.  I write this for my readers as much as for myself and I wish you all good writing.

Getting it Done

Good afternoon.  I am sitting here in my office taking a break from dissertation revisions and thinking about the varying pieces of advice about when to write, how much, etc.  I know people that write in the morning, but refuse to right at night and vice versa. I have also been given many other ideas and tried a few.  Whether it was writing in short blocks, using the 5×50 method of productivity, or writing for an entire day each week, I found each to have pros and cons.  No system has been perfect for me, but I am currently using the self Journal from https://bestself.co/ to manage and boost my productivity.  I really love their approach and it is working for me.  However, I have tried some of the other ideas out there and did not like them as much.  Therefore, my advice is two-fold: 1.  Write everyday, even if it is a small amount, 2. Find a system that works for you.  It may take some time to find something that works for you, but as long as you are writing each day, you will get things done until you can find a system that truly works for you.  If a professor or colleague suggests working and breaking in 15 minute blocks and that interests you, then give it a shot.  But, if you find yourself working for 15 minutes, taking a Facebook break for 15 minutes, binge watching Netflix for 3 hours, and then writing for 15 more minutes, you may want to look at other options. When you find something that works for you, stick with it, but remember that writing is not always easy, requires perseverance, and it may take some time before you become your most productive self.  And now, back to my dissertation revisions.

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This blog will include short articles or even videos discussing the publication process, writing and editing, and myriad other items that readers may find helpful. There are many things in the process of writing and publication that can be challenging and frustrating, but it is my hope to use my experiences to help you navigate your journey through grad school and academia.