old dog, new tricks

Final Post...

2007-04-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

I'm done with my dissertation, so I really can't think of anymore to write.

This closes a chapter on my life.

It's never too late to be who you want to be...

2007-04-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

I need to find out who came up with this quote--it completely describes my life, as I've had a varied career and am now about to graduate with a new degree.

An article in the NY Times today describes the laments of several recent college grads who worry about their first job--whether it is the "right" job, or how they'll know when they find the "right" job.

I wish I knew then what I know now--try something out--if it doesn't feel right--make a change or get a new degree. I knew I'd eventually get an MBA after undergraduate school, but would have never imagined myself with a PhD. Things just fell into place and I realized that my true passion was teaching business students, not necessarily being in business myself.

It has been a tough road these past three years, but now I'm moving in the direction that is meant for me.

I guess it's official...

2007-04-13T09:20:00.000-07:00

From: Graduate Program Administrator
Sent: Monday, April 09, 2007 3:10 PM
To: The jmcgrad mailing listSubject: [jmcgrad] Karen Mishra

Congratulations to Karen Mishra who successfully defended her dissertation this afternoon! Best wishes as she prepares for her new job atMeredith!

Charles Krauthammer at UNC...

2007-04-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

The Park lecture yesterday was delivered by Charles Krauthammer. In addition to being an inspirational speaker, he had one great quote that reminded me of being a graduate student. He was describing presidential politics and how you have to have a tough shell to get through the primaries because he feels like we basically say to candidates:

You may be the President, but we sure did humilitate you for a year or two!

Funny, this sounds just like grad school.

Family-friendly grad school?

2007-04-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

Princeton is taking a surprising new approach towards helping women in graduate programs with the struggles of having or not having children in grad school. Princeton's new intiative would offer money and time allowing grad students to have more child-rearing options while in school.

I find it interesting that Princeton would see this as a critical matter, because not all schools even consider parenthood in the equation. For the first semester I was in my doctoral program, my colleagues did not even know that I had children. Not that I was ashamed of them, but it was obvious that my professors would think differently of me if they knew I had children. One professor (a married woman with no children) even spent time during class complaining about her sister who had children and what a loser-ish life this sister led. Once my colleagues did find out about my children, they began to think of me more as a mother and less as their fellow student.

The numbers of female professors who have children (or more than 1 child) are few. I waited until my youngest was in 1st grade to go back to school. I had been considering it since my oldest was born in 1994, but realized that I would be short-changing my children by going to school while they were young. It hasn't been easy even at their ages--9 and 12--but at least they are more self-sufficient now.

Maybe if other schools follow Princeton's lead, there will be more female professors--period. That alone would make graduate school much more hospitable.

Keeping secrets...

2007-03-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

I was in the copy/mail room when I caught a professor eating the last few bites of cookie from a bag. She looked at me and said, "Can you keep my secret?" If she only knew the secrets we graduate students have to keep. Hers is not even on the radar.

Co-op education...

2007-03-23T05:53:00.000-07:00

There is an article in Inside Higher Ed today praising Co-op education. This caught my eye because even though my school, Albion College, did not offer co-op education, I was able to participate in a co-op program at General Motors while completing my double-major in economics and music in 4 years. My econ major required two internships, so really I just had a few more internships than my peers.

The author talks about the advantages of the co-op program as introducing students to the business world and forging relationships between universities and businesses, and I think both are true. When I was an adjunct intructor, I found too many business majors who prefered summer jobs as lifeguards, forgetting that this would put them at a disadvantage when they are competing for jobs with other students who spent their summers in cubicles and not in pools. I did learn a lot about how business works--what I liked and even what I didn't like to do in a job.

The only downside of the co-op experience is that all of the experience takes place at one company. This is great if the student knows this is where he or she wants to work, but since I was a double-major, I was not sure, and squeezed in one semester where I combined music and public relations in an internship program in NY City. I ended up going back to General Motors after graduation, but it was for money, not really for love.

All in all, co-op education is helpful for students like me who need help paying for their education and who want to learn what the business world is like. If schools can't make this much of an investment, they should at least be encouraging their students to take internships.

What they don't tell you about data collection...

2007-02-17T09:46:00.000-08:00

Data collection is proving to be the most frustrating part of the dissertation. People who agreed to interview back out or get new jobs. Companies who agreed to let me survey their employees change their minds.

Then, I go to plan B. Ooops--I didn't create a plan B because I was so sure that Plan A was solid. So, I'm creating Plan B on the fly. No stress here!

Still writing...

2007-02-12T19:43:00.000-08:00

Not much to report--still crunching data and writing up the results.

This is the loneliest part of the PhD--solitary work which never seems to end.

I knew what I was getting into, though. It will be worth it in the end!

Dissertation year is a roller-coaster ride...

2007-02-02T06:25:00.000-08:00

It is hard to explain to people outside of academe what this year is like. They ask how my classes are going and when I tell them I don't take classes this year, they look at me as if I must have the most luxurious job in the world.

It is much harder to explain that I'm writing a paper that feels like it will never end. While I love what I'm doing, it is also a very bizarre existence sometimes. I write--I stop--I wait--I read, and then I do this all over again.

My new job starts on August 1st, so that is my deadline for completion. I can't imagine starting my new job while also finishing my dissertation, so that is a good goal to have one done before starting the other.

I'm not really a fan of roller-coasters, so I guess I'll need some dramamine for the ride.

Public speaking is not my worst fear...

2007-01-31T08:25:00.000-08:00

I always thought that public speaking was supposed to be everyone's worst fear. It never really bothers me, but I've heard that it bothers most people.

I didn't know what my worst fear was, but I discovered it this morning: claustrophobia. It is number 5 on the top 10 list.

I went to have an MRI done and even though I was praying and doing lamaze breathing, I just couldn't get through it.

They suggested valium next time. I think I'll take them up on it.

Carrot Cake

2007-01-23T08:33:00.000-08:00

On the anniversary of Dr. Stevenson's birthday, I made his Carrot Cake recipe for the J-School. When I got to UNC, Dr. Stevenson remarked at one research colloquium that it was his custom to bring in carrot cake on his own birthday. I figured that the least I could do would be to bring him one so that he would not have to bring his own.

The first year, I bought one at a local favorite grocer, Weaver Street. They have amazing desserts, including carrot cake. Dr. Stevenson was grateful, but the next day, he brought me his recipe for carrot cake, encouraging me to give it a try.

My second year in the PhD program, I was taking Dr. Stevenson's stats class during his birthday, so I made his carrot cake recipe and brought it to class. He ate a piece without a frown, so I think I made it successfully.

This year, I thought it only fitting to remember a professor who gave of himself to others, in large ways and small, with carrot cakes for the students and faculty and staff. One of our newest faculty members asked for the recipe, so here it is.

Bob Stevenson's Carrot Cake
3 c. sifted cake flour
2 c. sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple
2 c. raw carrots, grated and loosely packed
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c. salad oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. finally chopped nuts (this is Dr. Stevenson's notation!)

Grease and lightly flour pan. Mix together cake flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Drain pineapple, saving syrup. Add pineapple syrup to dry mixture; add eggs, oil and vanilla. Beat for three minutes. Stir in pineapple, carrots, and nuts. Bake at 325F for about 1 1/2 hours (I found that after 1 hour, you need to watch the cake and test it with a toothpick). Cool 10 minutes in pan before frosting. Frost with currant-nut icing.

Currant-Nut Icing
4 1/2 c. confectioners sugar
1 package (8 oz) soft cream cheese
1/4 c. butter
1 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
1/4 c. currants

Plump currants by soaking in 1/4 cup of hot water for 5 minutes. Drain well.

Beat sugar, cream cheese, butter, milk and vanilla together until smooth. Fold in walnuts and currants. Spread over cooled cake.

Sick day...

2007-01-23T08:31:00.000-08:00

Both of my kids are home sick today. I hate missing school myself, but my kids are miserable with a cough, cold, headache type of virus that is going around. I don't do much but pass out medicine and hugs, but it seems like the thing moms do when kids are sick.

Dr. Stevenson

2007-01-20T12:24:00.000-08:00

The J-School had a nice memorial service for Dr. Stevenson last Saturday. We got to hear from a couple of professors at UNC, two of the doctoral students he had mentored, as well as his neice and nephew. You always wonder if you really know the person behind the professor that you know at school, and after hearing everyone speak, I realized that Dr. Stevenson, for all of his curmudgeonly tendancies, was quite transparent. He was who he was. He did not hide the fact that he had low regard for both qualitative research and public relations research (two areas I am interested in), yet he didn't disregard me. He kept at me, teaching me statistics, broadening my view of the world. Those are both great qualities in a professor: transparent and enlightening. I hope I can do both in my new job.

Does Crotchetiness matter?

2007-01-09T05:45:00.000-08:00

An article today at Inside Higher Ed describes a discussion of historians, wondering if it is helpful for prospective PhD students to know the "crotchetiness" factor of their faculty.

I decided to look up the definition of "crotchetiness" to make sure I understood where the discussion was headed. According to dictionary.com, "crotchetiness" means:

crotch·et·i·ness, noun
—Synonyms 1. fussy, eccentric, grouchy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Of all the things I want to know about a PhD program, this is interesting, but not critical. I've had crotchety professors--I've learned a great deal from some of them. I've had pleasant professors, and have learned little or nothing from them. I've lived around academics long enough to know that they are all fussy or eccentric or grouchy. There are no perfect personalities in any work environment--the more important measure for a PhD program is whether or not you will get the knowledge and tools you need to be successful in your chosen career.

I think what is most important is having

clear expectations for performance
clear timelines for completion
support to achieve those performance and completion goals

We are adults by the time we've reached a doctoral program. We don't need you to be as sweet as our kindergarten teacher nor do we need you to hold our hand each step of the way--we just need you to be honest about what you expect from us, and to make sure we are able to meet those expectations without putting up too many barriers in our way.

How do schools find older students?

2007-01-08T18:19:00.000-08:00

As I enter my final semester (I hope), I'm wondering how graduate schools find a way to talk to older students? It is pretty easy to advertise to college seniors who are considering grad school, but how do schools find those elusive older students who have decided to return to school for more education?

When I started this program, I felt old and alone. Once I got to UNC, I realized why all of my friends thought I was crazy for going back to school--it is not common for older folks to quit what they are doing and start all over. But, in just a few short years, I've seen more and more older students or older prospective students who want to go back, but are not sure where to find that "perfect program." When you are older, you don't want to waste your time and money on a degree that is neither useful nor interesting--you are much more focused on finding the perfect program that helps advance your career.

I just did a quick google search of grad school programs and found places like gradschool.com and petersons. I'll have to explore them more to know how useful they are.

I'll live forever

2007-01-03T08:49:00.000-08:00

A recent study found a link between the amount of education a person has and their life-span. There could be other factors, such as wealth, that could determine a person's longevity, but a Princeton researcher has found that more education adds years to a person's life.

If I don't get out of school soon, I'll live forever.

Just a typical mom...

2006-12-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

This article identifies ways moms relax, including reading magazines. I can identify with this. After reading journal article upon journal article, it is nice to find a magazine I can sift through, without worrying whether or not this builds upon someone else's theory or contributes to the growth of my own theory. Sometimes, moms just want to use a magazine to relax.

This also shows, however, that moms multi-task with media. Many studies have shown how teens multi-task with media, but we moms are getting used to it, too. We have to juggle many things already--why not media, too?

We can make dinner while our children are watching Scooby-Doo, while listening to All Things Considered while checking email on our blackberry (which my husband calls my crackerberry!).

My Christmas present--an IRB approval!

2006-12-21T12:37:00.000-08:00

Wow. If anyone wonders, UNC has an amazing IRB process. Lawrence (just a first name, in case he wants to be anonymous) is the man who has overseen several of my IRB submissions and he is always so thorough in his review and helpful in making important corrections. I feel very confident that my dissertation research has been thoroughly reviewed and is completely safe for anyone that participates in my research.

Even though I've done several studies so far in my graduate program, this dissertation proposal was by far the most challenging review to get through.

Now, I'm ready to start my dissertation research! Merry Christmas to me!

Time flies...

2006-12-14T19:12:00.000-08:00

Five semesters down, one more to go! After grading 97 6-page exams, I am empty-headed. It was the longest and shortest semester on record.

Now, if I can just get out of "IRB heaven", I can get to my dissertation research!

I guess I'll have to make Christmas cookies while I wait...

God Bless you, Dr. Stevenson...

2006-11-28T18:32:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite professors, Bob Stevenson, died this past weekend. Even though I knew he'd been struggling with heart problems since last summer, I was still shocked when I heard he'd had a fatal heart attack. He looked so well the last time he was at school, just a couple of weeks ago.

I was fortunate enough to take Bob's stats class last spring. His specialty was International Communication, so I felt like I was getting a two-fer. He would teach us stats using examples from International Communication.

Bob's birthday was in January, before school started each year, so I started a two-year tradition of bringing him his favorite cake during the first week of school each January to celebrate--carrot cake. He was an amazing cook and even shared his carrot cake recipe with me. I am not the best cook in the world, but everyone seemed to enjoy his recipe last year on his birthday.

I think I'll make his carrot cake recipe again in January to remember all that was kind and good about our teacher, Bob Stevenson.

A higher purpose...

2006-11-22T08:10:00.000-08:00

I spent a year thinking and praying about whether to go back to school to get my PhD. I always felt that I had a good rapport with my undergraduate students and I realized that I could be of more service to the world by helping students realize their dreams than by selling more plastic soda bottles. I am grateful for that selling and marketing experience, but realized that teaching was my "calling."

I just had a conversation with a mother of a 13-year old who is considering going back to college to finish her degree. After our conversation, I think that there might be an additional purpose for me going through this doctoral experience--helping older students feel confident about re-entering college.

After she asked what I did for a living (okay, it is not much of a living yet), she poured our her heart about whether she should go back to school, the discouragement she has received over the years from her family members about the career she would like to pursue, and her mixed feelings about leaving her 13-year old daughter to return to school at night. While I am certainly not an expert, I feel like I was meant to be with her at that time to encourage her to pursue her dreams, for herself and her daughter. I encouraged her to try hard things because getting through hard things is as much perserverance as intelligence. Finally, I told her stories of how my 12-year old daughter now knows how to microwave food when she is hungry or wash her clothes when she wants to, without relying on me. It is both hard and good for everyone.

Even though this has been a discouraging week at school, I have to keep reminding myself that I am here for a much higher purpose.

Pilot Study

2006-11-19T11:55:00.000-08:00

Here is the link to my disseration survey.

Thanks for your help in pre-testing this survey. Please let me know what you think.

Hurry up and wait...

2006-11-16T15:34:00.000-08:00

I just realized that it has been awhile since I've blogged--but the funny thing about this year is that I write furiously and then I wait.

I turn in a revision--and then I wait--for my chair or committee to review and comment.

I turn in my IRB paperwork--and wait--for approvals.

I turn in a conference submission--and then wait--for reviewers to either accept or reject my paper.

I love this career, but there are times I think it is amazing that anything actually gets done (that is the MBA speaking).

This is tough on an impatient person.

ABD!

2006-11-01T14:17:00.000-08:00

I passed my oral defense of my comprehensive exams and my dissertation proposal on Monday. I'm still in a daze from it all, but I can now call myself, "PhD Candidate". Wow.

I told my children that they deserved to celebrate this achievement with me because I am the only woman in my co-hort with children and I am the first to be ABD. They put up with my writing all summer, giving up their week at the beach so that I could get this done.

I never would have attempted a doctoral degree without the support and encouragement from my husband who is an academic. He is amazed that I accomplished this is just over 2 years, but I told him that he has had me in training for this for a long time.

This was definitely a team effort.

I knew that...

2006-10-20T06:31:00.000-07:00

Inside Higher Ed reports on a study that says married men (and women) get through grad school more successfully than single people.

Price said it was notable that a majority of women in his study who were married had children, and yet they were more productive and successful than single women. He said he hoped that those admitting graduate students to programs and hiring them would take note. “We shouldn’t view married women as being less able to do well in graduate school and the professoriate,” he said.

I knew that...I'm the only mother in my co-hort and will be the first to be ABD among my cohort.

Making history...

2006-10-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

I just found this story that bloggers in the U.K. were urged to blog yesterday about how history affects them to create the biggest blog in history. What a great idea. I'm a day late, but I can share a bit of my life for history's sake.

My life at this point is touched by many things, but Education is the most salient.

My life at UNC and my husband's at WFU put us in the center of higher education every day. While there are calls from the Secretary of Education and others to make sure that college students are actually learning something in college, we don't necessarily see those problems at our schools. Our students are here to learn and for the most part, they work hard. Some of the remedial work that needs to be done at this level involves writing skills. This is something students are not getting enough of at the high school level. Aneil and I had a great teacher at Okemos High School, Doug Collar, who set us on the path to excellent writing.

We also see the K-12 educational system through our children's experiences and there are no easy answers to the problems of K-12 education. The public school our kids went to the first year in Chapel Hill was terrible, despite its outstanding reputation. Large class sizes, ill-equipped teachers, and misbehaving children made for a miserable experience for my children. They were so unhappy that they begged us to move them to private school. Private school, however, has its issues, too. Arrogant administrators and snobby students don't necessarily make it a nice place to spend your time. My kids have a ton of homework every day and this year is not their best year for nurturing teachers, either. We don't see an easy answer for what we are looking for. My husband keeps threatening home-schooling, but I think we all get enough of each other as it is. Where is there a school that cares for its students, creates a sense of community, and is concerned with excellence?

Just when I'm feeling old...

2006-10-18T07:06:00.000-07:00

The man at Bruegger's Bagels called me "sweetie" this morning. Maybe I'm not as old as I think!

Paper taxes...

2006-10-10T16:37:00.000-07:00

A column in the NY Times laments the season of fall with its wrapping paper sales for school-age children. I agree. My children go to private school and they still hold this fundraiser where we buy wrapping paper at twice the price so that our children will get credit for helping to buy new computers or bring in famous authors. All of these efforts are laudable, but I'd rather write another check. I bought too much wrapping paper last year and have too much leftover to buy any this year.

It got me thinking if there are paper taxes in grad school and this year, there is a paper tax. UNC used to provide printers on campus in a few places for high-speed printing for students, but this year decided that each grad student can have only one ream, or 500 sheets, of printing for free for the year. This subject has the students so upset that it is the topic at graduate student meetings. I just bit the bullet and brought a printer to school to print out my own papers and articles. So, I pay for my own printer, ink cartridge, and reams and reams of paper. There are some battles that are not worth fighting.

I guess I'll be ordering a lot more wrapping paper this week, too.

Typical Grad School Day...

2006-10-08T14:59:00.000-07:00

I sat listening to NYU Professor Jay Rosen who was visiting UNC this past week and thought what an interesting day I had:

--Drop kids off at school

--Join prayer group with other moms from my children's school and church

--Scan articles for my graduate assistantship duties

--Code website articles for my graduate assistantship duties

--Listen to Jay Rosen, media critic and NYU professor

--Pick-up kids from school

--Help kids with homework

--Do my own homework

Just another typical day in grad school.

We all need new paradigm for work/family...

2006-10-04T06:43:00.000-07:00

An article at Inside Higher Ed today discusses the many articles surrounding the studies at Yale and Princeton about women's intent to leave the workforce to care for children. Other articles written about these studies have exaggerated the numbers of women intending to leave the workforce, and so the controversy is about the interpretation of the numbers and how it depicts educated women.

When I was an MBA student at the University of Michigan, there was a great panel one Saturday afternoon about women's careers. I'll never forget one woman's description of her career that I think better describes what women do: women go through many phases of a career, not just one career, especially when children are involved. Whether a woman is highly educated or not, all parents see the value of spending as much time as possible with their young children so that the children bond with the parents and learn the values of the parents.

In our case, we made significant financial sacrifices so that I could spend a great deal of time with our children until they left for elementary school. It was also a career sacrifice for me--I gave up a "normal" career track with all that comes with it--title, income, promotional opportunities, etc., but I have the satisfaction of knowing my children and knowing that I raised them with the help of some great babysitters.

I think the dialogue about women, education and career needs to change. If companies and universities are concerned about women "dropping out" then they need to help change the paradigm. Why can't more companies offer part-time options for women with young children? Why can't this be an acceptable option for a professionally minded person who also happens to be a mother? The end result is better for everyone--children who feel loved and are raised by their parents, a more healthy respect for care-givers who help raise children, and grateful parents who are more loyal to those organizations who see them as whole people with whole lives.

Education is not something to be used up or wasted, but something to be a support throughout a woman's life, valuable for both work as mothers and work as employees.

Advertising Study...

2006-09-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

Here are the links for the Advertising Study at UNC.

Please select the study that matches the number on your consent form.

Study 1

Study 2

Study 3

Study 4

Thank you for your participation.

Comps are over!

2006-09-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

Five, four-hour exams later and my comprehensive exams are over! It has been all-consuming to memorize enough material for each exam and I still won't find out if I passed for a couple of weeks. At least my proposal is done so that I can defend both at the same time.

Each morning before I took an exam, life seemed to throw me a curve ball--my son forgot his lunch one morning--my husband's car needed to go to the repair shop another morning--it was never a straight line from here to there. I guess life is never as simple as we think it should be. I'm just glad this chapter is over.

Many paths for a PhD...

2006-09-13T16:30:00.000-07:00

In today's Chronicle of Higher Education, a doctoral student writes about her job search and her realization that teaching is just not her calling. She writes as if she is defending her opinion, as if she is waiting for the rest of us to criticize her lack of interest in teaching. As an older student, this seems similar to the old debate between working moms and stay-at-home moms and whose choice is the right one.

I believe that she should not pursue a teaching job if her heart is not in it. As a former adjunct almost ready to return to academe, I know how much of a professor's life is spent on teaching, as opposed to research. They don't really explain this fully to doctoral students and I fear that many others who are not sure about their feelings will get a teaching job and then figure out it is not what they want. She is right to confront her feelings now, be honest about them, and pursue the path she feels more interested in.

I say this as one who has a completely different perspective. I was an adjunct for 11 years and then decided to pursue teaching as a full-time profession. For me, teaching is a calling--it feels like the best place for my talents and abilities to come together to do something positive in the world. Fortunately, I enjoy research, as well, so this career should be a positive move for me. But, I understand that there are two sides to the job and if your heart is not in it, take a different path.

Does professor mean multi-tasker?

2006-09-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

As a grad student, I suppose we get a taste of what life will be as a professor. I'm wondering if we'll still be multi-tasking as much as I seem to these days:
--teaching assistant
--working on dissertation
--research assistant
--applying for jobs
--finishing up previous studies with other colleagues
--finalizing papers for conferences/journals

And this does not include my other job(s):
--chauffer
--homework assistant
--playmate
--disciplinarian
--cook
--(sometimes)laundress
--school volunteer
--personal shopper
--spouse
--mother

Whew, I'm exhausted already. I guess the one thing we have (as mentioned in that NY Times article) is control over our own time. I just can't wait for there to be some time left to control.

So much for lazy summers...

2006-09-04T08:49:00.000-07:00

An academic, writing in the NY Times today dispels the myth that academics have long lazy summers. No wonder mine flew by without much relaxation. Don't tell my kids about this--I keep promising them that next summer will be better.

Online education reaches more students...

2006-08-31T06:50:00.000-07:00

Inside Higher Ed today reports on a new initiative at the University of Illinois to create an online division. There is some controversy about this as many academics see online teaching and learning as a less than desirable way to teach. I happen to know the President of Illinois, Joe White, who is featured on the Illinois homepage today, and he is a very thoughtful and visionary person. Joe was an associate Dean and later Dean of the Ross School of Business when I was an MBA student there.

After two experiences, I am convinced that Illinois is doing the right thing. My younger brother would not be going to college if he didn't have an online option. He is raising three young daughters and Phoenix online allows him to finally go back to school to get his degree. I have watched him take his classes and I know how much work he is doing and what he is learning in the process. It has been the right thing for him.

My second experience is first-hand, as I took a class at NCSU this past spring in Digital Marketing from Professor Michael Rappa. Dr. Rappa created this course several years ago as a way to create the most up-to-date course on the digital enterprise. There are no textbooks--all of the material is online. Last year, he taught one section in the classroom and one section online--I chose the online section as a way to make it fit into my other coursework at UNC. I loved the course so much that I plan to teach it when I graduate, either in person or online or both.

The world is changing and not everyone has the luxury of spending 4 years and $100,000 to go away to college. Online education can make it possible for more students to get a college degree.

Ethics & college students...

2006-08-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

I'm a Teaching Assistant (TA) for an ethics class this semester. The professor asked them to write down the number one ethics issue for the past 10 years, as well as their top pick for most ethical person. Here are the results:

Ethical Issue
1) Abortion
2) Iraq/U.S. intervention in the middle east
3) Gay marriage and stem cell research (tied)

The most ethical person was wide-ranging from student's best friend to the Dali Lama.

Here the top three ethical people
1) Mom
2) Dad
3) Mother Theresa

If it makes Dads feel any better, Moms only won by one vote.

My first "pub"

2006-08-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

I am still in shock. I just got word that the paper I wrote in Lois Boyton's public relations seminar last fall has been accepted for publication in the winter 2006 issue of the Public Relations Review. Lois is my dissertation chair and the world's best advisor.

No revisions, just acceptance. My husband warned me that the next one will be harder, but I'm just enjoying today.

Back to school with bifocals

2006-08-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

At my house, we are getting ready to go back to school. My son starts 3rd grade next week,my daughter starts 6th grade and I start my last year of the PhD program. We went to Target the other day to get the supplies on their lists, and spent two hours making sure we had each and every spiral notebook, pen, ream of paper and D-ring notebook. It was exhausting.

They don't give us lists for the PhD program, especially when the last year consists of writing a dissertation, taking comps and working as a graduate assistant. But, I did get my surprise back-to-school supply yesterday: bifocals.

I'm 43 and I probably should have gotten them already. In all my studying, the pages have started to seem blurry to me. When I described this to the opthalmologist, she just laughed, "You are over 40. It's time for bifocals."

Man, do I feel old now. It almost makes you long for notebooks and pencils.

Don't put us in a box...

2006-08-08T07:23:00.000-07:00

Ever since I had two children with my Indian-American husband, I've discovered the frustration of classifying people by "the box." My children and not white, yet they are also not Indian, so I have classified them as multi-racial whenever possible on school forms. My children understand their heritage; they knew their Indian grandfather (before he died), they eat Indian food in our home and their middle and last names are Indian. While we may not look like the typical Indian family, we are proud of our heritage. To be classified as merely "white" would lose something of the essence of who my children are.

An article in Inside Higher Ed reports that the Department of Education is finally catching up, allowing people to choose more than one box for their racial identity. "The system proposed by the department would for the first time allow students to pick multiple boxes, with colleges reporting all of those who checked multiple boxes in a new “two or more races” category."

How can we celebrate diversity if we have a limited number of boxes? While this new Dept of Education answer may not be the most clear way of understanding and appreciating people, it will at least give them an opportunity to express their pride in who they really are.

The job hunt continues...

2006-08-04T20:36:00.000-07:00

I spent two days in San Francisco at AEJMC, the annual conference for academics in mass comm and I'm now in Chicago for two days at the AMA conference for academics in marketing--whew!--I am tired!

Most interviews in this setting are 15 minutes to a half-hour and vary in content. One teaching school started out by grilling me on my projected research stream and one research school spent quite awhile telling me that teaching was equally important to them as research. I know it is just a job pre-view, but exchanges like that have confused me about the distinction between teaching schools and research schools.

Maybe there shouldn't be such a strong distinction--maybe both students and faculty would be served with schools opting for a more balanced approach to research and teaching. After all, the price of education is going up--I can't believe that parents will sit by and continue to write large checks for schools where professors aren't interested in excellent teaching.

The learning continues...

Job hunting...

2006-07-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

This process of job hunting in academia is interesting. Each day, my husband and I search the Chronicle of Higher Education, as well as our individual career sites. The big site for marketing is the AMA site, and the big site for PR is AEJMC. His area is management, so he searches the Academy of Management site for job postings in his field.

Since we want to live together as a family, we are concentrating on schools in the same city or schools that have openings for both of us.

Even with many faculty retiring, this is not an easy thing to do.

Curves Managers Can Create Buzz

2006-07-17T12:39:00.000-07:00

As I did my rounds at Curves this morning (it is my new morning class), I huffed and puffed listening to the talk of the morning--movies. When one of the ladies asked our manager, Tracy, if she had seen Superman, she said "no" and the conversation waned. It was then I realized that movie marketing execs should be giving Tracy free movie passes to see everything as soon as it comes out. Tracy (a superb manager), loves to talk to every single person at Curves. She knows all of our names and she even knows something about each one of us.

Just think if Tracy had seen every new release and could talk it up to the rest of the ladies at Curves--this is not "sweatin' to the oldies", this is "sweatin' to the movie reviews." What a gold mine to create buzz.

Progress...

2006-07-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

My goal for the summer was to write 25 pages toward my dissertation. But, today I've written 31 pages of proposal and another 33 of IRB-related appendices. Not bad for a summer split between the pursuit of knowledge and fun (with my children).

I'm still not done enough to turn it into my advisor, but it feels good to stop every now and then and to feel like I'm making true progress.

Why not stay an adjunct forever?

2006-07-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

In these past two years, I've often met people who wonder why I would give up the adjunct life to go back to school to get a PhD. It means taking classes, studying, writing papers...essentially no life. I guess next time someone asks, I'll have to pull out this cartoon I just discovered on Inside Higher Ed by Matthew Hall. This one says it all.

Corporate blogs to build buzz...

2006-07-05T07:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes in academia, we write things, convinced our research rings true, yet wondering if the rest of the world will agree.

The paper I presented at the Academy of Marketing Science was about how companies should embrace blogging in order to build buzz from the inside in order to connect with customers. It was based on a presentation and paper I developed in my online communities class taught by Paul Jones.

An article in MediaPost agrees with me! This article cites a Jupiter research study that finds that in the coming year, almost 70% of companies surveyed will start blogging. Not all of them know how to use blogs to generate word-of-mouth, but at least it's a start.

Love notes at the meat market...

2006-07-01T18:20:00.000-07:00

The job market is starting to swing into gear. For academics, it means we look for jobs now for the Fall of 2007. It seems early to start looking, but we're already getting our curriculum vitaes ready to go.

My husband and I are both going to our annual conferences where there will be many interviews for jobs. Some call it the "meat market", where you get your 15 minutes with each university to tell them how wonderful you are, yet some also describe my meeting as one where you'll get lots of "love notes" from prospective universities asking to set up an interview.

Those two terms don't seem to go together--am I entering a meat market or will there be love notes? Maybe it's a bit of both--I'll know more in August.

Summer as a PhD mom...

2006-06-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

After one week of sports camp at "that other school" down the road, Duke (gasp, shock, horror!), my kids are home. How will I be a mom and get my dissertation proposal done?

If today was any indication, I'll take my journal articles to the pool, take swim breaks with them every hour, and write at night.

I think this can work...I think this can work...

I'll get back to you.

Adjuncts are not second-class citizens...

2006-06-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

A new site to help adjuncts is being beta-tested by a couple of schools. An article today in Inside Higher Ed explains that AdjunctImpact was developed to help adjuncts with issues such as teaching ideas and even how to dress--information that universities are not providing.

One commenter seemed almost disdainful of adjuncts, telling them

If adjuncting is your main source of income, your spare time would be better spent looking for full-time work.

But, as a former full-time adjunct for almost 12 years, I can tell you that adjuncts are adjuncts for a variety of reasons. For me, I wanted to try teaching as a part-time job while raising my small children. I put up with the abuse an adjunct receives, such as never knowing what classes you'll teach, or how much you'll be paid per class, or even if you'll be replaced next semester by the school's benefactor--all for the privilege of learning about teaching as a profession, sharing knowledge, and developing my skills part-time so that I had time for my children, as well.

We know other business professionals who are interested in becoming adjuncts because they are bored with their corporate careers and want to find a way to energize their lives by sharing their knowledge about what they know. For them, we've tried to be a resource on how to become an adjunct, but this website sounds like it could be helpful, too.

The cold, hard fact is that many schools are hiring adjuncts to save money or fill holes in their curriculum that their own professors cannot fill. There is no reason that adjuncts have to be treated like second-class citizens.

Cellphone policy or mosquito policy?

2006-06-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

In my pedagogy class, we developed a course syllabus and talked about our philosophies about classroom behavior ranging from absences to the use of cellphones in class. As you can imagine, most professors frown on having to deal with your cell phone ringing while they are lecturing. That has only happened to me one time in the past two years and I was mortified--and then I learned about the silent option for my phone.

Now, students have a new option--the mosquito buzz. It supposedly rings at such a high pitch that only young people can pick it up. Okay, so I'll be an older professor by the time I graduate and probably won't pick it up, but should I now list this on my syllabus?

"No cellphones will be permitted to ring during class--including mosquito buzzing ringtones."

I'm sure there will be something new in a year to replace mosquito buzzing.

No classes, yet tons of reading...

2006-06-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

I'm having a hard time explaining to non-academic types what I'm doing this summer. Since my classes are all over, everyone seems to think I am "free"--able to enjoy my time, lounging around the pool. Truth is, I'm reading furiously, trying to write my dissertation proposal, study for comps in the fall, and prepare the survey I'll be using as the basis for my dissertation study. Oh, yes, in between reading and writing, I'm taking my kids to the pool, too.

Teaching is not all fun and games...

2006-06-05T07:39:00.000-07:00

I want to be a professor--that is why at 40+ years old I am returning to academia, studying, writing, and taking tests. After being an adjucnt for 12 years, I know the good, the bad, and the ugly of being a professor.

The good
I know how much I love sharing what is new knowledge to undergraduates as they try to find their place in the world. I love listening to them figure out how to solve problems in marketing, or in business, especially ethical problems.

The Bad
I don't particularly enjoy the grading process as there are always students who will fight with you no matter what. I try to be fair and show them how I got their grade, but there are always students who think they deserve an "A" no matter what. On the flip side, there are sometimes students who don't even care what their grade is, and that is equally frustrating.

The Ugly
An article today in Inside Higher Ed discusses one problem I have encountered as a professor: student suicide. During my time as an adjunct, I've had a handful of students who are suicidal. Some have opted to tell me why they are missing so many classes, and some just disappear, leaving me to wonder when they won't return my emails or phone calls. One student went back home and his parents helped him finish his semester. I think they were surprised that I would send his assignments to him long distance, but I wanted to give him hope that someone cared and that it mattered that he finish. Another male student (the article says more of these depressed students are male), confided in me and I kept tabs on him, making sure he was not being too hard on himself, yet making sure to provide the listening and nonjudgmental ear he needed.

All of this was not in my job description, and is not the prettier side of being a professor, but after having my favorite cousin commit suicide when I was just 11, I don't ever want to be accused of only wanting to be a professor for the fun of it--I want to be there for all of it.

Who is accountable for plagiarism?

2006-06-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

Today in Inside Higher Ed, there is an article about plagiarism at Ohio U among many graduate students in mechanical engineering and it appears that the faculty involved as mentors or advisors were dealt with more harshly than the students who were dishonest. Many commenters believe the students should have received harsher punishments. You can read the many comments at Inside Higher Ed, but it prompts many questions for me...

1) How could students be proud of their work if they are copying 20 pages word-for-word from previous students' theses?
2) Wouldn't a professor remember 20 pages worth of similar content?
3) How many of these professors have plagiarized themselves?

If those professors condoned and even encouraged this type of behavior, is it logical to assume that they might have engaged in it as well?

It is a slippery slope.

How will we get tenure?

2006-05-30T14:26:00.000-07:00

I just returned from the Academy of Marketing Science conference where I presented a paper on employee blogging. The presentation went well--even if one man did fall asleep in the back row--I tried not to take it personally. This conference is small and very welcoming to doctoral students--there was a dinner and lunch devoted to us where we had an opportunity to ask questions of senior faculty about the job search and other things.

One interesting topic was tenure in the future. A couple of faculty claimed that we should be prepared to excel at teaching, research, service AND making money for the school. Now, an article in Inside Higher Ed says that patents are also being considered for tenure.

How will we social scientists compete in this landscape? Those professors in the sciences are used to writing grants and applying for patents, but this is all new to us. Guess there are more new tricks to learn.

UNC has Paul Jones...

2006-05-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

An article in the NY Times discusses how J-School admissions are booming, yet not all are getting on the new media bandwagon.

First of all, it is sad that UNC's J-School is not even mentioned in this article. While it is true that schools are not embracing new media to the extent that we would expect them to, UNC does have Paul Jones who teaches an outstanding class on online communities. I took his class last fall and there were several undergrad journalism students in that class planning to use their knowledge of new media in their journalism careers.

Guess we need to do a better job tooting our own horn.

Multiple personalities...

2006-05-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

I volunteered in my son's classroom yesterday helping to organize a Greek lunch after their weeks of studying Greek culture and mythology. The kids all dressed up like Greek Gods and had a wonderful lunch of chicken, rice, greek salad, pita bread and hummus. I haven't had much time to volunteer all year, so I'm trying to make up for it by doing extra things now that the semester is over.

I realized that I have to have multiple personalities to navigate in that volunteer world. Some moms work, many do not and I've only met one that is also a student. Sometimes I have to stop myself and think of something I have in common with these other moms in this very privileged world our children live in--where moms will spend many hours and hundreds of dollars to create a Greek feast to help their children learn about Greek culture.

Crisis resolved...

2006-05-20T07:54:00.000-07:00

Open communication and offering apologies do wonders to healing fractures in relationships. It is not easy being the junior person in a research relationship, but I'm learning. Guess I'm not too old to learn a new trick.

Guess I'm not the oldest student after all...

2006-05-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

A new study finds that 25 million people over college age are planning to take college courses in the next year: 57% from 18-34 and 42% 35 and older.

Ouch. Guess I'm in that oldest category. One interesting fact: the largest market for returning students is my favorite town, Ann Arbor.

Looks like there is a market here to talk to all of us old students. I wonder who is working on this.

Sad ending to second year...

2006-05-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

The semester is over and it feels strange. I should be happy about completing two years of grueling coursework, while raising two young children, but I'm fighting for equal ownership of an article I helped to co-author. I've dealt with dulicitious people in the business world, but never thought I'd deal with them in academia like this.

I've had challenges, like media law, impossible deadlines, balancing children with studying and papers, but this is the most depressing issue I've faced yet. Yuck.

Thanks, Pat...We'll miss you.

2006-05-07T11:41:00.000-07:00

Last night, we all gathered to say good-bye to one of our favorite professors, Pat Curtin. Pat (second from the right on the couch) is leaving UNC for a chaired professorship at Oregon and we students wanted to have a chance to say good-bye, and thanks.

Pat is one of those rare professors that I hope I can emulate someday: she cares enough to teach us how to write well (as well as teach us the course material) and she cares enough to know when we need help with something other than what's on the syllabus.

Thanks, Pat. Oregon's gain is our loss.

Less is more...

2006-05-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

Lag in blogging due to finals week.

This week has been full of final papers and exams: One paper due Monday, one paper due Tuesday, one exam Tuesday, and one paper due Friday. Then, at the last minute, one professor (who shall remain nameless!), decided that we needed a final exam after all, in addition to our final paper, so he gave us a take-home final exam to be due when the final paper was due Friday afternoon. But, he must have received complaints about the exam because he had to hold a teaching session Thursday to teach us the material that would allow us to actually complete the exam. Two hours later, we knew enough to finish the exam.

Add this experience to "what I will not do when I'm a professor." By the end of a semester, students are burnt out--I know I am.

Less is more.

Stranger in a strange land or welcome visitor?

2006-04-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

As I sat in my last seminar class, I experienced the strange mixed emotions of both joy and curiosity. On the one hand, I have learned so much from taking a comm studies class and from my new committee member, Steve May. Just when I think I know a thing or two about corporate social responsibility, he introduces a whole host of topics, books and articles that completely open up new worlds for me, which is why I'm back in school. I love that feeling of learning new things and discovering how they fit into my existing framework of knowledge. Even though the class is hosted by comm studies, there were a few of us from the J-School, and they all made us feel like welcome visitors.

There were times, however, that I realized I was in way over my head--I was definitely a stranger in a strange land. When the comm studies students started talking back and forth to each other, I could do nothing more than observe in awe at their level of analysis. In those times, I feel a little lost, but very glad for the opportunity to have taken that journey.

God and Doug Lederman went to Princeton...

2006-04-24T07:00:00.001-07:00

My husband likes remind me that even "God went to Princeton." So, he was especially proud to discover last night, reading the alumni magazine, the Paw, that the founder of one of my favorite academic websites, Inside Higher Ed, is a princeton alum from his class of 1984, Doug Lederman.

Student-parents work all the time...

2006-04-17T18:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what to call myself--a student-parent? I am a full-time student and also a parent. This week, I had a couple of occasions to remind my professors about that. First, I had to complete an annual review form due today, outlining my coursework, dissertation topic and any jobs I've had outside of the 15 hours I work for my fellowship. I had to laugh when I read that one--I'm taking four courses, I'm working 15+ hours for a professor each week, and I'm a parent of two children. Who has extra time for an extra job? My children are my job--and unpaid at that!

Then, an assignment was due for one of my classes Friday, Good Friday. When I emailed it to the professor, as directed on the syllabus, he asked why I was working on Good Friday. I had to politely remind him that it was not a day of rest for me, but a chance to get some work done while my children were busy playing in their rooms--until they come out and want to play with me.

Students who are parents don't always get to choose when they get their work done--we just do it when we can.

Executives should encourage employee blogging...

2006-04-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

This was the thesis of the paper I presented at the Blogging Ethics conference this past weekend. Since a forthcoming issue of the Sloan Management Review will be discussing these issues, I thought I'd share my paper here (references available upon request). Professor McAfee from Harvard writes an article in this issue and blogs about encouraging executives to blog.

Ethical Blogging Through Authenticity
There is a growing emphasis on the need to build trust with customers and other stakeholders (3), as the key to relationship marketing (11). This is occurring as more stakeholders are demanding more value-driven, ethical organizations (14). One important way to build those relationships is through integrated marketing communication (4, 12) or linking marketing communications to present a united brand image to the consumer. “When properly done, communication is the integrative element that helps tear down functional silos internally while closing the distance between company, its customers, and other stakeholders” (4, page 3).

If employee enthusiasm for a firm’s products and/or services can be harnessed, such as through employee blogging, it can be the integrating communications factor that brings a firm closer to its other stakeholders who in turn become enthusiastic advocates for the firm, or “customer evangelists” (9). Firms can utilize employee blogging to “focus on bringing consumers face to face with the organizational identity, while drawing them closer to the center of the organization through co-creation activities (2),” the key to providing source credibility (11) to consumers. Blog credibility is increasing as more and more employees read and rely on blogs at work (7). These unedited messages contribute to outsiders’ perception of a firm’s ethical reputation (14).

Organic vs. Strategic Blogs
An analysis of corporate blogs classified them as either “organic” or “strategic” (10). Organic blogs are those that emerge spontaneously from within a corporate culture to communicate with external stakeholders. Strategic blogs originate with a specific management purpose or audience in mind. The analysis found six corporate websites with what could be perceived as organic blogs, or those originating spontaneously from employees. Microsoft and IBM both have over 2000 employee bloggers (5, 1). The seven GE blogs are all in Spanish for Telemundo. Hewlett-Packard features their executive blogs. Dell does not have blogs, per se, but community forums where customers and employees can exchange information. Finally, Ford has one outdated blog, Team LS, indicating that it might have originated as an organic blog from the LS Team, but has since been strategically co-opted by the public relations staff.

The other five corporate blogs identified in the analysis would be classified as strategic because it is clear that they were created for a specific purpose, such as Cisco’s blog covering high-tech policy affairs. Coca Cola’s blogs are specifically for consumers to play games and interact with their brands at refreshingwall.com. Intel and Nokia each have how-to blogs on their websites, both promoting the use of their products. Hewlett-Packard, in addition to having blogs written by their executives, also has links to customer blogs on their site.
Consumers are more likely to trust blogs they perceive as organic because they believe that those blogs originate from employees, who are perceived as a more ethical source of company information than traditional advertising (6). Strategic blogs might be perceived as organic, but will only be trusted if they do not deceive consumers by pretending to be something they are not. The extent to which the voice of the blogger is authentic is an even more factor that can impact whether or not a blog is perceived as ethical.

The role of authenticity: the voice of the blogger
One way to make sure a brand’s good intention comes through is through the authenticity of the blogger’s writing, or voice. Dave Johnson (http://rollerweblogger.org/page/roller) at Sun Microsystems would be an outstanding example of an organic blogger with an authentic voice. Dave began blogging while he created the Roller blogging software, providing instant credibility and because of his role. An example of a strategic blogger with an authentic voice would be Robert Scoble, Technical Evangelist at Microsoft (http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/). He was hired to blog as a Microsoft employee, but he speaks/writes in his own voice. He has often mentioned on his blog that what he has written has made someone at Microsoft unhappy, but that he is writing what he feels is the truth, despite what others think, which makes him more credible to his readers. Both Microsoft and Sun treat these two men as having intrinsic value, and not as a means to an end, as evidenced by both bloggers ability to write in their own authentic voice, with no censorship of their blogging.

There are blogs with inauthentic voices, as well, which quickly erode trust between companies and their customers. By pretending to be something they are not, bloggers who are “hired guns” diminish credibility both in the brand and in the firm, and are seen as promoting unethical business behavior. Inauthentic or fake blogs are created to sell something, like Captain Morgan’s Rum Blog http://www.thecaptainsblog.com/home.php. When consumers discover that the blog comes from fictitious person, they lose trust in the blogger and the company. This happened to McDonald’s with their Lincoln fry debacle (http://andylark.blogs.com/andylark/2005/02/the_lincoln_fry.html) where a supposed consumer, Mike, found a French fry that looked like Lincoln and started blogging about it. After it was discovered that McDonald’s created this fake blog, it set off a debate as to whether or not it is proper or even ethical for marketers to create fake blogs to sell products. Advertisers already have a credibility problem with consumers (6) and creating fake blogs is not only unethical, but also tarnishes the brand.

In order for a blog and thus an organization to be perceived as ethical, the blog voice must come through as authentic. Ultimately, the blogger must ask him or herself if his or her action produces an ethical result. Authentic blog communication is a potential way to overcome a lack of trust by harnessing the reliable voice of company experts to build long-term relationships between a firm and its constituents. Therefore, blogging can be effective as an ethical form of communication, so that it is considered more than punditry and emotional rhetoric.

Is graduate school a license to pontificate?

2006-04-11T07:32:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to figure out what comes first, the urge to pontificate or the desire to attend graduate school, which then gives graduates a license to pontificate? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Do people who are more naturally inclined to go on&on&on want to attend grad school or do we learn these skills in grad school? I've been to so many academic conferences lately and the one thing I've been amazed at is how we say we want to be in "dialogue" but we really just want to "be heard."

It was saddest at one session where the grad students were supposed to give an overview of their papers and then take questions from the rest of the group. Instead of asking questions of those students about their papers, the other academics tended to blather on and on about their own interests and theories. The poor students ended up sitting there looking rather dazed and confused about the whole thing. It was supposed to be a learning experience, but I'm not sure what lessons were learned, except that I learned to keep my answers short and sweet.

College debt for students is not new...

2006-04-10T08:07:00.000-07:00

An article in today's NY Times quotes someone at BU saying that students taking on college debt, instead of parents "It's such a new phenomenon that there's not a lot to compare it to" is naive. We graduated from undergraduate school in 1984 and 1985 and we are still living with the effects of college debt.

My husband and I both ended up paying for our college educations, despite our parents attempts to help. As we both started college, they tried to help, but by the time we got there, other family problems took over, and he and I were both left to take out students loans to pay for the rest of our college educations. In addition, I accepted a job as a co-op student at General Motors in Lansing, Michigan, which helped me to pay for my college tuition. I essentially worked every other semester from my freshmen summer until I graduated, leaving absolutely no time to try much else--though I did squeeze in one semester "abroad" in NYC in an arts management internship.

To make matters worse, I decided to get an MBA full-time, which my parents were very clear that they would not support, since I was married. I consolidated both loans and I am still paying off this debt on the 20-year plan to the tune of $204.02 per month. My husband was much smarter about his graduate education--Michigan paid for his PhD.

The reason I was stuck with the 20-year option, however, was that my husband was forced to borrow the rest of his Princeton tuition from a family member who insisted on a 7-year repayment option. We got married right out of college and immediately had an instant mortgage of $500/month. We were married for 14 years before we were able to purchase our first home, and it was because of this massive debt we had from the get-go.

Now, we are extremely happy with our educations--they have provided us with amazing opportunities, but we sincerely hope that our children do not have the same limitations starting out in life that we have had, as a result of college debt.

Ohio U. Blogging Ethics conference was a hit...

2006-04-09T14:32:00.000-07:00

After the most circuitous route to Athens imaginable (long story), I made it to the conference a bit late, missing Dan Gillmor's keynote address. But, I did have the distinct honor of having dinner with Mr. Gillmor that evening--what a treat. After reading his book, "We, the media" in Paul Jones' class last fall, it was wonderful to talk to him in person.

There were approximately 20 presenters, 5 of whom were women. One of the presenters mentioned that there are more female bloggers than male bloggers, but once again, the male researchers out-number the female researchers--at least on this topic. Our topics ranged from ethical considerations to teaching new media to how blogging can bring about democratic change in the arab world. It was a fascinating weekend.

It was one of the more lively student-oriented conferences I have been to (of my 3 conferences in 4 weeks!). There were undergrads there from Ohio U who were very involved in our discussions, and there were both masters and doctoral student presenters. One thing I was amazed at was the level of lively discussion, despite our student status. It certainly did not deter people from expressing their opinions--I guess that is also a characteristic of bloggers--not shy to express an opinion!

It was also a great honor to meet Professor Christians, who spoke on ethics on an online world. His basic thesis was that if we think about treating people with dignity and respect in the off-line world, we will translate those values into the online world, as well. I'm not doing his message justice, but I'm sure there is a paper forthcoming on this topic (which I'll be looking for).

The Ohio U Inn is also very nice, if you are ever there to visit.

Next stop, Athens...

2006-04-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

This week, I'm going to yet another conference, the Blogging Ethics conference at Ohio U. I'm very excited to have been selected as one of 25 participants at this conference where Dan Gillmor is a keynote speaker.

My article is about the ethics of corporate blogging and my thesis is that employee blogging is more authentic than corporate-pr type of blogging because consumers get to hear from lower level employees who blog to create dialogue, not just to sell something. I developed this argument in my online communities class with Paul Jones this past fall. It seems someone agrees with me.

Talk of the town...

2006-03-29T07:24:00.000-08:00

The "alleged" sexual assault, rape and sodomy on a NC Central student that took place by Duke Lacrosse students has this town talking. It is in all the papers and even hit my local daily read, Inside Higher Ed, today. We even talked about this incident in one of my J-School classes last night. People are upset that this could happen and the J-School folks are especially upset that the Duke officials have not handled the crisis communication better, though they apparently now have FAQs on the situation.

My husband and I took a marriage bible study class two years ago at our church and one of the sessions was on why some men have trouble treating women with respect. We watched a video tape of a pastor who now teaches men how to respect women, including other pastors. He said in this video that men are socialized from a very young age to treat women as objects and to not think of them as people worthy of respect. We saw the session where he talks to women and the men watched the portion where he talks to men. It was very powerful to think that we as a society might be raising our boys and young men to think so little of the women they will marry and work with. No wonder there is a glass ceiling and there are failing marriages.

My son has been interested in learning how to play lacrosse, but now I am not so sure that is a good idea. I think we'll find a sport that encourages self-respect as well as respect for others.

Age and end time for the PhD...

2006-03-28T06:15:00.000-08:00

A study mentioned in Inside Higher Ed reports that the mean time for students to complete a PhD from completing a bachelor's degree is 10.1 years. Supposedly, this is a slight improvement. The average age someone receives a PhD is 33.3 years, also down from a previous report.

While I agree that the time it takes to receive the degree is far too long, I don't see much wrong with graduating older students. In my pedagogy class last year, our instructor, who is now the interim Dean of our J-School, Tom Bowers, said that schools in general do look for older students when they are filling new positions. That did not sit well with the younger students in my co-hort, but it made me feel better about my life choices. Maybe academia in general should get over the notion that only young people can enter PhD programs--I can tell you from personal experience that I've seen the benefits to some of us old folks getting one, too.

About program length, my program is 3-years and assumes that you already come with your master's degree, so the total time from bachelor's to PhD is 5 years. This seems speedy compared to the sciences, and there are times I'd like to catch my breath, but it is one of the reasons I was drawn to the program. I'm not here to waste time--I'm here for a purpose--to get my PhD. I know what I want to do and getting the degree is just the beginning of my life in academia, not the end. Heck, by the time I graduate, if I plan to retire at 70, I'll still have a good 25-26 years left to teach.

Isolation is not just in academia...

2006-03-24T05:56:00.000-08:00

The articles from Inside Higher Ed often get me thinking, and today is no different. This one discusses the problem of isolation in academia and asks whether or not we bring this upon ourselves, by virtue of our career choice.

After living in Ann Arbor, MI, State College, PA, East Lansing, MI, Winston-Salem, NC and now Chapel Hill/Durham, NC, I can now confidently say that isolation is not just in academia. My husband has always been an academic, but I have not. We have always been church members and our children have always been involved with their schools. What we have found is that people are very wrapped up in their own lives, and in the south, it is complicated by the fact that we are "yankees". When we first moved to the south, it was made very clear to me that I was different. They already had their circle of friends--couldn't I just go and find my own?!

We struggle with this today. My children love their school, but we sit in the car pool line and don't know any of the other parents who sit next to us. My husband is the brave one who gets out and walks around, hoping to strike up a conversation with the other moms who are waiting to pick up their children. I've actually tried to do this at school functions, but the parents are too busy talking to their old friends to be interested in meeting a new person.

Maybe it is just that comfort in the old feeds isolation. In our next life, we are looking for just the opposite.

Is an MBA losing its luster?

2006-03-22T18:13:00.000-08:00

An article in Ad Age describes a study that finds that consumer products companies with MBAs underperform vs. companies without MBAs.

I wonder if this study is getting talked about in B-Schools today. I fell in love with marketing in business school, but once I started working, consulting, teaching and even sitting on non-profit boards, I realized that there was something missing in my education, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Don't get me wrong, I had amazing marketing professors at Michigan, but I wanted to know even more. I met with a former student yesterday whom I had for a marketing elective at Wake Forest University, and she also mentioned that she felt that she was missing something in her basic marketing education.

When I looked at PhD programs, I knew that I needed to get a different perspective, which is what prompted me to look at UNC. I used Bob Lauterborn's integrated marketing communications approach in my own teaching--the 4Cs instead of the 4Ps, and knew I had to learn more about this aspect of marketing communications.

New media and younger consumers' use of media is transforming the way they respond to marketing communications. These changes should impact the way we create and use marketing communications. Let's see if it does.

Next stop, an Advertising Conference...

2006-03-20T18:14:00.000-08:00

I'm going to the American Academy of Advertising conference at the end of the month in Reno, Nevada. I'm presenting a paper on the leadership lessons of J. Walter Thompson from 1936-1938 based on research I did last spring break at the archives at Duke library. I am presenting the only advertising history paper, so it should be interesting.

The Dean of our J-school, Tom Bowers, nominated me to write about a grad student's perspective on school and academic life for the conference newsletter, so I thought I'd share what I wrote.

The greatest challenge for me as a graduate student has been going back to school as an older student. My first career after Business School was in corporate sales and marketing, and my second career was as an adjunct instructor of marketing at Penn State and Wake Forest University. Once I realized that my true love was academia, my husband, who is a professor at Wake Forest, encouraged me to get a Ph.D. I interviewed UNC first, to make sure that I would not be too old for their program, and was immediately reassured that age did not matter. During that visit, I met Dr. Lois Boynton, who has been a wonderful mentor to me and is now my dissertation chair. Having a family while in school is also a challenge and is one that I have been documenting on a blog I started last year, www.newdogtricks.blogspot.com. I started this blog as a way to learn about new media by actually doing it. On my blog, you’ll also read about the most amazing experiences I have had at UNC, which have made these challenges seem insignificant by comparison. I’ve learned to become a much better teacher because of the pedagogy class taught by Tom Bowers, and I’ve learned about integrated marketing communication from Bob Lauterborn, one of the reasons I chose to attend UNC. Most of all, I have had the opportunity to develop my research and presentation skills by participating in conferences like the AAA.

Spring break is over...

2006-03-20T18:09:00.000-08:00

Spring break is over and UNC is out of the NCAA tournament. What a way to return to school. Franklin Street sure was quiet today. Cold, too. I thought spring in NC was supposed to be warm.

This is the final stretch of my last semester of classes. Just a few weeks to go and then I start writing my dissertation. My idea is percolating--just needs refinement. I'm almost there. Time flies.

Why don't we make it easy for women to return to school?

2006-03-16T18:56:00.000-08:00

I met a woman today at an event for our local chapter of the American Marketing Association, held at SAS. When she found out that I was in school, she mused aloud that it was something she had thought of, but had so many questions about what she would get her advanced degree in and how she would juggle it with her new baby and her career.

It made me wonder why universities make it so hard for people like her to find out more about their programs. She had been actively seeking information, yet didn't know much about what was available to her. There are so many good schools in our area, yet, I was the one telling her about all of them, even though I'm a UNC student. I'm sure she is not the only one thinking about this. There must be someplace for prospective students to get this type of information. I'm going to track it down.

More than one path to success...

2006-03-15T07:55:00.000-08:00

Many of my PhD colleagues who are either not married or have not had children, yet, ask me how they are going to "do it all?" They look at our role models in academia, some of whom are divorced or who have opted not to have children, and they wonder if they, too, will have to sacrifice marriage or children to "have it all."

In my old age, I can finally tell them (from some experience with this) that we don't have to accept the defined career paths, as prescribed by others. We can blaze our own trails. If that means we want marriage, children and a career, then we can "have it all."

An editorial in the New York Times today, addresses this issue, saying that educated women are "getting a bum rap" from the press, and I agree. Just because we don't follow an accepted, prescribed or "normal" career path that men follow, does not mean we are not contributing to society in meaningful ways or that we are not able to raise our children and have careers, as well. It just means that we choose differently. We don't need high power status every day of our lives--we need the balance that comes from knowing we have a role in our children's lives and we have a career that fulfills us. We are not "opting out"--we are redefining what it means to be successful.

No excuse to miss class...

2006-03-14T07:20:00.000-08:00

There is an article today in Inside Higher Ed about the "Dead Grandmother" excuse that students give for having to miss class or an exam. I, too, saw many grandmothers die during my adjunct years, wondering if I should feel sad for the student or for myself for believing such a story.

As a doctoral student, I'm sad to say that the excuses don't change much. In one of our first semester courses, the syllabus says that to miss even one class is to flunk the class. As an older student with children, I was quite aware that I might be the one who would have to miss a class due to illness or some other problem--due to my children, so I made darn sure that I never missed one class. Interestingly enough, my other colleagues started slacking off and started to miss class--sleeping in, visiting boyfriends, and even coughs or colds. I don't remember if there were any dead grandmothers, but there were plenty of other excuses that I was grateful I never had to use.

PR Conference was terrific...

2006-03-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

I just got back from the 9th Annual International Public Relations Research Conference in Miami where I presented my paper on "Help or Hype" during Hurricane Katrina. There were so many interesting topics and so many interesting people from all over the world.

It was great experience to present in front of professors and practitioners and it was fun to hear what other topics people are working on. I even got to tour the beautiful campus at the University of Miami, where the weather was gorgeous. I'm not sure I could concentrate enough on my work if I could sit in the library and look out the window at palm trees. They even opened up a Starbucks on campus right next to the library. My sister, a new PhD student in the School of Education, said that the library even allows Starbucks in the library--shhhh.

Finding a new church is a new trick, too...

2006-03-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

We have been to umpteen new churches since moving to Chapel Hill and Durham from Winston-Salem. When we lived in Chapel Hill last year, we attended Christ United Methodist Church in Southern Village, the neighborhood we were living in. Their choir director, Mr. Roger, was just wonderful with our children.

Since moving to Durham, we wanted to find a church closer to our home, but it is hard. We had the most wonderful church in Winston-Salem, Reynolda Presbyterian, and it is hard to find its duplicate, cousin, or even distant relative.

I have been proud of my children for trying out new Sunday School classes and sitting through new church services. Each one is different, and it is hard to find the right combination of joy, music, welcome as well as the feeling of God's presence.

All of this church hopping has made me realize that this is a new trick that people go through all of the time. Whenever you move to a new place, you have to find a new church. It is hard. I'll remember this when I finally find a church home and am the one welcoming new people.

The Winston-Salem Journal is blogging!

2006-03-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

I wandered over to our old hometown paper, the Winston-Salem Journal, recently to look up an article a friend had mentioned, and I wondered if they were blogging, yet.

I'm proud to say that that they are blogging! Way to go, Winston-Salem Journal!

Balancing work with family...

2006-03-02T06:56:00.000-08:00

In the NY Times today, there is a quote from a mother who is staying home now after working, to take care of her young children. She sums it up well when she says,

"Most of us thought we would work and have kids, at least that was what we were brought up thinking we would do — no problem," Ms. Watson-Short said. "But really we were kind of duped. None of us realized how hard it is."

This article touches on the struggle I have been dealing with for quite awhile. How do you balance both wanting to work and wanting to raise your children and do both well? I got my MBA before having children, and have been working since I was in high school, so work is an important part of who I am. But, once I had those two incredible children, I realized that my illusion of childcare was not realistic if I was to be an important part of their formative years. I didn't want someone else to care for them when they were sick, or give them the hugs they needed one, or read them their favorite stories.

At the time my children were young, I opted to teach part-time at the college-level, giving up my corporate career. I had been the youngest account manager to call on Pepsi. It was a hard fall for me, but the rewards of being with my children pushed me to find another path. I just knew that there had to be another way than the established and/or accepted path that had been set out by "corporate america".

Several years later, here I am--going back to school to get my PhD. I am one of the older students in my class and the only woman in my class with children, but it works for me. I do my homework as my children do theirs. It is a detour in our family's life from what we all had expected, but it will be worth it in the end. I have shown my children that if the path before them is not the one they want, they can blaze their own trail.

From ma'am to sweetie...

2006-03-02T06:52:00.000-08:00

I think I'm up to about 4 ma'ams so far this year. I've been keeping track because it makes me feel old when the young UNC students on campus look at me and say, "here you go, ma'am" or "thank you, ma'am."

The guy who works at Bruegger's Bagels on Franklin Street made my day yesterday--he called me sweetie. Now, some women might get all upset about this, but he was younger than me. As he handed me my bagel he said, "have a nice day, sweetie."

It was all very--sweet.

Measuring academic progress...

2006-02-26T09:48:00.000-08:00

There has been much brou-ha-ha over the move towards standardized testing of college students, but at least the editorial in today's NY Times encourages educators to help solve the problem.

I can help solve this problem.

In my marketing class at Wake Forest and even starting at Penn State, I instituted service learning in those courses, as a way for students to use their knowledge to make a difference in the community.

First of all, there is always tension between town and gown, so helping non-profit organizations solve a marketing problem was a way for the students, hence the university, to "give back" to the town--free consulting, if you will.

Second, students are used to volunteering their time to clean up parks or tutor elementary students in reading, but they are not used to using the new skills they are learning in college in volunteer efforts, so service-learning is a way to bridge that gap, helping students to learn that they have more to offer than their sweat (although that is important, too).

Finally, it is a tool for measuring their learning. If a student can actually come up with marketing plan for a nonprofit organization, it means that they have learned the tools I have taught them and are able to use them in the "real world" successfully. Isn't that the most important measurement tool of all?! I know it is for the students--they feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment when they are able to do something worthwhile to help an organization that truly needs their help, and I know it is for me--I always feel a tremendous sense of pride in my students, knowing that they have truly mastered the material and have discovered the power within themselves to make a difference in the world.

Internal communication is important...

2006-02-25T07:23:00.000-08:00

I enjoy reading our local paper, the Durham Herald-Sun, each day, to catch up on local news. I'm one of the small minority of people who read a physical piece of paper each day, as more and more people are reading online news. I do that, too.

Today, however, I am so glad I did. That is how I found out that my school at UNC, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, has a new Dean, Jean Folkerts.

We actually knew a bit about her as the author of our mass comm history textbook. She is currently at George Washington University. The school brought in three candidates and she was the only one I was able to hear. She saw me sitting in the back row (quietly) and actually came up to me at the end of her presentation and asked who I was and introduced herself. I was impressed.

Anyway, I figured maybe I had not read my email recently, so I went back to my unc email to look for the announcement--not there. I surfed the online edition of the Daily Tar Heel--it is there.

For a communications school, we don't seem to be doing a very good job communicating with the people who are most important--those who live and breathe and work there everyday.

I've been thinking about internal communication as a dissertation topic: I think I'm onto something.

Is blogging appropriate as an academic?

2006-02-20T05:29:00.000-08:00

An article today in Inside Higher Ed asks if blogging is appropriate in academia and whether or not it should be a serious endeavor. The author of the article claims he is not a serious blogger, but "attempts to engage with the experimentation blogging affords as well as to produce a lighter sense of seriousness."

This publication has mentioned in the past that blogging is not good for an untenured professor because it could hurt tenure prospects. Since I am just a lowly doctoral student, I considered this a good way to learn about blogging as well as tell the world about what it is like being a phd student. It is truly a different world, sometimes, and not one that people know much about. I feel that I slip from role to role, and most people I interact with are truly unaware of "my other life." I suppose it would be difficult to explain that in one day you are attending your son's school musical, helping to organize the reception, and that very same afternoon, you are sitting outside your research supervisor's office, waiting over a half-hour for her to show up, only to discover that she forgot all about you, despite the long list of demands she made on you for the week.

'Tis the life of a graduate student. Always on your toes, trying new things...like blogging.

Help or Hype during Hurricane Katrina...

2006-02-16T11:02:00.000-08:00

The life of a PhD student--presenting papers at conferences...

I've written a paper on the efforts of the Top 100 brands during Hurricane Katrina and whether those efforts were true giving efforts (help) or just words of encouragement (hype). I studied the websites of those top 100 brands just after Hurricane Katrina struck to see how those brands publicized their concern and whether or not that concern actually translated into a cash donation or effort on the part of the firm. Interestingly, those firms that did donate to help the Hurricane Katrina victims gave a total of $105 million dollars.

I'll be presenting this paper "Help or Hype: Symbolic or Behavioral Communication During Hurricane Katrina" to the Ninth Annual International Public Relations Research Conference, March 9-12, 2006 in Miami, Florida.

Family Fun in Chapel Hill...

2006-02-15T12:30:00.000-08:00

We are hosting prospective PhD students this weekend at UNC and I've been asked to provide them with some tips about fun things to do in the area.

There are so many fun things to do in the Triangle that we have not even had time to try them all.

There is one great website, CHillKids, that has links to all types of activities and places.

One of our favorite parks is the Community Center Park on Estes Rd. There is a great walking path, as well as plenty of play space.

We love to go to movies, and there is a website with the list of all theaters and movie listings. You can even buy tickets online at fandango or movietickets.

There is a new mini-golf place in Raleigh called Frankie's that has many activities for kids of all ages, as well as an excellent Italian restaurant.

If your kids enjoy participating in sports, we just discovered the Woodcroft Athletic Association leagues. We are not big climbers, but my son went to a birthday party at the Vertical Edge climbing center and had a ball.

Southern Village and Meadowmont are nice neighborhoods for walking, shopping and dining. They both have pools where you can join or pay on a daily basis. Fearrington Village is also nice for shopping or Sunday brunch, but a bit farther away.

Other fun shopping, dining activity type places are SouthPoint in Durham and Cameron Village in Raleigh.

If you are a busy family and don't have time to cook or go out for dinner, we have taken advantage of Tar Heel Takeout.

Miscellaneous things
Amante Pizza
Alfredo's (University Mall) 968-3424
Chapel Hill Pediatrics
List of all local schools
Link to Homeschoolers
Churches in Chapel Hill
Short-term rental homes
UNC Childcare provider list
Our dentist, Dr. Saib
Our pediatric dentist, Dr. Quinonez, 968.9806
Our orthodontist, Dr. Mol, 260.4269
Priority parking on UNC campus if you pick up children
Paint the Earth
Wachovia bank on campus

In typical grad school fashion, my husband and I are on a quest to develop a list of restaurants for each day of the week where
Kids Eat Free

Tuesdays: Nantucket Grill

Thursdays: Bear Rock Cafe (University Mall)

Saturdays: The Lone Star from 11-4

(please feel free to comment and add any new ones you know of!)

Finally, others are talking about IMC...

2006-02-15T10:33:00.000-08:00

Today, the President of the Association of National Advertisers blogs about IMC!

This is what I came to UNC to study with Bob Lauterborn. I'm sure he has had an important influence on the ANA and I am so glad to read that they are encouraging their membership to be more open-minded about IMC.

Integrated marketing communication, or IMC, is about integrating the many ways we communicate with consumers so that we build relationships with them. We have to find them where they are and not assume they will find us where we want to advertise or promote our products. It is not about just talking to them, as we have in the past, but in listening, as well.

This OnlineSpin article touches on the same theme: consumers have so many media choices, how do we make the best use of the ones they like best so that we are able to connect with them in a meaningful way?

It is not just older students, like me, who are learning new tricks, it is the advertising industry, too.

Bullys are everywhere...

2006-02-11T13:16:00.000-08:00

My son is playing basketball each Saturday on a team made up of kids from schools all over Durham. As I sat watching him this morning, I had to wonder if I was the only parent there who had taught my son to be respectful of others. Before the game began, he sat there with his ball, and one of the other boys on his team just grabbed the ball from him and sat on it. The coach did nothing--the boys father must have seen it happen from across the room--I certainly did--and both grown men did nothing. I asked my son afterward if next time I could come over and bounce that ball on the boy's head! My son acted shocked and said, "no!" I'm sure it would embarrass him, but he is not the one I'd like to embarrass--I'd like to wake up the coach and the father--since the boy obviously is not getting the message himself. Maybe they are both bullies, too. It is so hard to know how to help my son stand up for himself without embarrassing him in the process. I want to protect him, yet I need to help him learn to take care of himself, too. It's hard being a mom to a boy, sometimes.

What is happening to IMC?

2006-02-09T07:23:00.000-08:00

I came to grad school at UNC to learn about integrated marketing communication: how the many aspects of advertising, public relations, sales, and other marketing communications work together as an integrated whole to produce a more consistent and cohesive message for the consumer. This idea was pioneered by Bob Lauterborn, a professor at UNC, whom I had the privilege to work for last year.

One organization that I thought has done this well is Kripy Kreme. Until the financial problems, they had built a brand image and customer loyalty all without spending tons of money, but by integrating the various components of their marketing communications, thanks to the professional efforts of their team, led by Marketing VP Stan Parker (UNC grad!).

So, I was surprised to read that Krispy Kreme is now going to advertise on TV and radio. So much for IMC.

Digital learning is the wave of the future...

2006-02-01T11:21:00.000-08:00

I can finally see how digital learning is the wave of the future. Three weeks into my class at NCSU, I am sold on using technology to energize student learning. Each week, we have our readings--online, our review exercises to complete--online, and then our discussion forums--online. I have commented to others how much fun it is to learn this way and have been met with mixed reactions: most people are not ready, whether they are students or faculty, to teach or learn completely digitally. I suppose it is not for everyone, but I can see how the software is evolving to the point where it will make educational opportunities more accessible for more people, as well as provide a way for students to contribute more to the content of the class between class meetings.

I'm sold.

Another great opportunity at UNC...

2006-02-01T11:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Journalism and Mass Comm Scholar, Max McCombs visited the UNC campus. He and Don Shaw developed the theory of agenda-setting, which has since spawned more than 400 articles on the subject. I was the only non-news person in the classroom, but Dr. McCombs was gracious enough to include references to advertising and pr in his comments, after we had all introduced ourselves. He even offered to send me an article on a topic we discussed after his talk. What a class act.

Is it too late to learn manners?

2006-01-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

Okay, if I can go back to school to take class, exams, write papers, and even become someone else's graduate assistant, can't other people in the grocery store check-out line learn to behave and be polite?

I had to help the check-out gal bag my items because the people behind me were so rude and impolite (oh, yeah, and because Kroger will not employ enough people to help her!). My son went to grab one more thing while I was bagging and the check-out gal was doing her thing, and they would not let him through--he's only 8--poor guy. So, I'm trying to figure out, does Kroger attract rude people or does grocery shopping just put people in a bad mood?

And people wonder why I hate grocery shopping...

School name is superficial concern...

2006-01-17T06:48:00.000-08:00

An editorial in the Chapel Hill Herald today (it is not online, but here is a link to the paper) reports that the parents in Southern Village, where we used to live, are campaigning for the new high school to have Chapel Hill in its name so that the school name will look better on their kids college applicatons.

This superficial attitude is precisely why we moved our children out of the neighborhood school, Scroggs, which is in Southern Village, to a private School, Durham Academy. We could immediately see that appearances were more important than the substance of the education the children were receiving at Scroggs. We wondered why no other parents could see the problems we saw at that school, and now we know that they were only concerned with the fact that their children were going to a Chapel Hill school, and not what they were learning.

Our daughter was in a 4th grade class of 29, despite the school website proclaiming that class sizes never exceeded 22. Her teacher was a second year teacher, struggling to take care of that many children, often without an assistant, because the school wanted to put their money elsewhere. My daughter said that she often helped the other children with their work, because after all, she was repeating everything she had already learned in third grade the year before.

My son was in a 1st grade class of 22, which seemed fine, but many of the children did not have english as their first language (and I don't mean spanish). My son was saddened by the behavior problems of many of the children, which resulted in the teacher having to spend more time on behavior than teaching, which is probably why he treated them like preschoolers than 1st graders. My son realized that he had done harder work in kindergarten the year before and ultimately refused to get out of bed and go to school, which is why we pulled him out of Scroggs and sent him to Durham Academy.

Instead of worrying about the names of their schools, I think the parents should be more concerned about what is actually going on in them.

Older women have "Curves"...

2006-01-16T17:33:00.000-08:00

In my never-ending fitness quest, I joined a local Curves to ring in the new year. No morning classes this semester, so no more excuses. I must admit that I do like what they are selling: women only, 30 minutes in and out. Oh yeah, it doesn't hurt that it is in the same plaza as Starbucks(!).

This morning, I expected the place to be packed since it was a holiday, but when I arrived at 9:45, there were only a handful of women, and I was the youngest, by far. Usually there are women of all ages there, which is also a good sign. Today, however, I was definitely feeling my younger age, as all of the other women there were retirement age. I hope I'm still working out like that when I'm their age.

It just goes to show that it is never too late to teach an old dog new tricks!

I just knew caffeine is good for me...

2006-01-15T12:58:00.000-08:00

I will admit to a weekly (okay, almost daily) Starbucks habit. I'm hooked! My kids asked when I started drinking the dreadful stuff, and I think it was when I started working for GM right after college. Everyone drank coffee in the office, it was just what you learned to do.

I didn't really like coffee then, but I love my grande decaf skim no-whip mocha, now! I have been feeling a little bit guilty about it, but now there is no need--Time magazine tells me that it is all right. This article reports that caffeine actually prevents some health problems (I'll let you read the article for specifics) and improves "brain function." Two more reasons to drink coffee: better health and better brain function. Not that I really needed an excuse, but this definitely makes me feel better.

My brain hasn't peaked, yet!

2006-01-15T12:51:00.000-08:00

Another article in Time reports that our brain power does not peak at 40, as previously thought--yeah! I suppose I should have investigated this before returning to grad school, but I'm relieved to know that my old brain cells are capable of learning new things, yet.

I should refer this article to my professors so they can understand why my short-term memory is not what it used to be, hence my not-as-great performance on tests. But, the good news is that in my somewhat advanced age, I am better able to handle ambiguity, "manage information and parse meanings" that I could not at a younger age, which explains my much better performance on papers and presentations!

Multi-tasking is bad...

2006-01-15T12:33:00.000-08:00

According to the 1/16/06 issue of Time, multi-tasking is bad--we don't get things done as well, we are inefficient and the quality of our work is not as good. Okay, so I used to be a proud multi-tasker, but I must admit that I've become less so in my old age. For instance, my children do not approve of my doing school work with them in the room, so instead, I focus on them when they get home from school, and then get back school work when they go to bed. Everyone seems happier that way, and I do actually get more work done, as well.