skip to main content

‘mindful’

the mindful phd: sitting down & staying still

jul. 27, 2014—by nancy chick, cft assistant director the progressive breakdown of my computer and resulting residencies of it guys have conspired to force me to read some of the books i have stacked on my desk.  today, i read the copy of teaching with heart: poetry that speaks to the courage to teach (intrator & scribner, eds.,...

read more


the mindful phd: a room of one’s own

jun. 27, 2014—by nancy chick, cft assistant director i have a new favorite place on campus.  it may not look like much–small room with a recliner and a lamp, a desk with a computer and handbook, a tv screen with assorted dvds–but it’s a little oasis tucked into a corner room at 2015 terrace place. more comfortable than...

read more


the mindful phd: homing in

jun. 20, 2014—by nancy chick, cft assistant director my post-semester sabbatical from blogging lasted a bit longer than i’d anticipated. nothing bad happened: i simply devoted 100% of my writing efforts to a few manuscripts  i wanted to get off of my desktop.  there are more–there are always more–but i finished the third yesterday, so i feel caught...

read more


the mindful phd: revisiting boice

mar. 21, 2014—by nancy chick, cft assistant director i’ve been preparing a one-week summer workshop in humanities pedagogy for a few post-docs starting their positions this fall.  my partner in this development is one of our graduate teaching fellows, jessica riviere, who just dotted her i’s and crossed her t’s for graduating (or “walking”) in may. the confluence of...

read more


the mindful phd: busy-shaming

feb. 28, 2014—by nancy chick, cft assistant director my women & gender studies class talked about “slut shaming” recently, and i’ve since been thinking about another kind of shaming that worries me–and that i want to be careful to avoid. the flurry of popular media discussions of mindfulness (and other topics) have been accompanied by concerns about how...

read more


the mindful phd: after the honeymoon

jan. 29, 2014—by nancy chick, cft assistant director my class is still in the “honeymoon phase,” those carefree weeks in the beginning of the semester when students and instructor alike enjoy each other’s company and insights, before any major papers or exams complicate the dynamic. smaller, low-stakes assessments have given me a chance to provide early feedback and...

read more