I bought this diatomaceous earth one mentioned by Wirecutter. It is FABULOUS. We have one bathroom used by four people, so water absorption is a must for us. a.co/d/64JoXYx

Thanks. WPA work tends to be thankless work even in the best of times, and running a writing program during a pandemic is not an experience I would recommend to anyone.

Yes! I will be working on my book that explores the literacies and identities of Appalachians with graduate degrees! I have pieces written that I have presented at conferences over the years, but I need concentrated time to pull everything into a coherent narrative. This leave will give me that.

So yeah. Now you know what has been consuming much of my energy over the past year. Really hoping 2025 is a much happier and healthier year.

But I’m also really excited! Hopefully the excitement will carry me through the worst of the nervousness. I’m excited to have more time to write and to continue developing a better work-life balance. I made big strides in that area over the past year, but I am still learning and growing.

However, I’m looking forward to teaching more and to teaching different classes. I’m excited to teach new things and use some teaching muscles I haven’t had to call on in a long time. I am nervous, of course. I’ve primarily taught grad students since 2018, due to the nature of WPA work.

They’re the ones who made sure I was able to get FMLA and didn’t have to use my research leave on caretaking. When I return from leave in Fall 2025, I will be “just” a professor again. It will feel weird to not have to think about the TAs and the comp program all the time.

I’ll be on research leave next semester; it was supposed to happen last spring, but I was able to defer it to next semester and take FMLA so I could take care of my husband (and my son, though at the time I didn’t know he was going to need surgery too!). Grateful to my chair, dean, and provost.

My family was getting whatever was left of me after work. It became clear to me last spring that my family needed more of me than they were getting. They should be getting the best of me, not the rest of me. So, I stepped down. The relief I felt upon doing so was indescribable.

While FMLA certainly wasn’t a break—far from it!—it did give me emotional distance from work. That distance allowed me to make the decisions that were best for my family and me. At that point, I was pretty much a burned-out husk of who I used to be.

I was afraid to go into a classroom, and I felt like a fraud when I worked with the TAs. I had always felt like my vulnerability was one of my greatest strengths as a teacher, but during 2023, I became an open wound. It wasn’t good for me or my students.

I took FMLA spring semester. But 2023 was awful as well—and the awfulness was centered in my work life. I went through a dark night of the soul with my teaching and WPA work. I had always loved teaching and had confidence in my work, but the events of 2023 led me to become afraid of my students.

That fact alone told me it was time to step down. Most significantly, the last two years of my life have been hell. My husband had open-heart surgery in January. Our son—a talented baseball pitcher—had surgery on his throwing arm in April. Our dog had a major health crisis this spring.

I slowly told others over the last few months; I needed time before sharing this news more broadly. It was a hard decision in some ways. There were many things I love about being a WPA, but I became extremely burned out. The things I loved started to become outnumbered by the things I hated.

Thank you!!!

My kids are now teenagers and young adults, and there’s a lot of creepers out there. That’s why I have to make sure you’re a real person I’m familiar with.

I don’t usually post about my kids here, since my posts are public. I am selective about who I friend on FB and Insta bc I do post about them there. If it takes me a long time to respond to your friend request, it’s because I’m trying to figure out if I know you or know of you.

What I post about: writing pedagogy, writing program administration, Appalachia, disability, politics, student success, pop culture, sports, and romance novels. Also, dogs.