Humble Beginnings

As the semester begins to wind down to a close, I find myself reflecting on how I’ve gotten to where I am today.

As lame as it sounds, I honestly wouldn’t be an adjunct today if it wasn’t for Harry Potter. Without Harry Potter, I probably wouldn’t have fallen in love with teaching. I might not have majored in English. Heck, my entire life might have looked quite different if HP had never existed.

Allow me to explain.

I was first introduced to Harry Potter at the age on nine, when my third grade teacher began reading the first book to us. As we moved through Sorcerer’s Stone, I quickly became enamored with the magical world-building, the lovable characters, and the suspenseful storyline. Once we finished Sorcerer’s Stone, Ms. Masten moved onto Chamber of Secrets, and I was completely in love by the end of the year.

From that point, I started to read more and more. I read the third and fourth books, then I began looking for something else that could excite and inspire me as much as HP. While I found other books I loved over time, nothing could quite fill the Harry Potter-shaped space in my heart. Determined, I became an insatiable reader.

Around the same period of time, I began writing my first short stories. I figured that if I couldn’t find the books that were as good as HP, then I would write them. I quickly discovered that I loved writing just as much, if not more, than I loved reading. Every time a subsequent Harry Potter book would come out or I would encounter another excellent series, I just felt more and more motivated to write. By seventh grade, I was working on an elaborate book series and a handful of other written projects.

Needless to say, I have not become a best-selling author or anything like that (yet…), but my interest in writing fiction prompted me to major in English in my undergraduate studies. In college, Harry Potter became the quickest and easiest way to make new friends, especially with other English majors. We geeked out over our favorite moments, bonded at midnight movie releases, and took our Hogwarts houses very seriously. My friends’ house was even deemed the Hufflepuff Common Room, and they had a giant Hufflepuff crest fixated above their faux fireplace in their campus house.

By the end of college, I was still determined that writing fiction was what I wanted to do with my life. I applied to both MFA (fine arts programs in creative writing) and MA (regular English) graduate programs, and got accepted into one of each. After a lot of deliberation, I ended up deciding to stay at my undergrad institution and earn my MA so that I could apply to higher-caliber MFA programs later on. I was offered a teaching assistantship to fund my graduate studies, which meant that I would be teaching sophomore-level composition my second year in the program.

Sophomore-level composition at my university is theme-based, meaning that each individual instructor’s class is a different theme. I had a whole semester to design a course around whatever theme I liked, and I, of course, picked Harry Potter. The course was titled “From Hogwarts to the Humanities” and had units on identity, gender studies, religious studies, and philosophy, all connected to HP. When I finally got to teach the class in my second year, it was even more amazing than I had expected. I loved going to class every single day and reading all the great insights my students were bringing to the HP series in their writing and research. On the last day of the semester, one of the students asked if we could take a “family” photo. It was in that final class period, as we shed tears over a nostalgic HP tribute video and the end of our time together, that I knew I wanted to teach composition for the rest of my life. It probably goes without saying that, when I finished my Master’s degree, my graduation party was also HP themed!

So, while the concept may sound strange, Harry Potter truly changed my life. It impacted my hobbies, my friendships, and my career path. Without The Boy Who Lived, my life would look very, very different. Thank you, J.K. Rowling!

 

Tips for Surviving Mid-Terms

Whether you’re a college student, a grad student, or an instructor, we all know that mid-terms and finals are two of the most chaotic times of the year. During these times, we are stressed out to the maximum and often wonder how the heck we’re going to get everything done. Never fear though! You can (and will) get through it all! Here are some helpful tips for surviving the upcoming mid-terms:

1. Plan Ahead. Planning out what you need to do and when you are going to do it is a useful way to stay organized and help make your multitude of tasks seem more manageable. I personally keep index cards on a ring and write my t0-do list for each day on a separate card. While this is something I do really regularly, at mid-terms and finals I will write out to-do lists for several days at a time. This helps me to visualize what I need to do and how I can realistically accomplish those tasks within a given time frame.
2. Knock Out Easier Projects First. If you have several assignments, consider tackling the quickest and easiest ones first, even if their due dates come after more extensive projects. By doing so, these projects will be out of the way and off of your mind, giving you more time and attention to dedicate to longer and more difficult tasks.
3. Break Larger Projects into Smaller Parts. Long papers, cumulative tests, and extensive projects can be daunting. To prevent yourself from becoming totally overwhelmed, break these larger tasks into smaller, more manageable parts. For a long paper, for example, spend one day just reading over sources and pulling out quotes you might use. On the next day, develop a thesis and put together an outline. On the third day, start writing your draft, and so on and so forth. Working on one small part at a time is often more productive and less stressful than trying to do it all at once.
4. Find the Perfect Playlist. Music can be a great motivator. It can also help you drown out your surroundings, eliminate distractions, and focus on the task at hand. Grab some headphones and find the music that works best for you when you sit down to study or work. Some of my favorites include the Fleet Foxes station and Harry Potter soundtrack station on Pandora, and the “Movie Score Study”, “Ambient Piano: Focus and Study”, and “Acoustic Concentration” playlists on Spotify.  
5. Make Time for Rest and Relaxation. You know that quote about “all work and no play”? Well, there’s definitely some truth to that. There is such a thing as too much studying. When you reach this point, your brain starts to shut down and maintaining a high level of productivity becomes nearly impossible. Make time for relaxation and fun in your mid-terms schedule, whether this is watching a couple of episodes of a beloved show on Netflix, unwinding with comfy slippers and a glass of wine (if you are over 21), or hitting the town with your friends after a day of hard work.
6. Get Some Sleep. In four years of undergrad and two years of grad school, I never once pulled an all-nighter. Did I have nights that I had tons to do and moments where I worked on something right up until the deadline? Absolutely. It happens. But did I ever stay up all night and go to class without a single hour of sleep? Never. It’s not productive and it’s just not worth it. Don’t do that to yourself. Stay up working until you feel your mind starting to slip (whether that’s 11 pm or 3 am), and then go to bed. Get up super early (4 or 5 am, maybe) and get back to work then. The sleep, no matter how brief, helps your brain to reset and will actually help you to get done with your work more quickly (and more accurately) than if you try not to sleep at all.
7. “Treat Yo’Self.” As Donna and Tom often say on Parks and Recreation, sometimes you just have to “treat yo’self.” When mid-terms are all said and done, reward yourself! Hit up your favorite store, enjoy a luxury spa day, go see the movie you’ve been putting off, indulge in an over-the-top dessert, or do whatever makes you feel most like you are treating yo’self.  Not only will this give you a reward for doing a totally awesome job on all of your mid-terms, but it will also give you something to look forward to as you are still working/studying. And we can all use some extra motivation!

So there you have it! These are the foolproof tricks for surviving mid-terms and finals that have worked for me…what are some of the techniques you use? Feel free to share them in a comment below.

Good luck with mid-terms!