Thrilled to Co-Present Partnership Work Yesterday. Love Working with @elizabethboquet

Yesterday, I was thrilled to take part in conversation celebrating community in partnership work, supported by the leadership of Melissa Quann and Dr. Jocelyn Boryczka. Three mini-grants were awarded to scholars to collaborate with community groups to explore, implement, and carry forth projects that are socially engaging, thought-provoking, and beneficial to students at the University, research, and putting scholarship into action.

Last spring, Dr. Beth Boquet had a vision of working with the expertise of UCONN faculty, Tom Dean and Jason Courtmanche, to think about a beginning conversation of supporting writing centers in secondary schools. We reached out to Tim Huminski at Joel Barlow High School (with a 25 year writing center tradition) and Ann Traspasso and Shaun Mitchell at Central High School to host conversations about building a network for writing centers in the southern Connecticut area. Last Friday, we held a Partnerships for Social Change, Writing Center Pop-Up, where youth accompanied their teachers to work with writing center tutors at Fairfield University. The dialogue was exciting, motivating, and purposeful.

We were asked great questions about our work with a lot of prompts for what we might reconsider in the future, including visual mapping of our work, creating a plan for what we'd like to see 10 years from now, and thinking of ways that our work might assist others who have similar questions.

We also learned about robotics work between the School of Engineering and Harding High School, as well as pharmaceutical work between the School of Nursing, St. Vincent's and Spanish & Portuguese faculty.

Moving. Powerful. Important. Men and women for others in innovative ways.

I'm ending a semester with bags under my eyes (and this is before final projects come in), but I'm already excited to continue the work with our partners (and the magic they bring to our conversation). I absolutely love working with Drs. Beth Boquet and Betsy Bowen, as they think creatively of how we can bring a richer conversation to the work of Tim Huminski, Shaun Mitchell and Ann Traspasso.

There's power when Universities unite with the communities they serve.

Craziness: Driving Lessons, A History, and DMVs. I Think I Am Ready To Retire

If this is the year of Crazy Crandall, this is also the year to make a statement, "I think I am finished with teaching others to drive." This habit began in Louisville when I first began teaching Sudanese refugees how to drive in my Ford Explorer. I continued this in Syracuse when I taught several kids how to drive while working on my doctorate. In Connecticut, I switched first to a Ford Focus to teach Chitunga how to drive (he passed with flying colors, of course) and then used my Grinch-Green Suburu to offer driving lessons to Mr. Akbaru, who successfully received his driving license yesterday.

I counted the numbers. I've taught 15 people to drive. I have many stories about this, including the absolute pang I get in my stomach awaiting whether or not they will pass. I wasn't quite sure about Akbar, as his morning lesson was a little stressful. When he returned he said, "I don't know how I did. The man didn't say anything and didn't write anything down"

Minutes later the man came out and said, "Akbar!" and he handed him the yellow form that checked off a perfect score on his driving test.

Phew!

I personally thanked him for doing the work he does because I couldn't do it. In fact, I said to every DMV employee we encountered, "Bless you for doing this work. I can't imagine how you do it every day. I come ever few years and I leave with absolute angst and frustration at our system, but this is your truth 40 hours a week! Wow."

But then comes the reality. The drive home was a discussion about insurance, car payments, responsibilities, the risk of getting a ticket, the fear of accidents, the demands others make on you when you have a car, but most importantly, the economics and realities of life in the United States. Currently, a minimum wage job is spectacular and teaching a lot about the importance of work, but I put more emphasis on education and the investment into the mind so there are choices and options in the future. One cannot afford a car unless one has a reliable income (AND insurance).

I am thinking about the aftermath of getting licenses (William, in KY, found the pink Barbie mobile and made the purchase, whereas Chitunga nabbed Jenny, his first car). It's tricky business getting a first car. If they're cheap, they come with mountains of needs. It's hard not to be a lemon in the used car world. Repairs are an additional headache.

It comes down to the money. What can you afford? How can you make this happen?

I thought about all of this at the DMV because we were there for HOURS, and I know that DMV stories are ubiquitous...they haunt us all. As I sat looking at my watch I remarked to Akbar, "Dude, I can't wait much longer, I have back to back graduate classes to teach tonight, and this wait is ridiculous." He responded, "In refugee camps, we sometimes waited in lines 8 hours just to be rationed food."

Okay, I was schooled.

It's the truth. Here, we have a stellar young man trying to find his way into the American dream: a great student, a wonderful mind, a clever thinker, and a hard worker. The obstacles he faces are tremendous, however, as the reality of immigrating to the U.S. is never an easy task (and it is only the 1% who are vetted to actually get invited).

I look at him in absolute admiration. I look at him as a hero....an individual who, to me, worth the investment.

With that noted, I do believe I'm done with driving lessons for a while. My stomach, my heart, and my brain can't take it much longer. It's stressful enough to be my own driver in southern Connecticut...not sure I can invest much more in student drivers.

@WritingProject I Owe You a Cake. Great Whatever Intervention Last Night

I overplanned for Monday night. I knew I had to get back to back graduate courses prepared, and I wanted to bring them the Kentucky cake (what I call it), but forgot the heavy cream, so needed to run out in the frigid air to Big Y. When I returned, I preheated the oven and went to the laptop to get the recipe, when the alert went off that I had a NWP Zoom meeting.

Zip. Zap. Zoom.

I turned off the oven, and was thankful that my cake excursion prompted a reminder about the meeting. It was on my calendar, but that is all digital, and if I didn't check my computer (my phone was charging), I may have missed the call.

I am always rejuvenated when in a room (or digital space) with the NWP family. We all know that our work ahead remains important, but that so much has changed quickly in education and the professional development model that we know is effective and brilliant. As a result, we have to think outside the box more than ever before. We need one another, too, as a community of like-minded individuals who want the best for America's youth and their teachers.

As I listened to updates from other sites, and the expertise of clever minds, my mind began racing with possibilities for what comes next. We are in the business of creating communities, because we have one of the most powerful teaching communities this nation has ever seen.

My graduate students will be enjoying the cake tomorrow night, but as the smell wafted throughout my house I realized something. I need to bake this cake for everyone in the NWP community as a thank you for being awesome, for being supportive, for providing hope, and for always making magic for our K-18 classrooms. Yes, my students benefit from the baking, but because of the baking, I was incited to get online and fast!

Now, if only Crazy Crandall could open a bakery to make 200 cakes to be delivered to sites around the world! Now, that would be an undertaking. For now, sadly, we only get a blog post...

...but it is thoughts that count!

Love to the N, the W, and the P! 

Well, Monday. You're Here. I Enjoyed A Weekend At Home, Though

And this is the point of the semester that I take a deep breath and simply hope that I make it through to the end. Tuesday is the last night of graduate classes for me, and then the projects begin piling in. Of course, next semester is knocking at the door, and syllabi and book orders are due, plus another round of potential publications, conference proposals, and grants.

Office, here I come!

I did enjoy spending time at the house, however, and with Saturday's "Hollywood snow"...the first falling that covers everything beautifully, I couldn't help but snap a photo of Mt. Pleasant with he lights up. It's great sitting in my new work-chair, with the Christmas tree aglow to my left and the lights hanging in the window (where Glamis likes to sit so that people stop and see the doggie in the window).

I had a couple of nights of lousy sleep, and I'm trying to orange juice and tea myself from getting sick. The head wants to make room for the Mucinex monsters, but I have another plan of action. I'll keep getting to the gym to fight them off.

Most of my gifts are purchased, too. They are wrapped and ready to be brought to my tree (and then the Hulk to transport to Syracuse).

I'm thinking of Chitunga, however. He has back to back to back to back exams, followed by a paper. That's the life of a college student at the end of the semester, and I'm doing the same. I simply have to await the work to be turned in so I can grade everything and get them into the system on time.

Right now, however, I'm dreaming of sleep. It's morning, and I have many items to check off the list today, so I'm hoping to muster all the creative and intellectual energy that I can. I'm thankful to have work, employment, and an income, but at the end of a semester - especially a dossier application semester - I am simply all sorts of exhausted. This too shall pass. I'm counting my blessings...

...and wishing the best to students and professors who are doing the grind as we always do at this time of year. We're fortunate, indeed, if not at our edge!

Puzzles, Driving Lessons, Beach Walk, Brunch - Not a Bad Day to Welcome the First Snow Storm

I promised Akbar we'd spend the day driving, as he has his official test on Tuesday. I picked him up at 9 a.m. when he announced his shift at McDonalds was called off (he works in Westport) and that he could spend the entire day driving.

Well, this turned into driving lessons, running errands, walking dogs, laughing, eating, and the beginning of 1,000 piece puzzle. With his birthday on Monday, we also picked up a couple of gifts for him, including materials so he could play with his twin brothers (they're still little). That's what he wanted. "This is what I choose. I want to have a gift I can do with the twins." We picked up paint, paper, markers, and other things to create with. I also picked him up warmer clothes as the months ahead promise to be harsh.

I had to laugh, because he chose to run with the dogs...not just walk. I simply caught snowflakes on my tongue.

He's pretty much ready for the test. We need to cover a few more tricks on Tuesday morning to assure confidence. He did well, however, especially given the snow that fell in Connecticut yesterday. The front yard looks slim, but the back, which doesn't get as warm, had about 4 inches...my back porch was a testimony.

The other thing Akbar wanted was to do a puzzle. He said we could hammer it out in a matter of one night. I told him, "You are optimistic." We worked three hours simply to get a frame (and we're still missing a few of the edge pieces. They are lost in the 1,000 piece pile looking to be edged in the right place).

Okay, I took a day away from grading, planning, organizing, and worrying. I will feel guilty about it, but it was nice to chill out to take advantage of a weekend snow day.

I'm shoveled, and ready to begin another day.

In Celebration (& Collaboration) with Writing Centers @FairfieldU! Thanks @elizabethboquet & @_Mitchellaneous

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of picking up CWP-Fairfield, O'Toole Teaching Leader Shaun Mitchell and his colleague, Ann Traspasso, also a CWP-fellow, with three of their best students to join a cross district conversation with young people from Joel Barlowe High School under the leadership of Tim Huminski. 

Why? 

Betsy Bowen, Elizabeth Boquet, and a phenomenal first-
generation of of Writing Center collaboration!

Drs. Beth Boquet, Betsy Bowen and I are interested in supporting a regional writing center network in southern Connecticut, and we looked for opportunities to unite young people from across the region. The event, hosted by Fairfield University's Writing Center (with an incredible staff of many) was phenomenal.

Opportunities like this make my life much more spectacular. I love learning from the expertise of colleagues, local high school teachers, Fairfield University students, Writing Center tutors, and the young people who may be heading our way.

I'm in the company of brilliance.

One of the activities at the beginning of the gathering was to focus on an object in the room and to write about it in great detail. I dropped off the Central High School team, and ran to the CWP office to get snacks and t-shirts. When I entered, and I was asked to tell everyone who I was, the box I was carrying (including Goldfish and cookies) decided to implode and land all over the floor - some things will never change...you can't bring Crandall anywhere). I wrote about that.

I was partnered with Brian, a Central High School student (who later admitted he thought I was the Uber driver, because I picked them up). He wondered why an Uber driver would write poetically. At my table was a big BOOM! stress release squeeze sponge and a bag of Goldfish, so I decided to write about these (and my foolish entrance).

It’s a Zip, it’s a Zoom, it’s a Kapowie! and k’Boom,

the graceful way in which he enters a room,

Goldfish in hand, & t-shirts on shoulder,

weather outside getting colder and colder

(these young Central-Barlowed ones getting older and older)

 --- centered on writing support, growing bolder and bolder.

Cookies on floor, Sh’Zaam and a BOOM!

(Hey, Ms. Traspasso, can you find me a broom?)

Betsy, & Timothy, Colin, Sara, Beth & Shaun,

Crandall enters a room, no time for the Friday yawn ---

(Goldfish cheddar baked crackers flying everywhere as they spawn!)

It was a wonderful way to kick of a Friday afternoon, and I was thrilled to be part of the ensemble. Here's to 2018 and the work we'll continue to do together. A special shout-out to all who worked so hard to make this happen! These are the community projects that make Fairfield University special.

In Celebration of Tony Costa...47 Years of Service to the University and Local Schools

I had the honor and pleasure of attending a celebration of Mr. Tony Costa, our Director of Teacher Internships, and an individual who has worked for Fairfield University two years longer than I've been alive. His roles ebbed and flowed throughout the years, including teaching classes, creating relationships with local school administrators, and even coaching golf! He has always been kind, generous, supportive, and witty with me, but this year, 2018, he is stepping down to finally put his feet up (although his wife doubts he'll be able to do that).

When I was hired in Louisville at the Brown School, I was new blood in a school that was accustomed to its traditions, history, patterns, and memories. For years, those individuals delivered what they knew to my ears and I loved hearing the stories of how it used to be and what it was always meant to be. Long after we labor, sweat, stress, worry, and do, the institutions we work for carry on.

The GSEAP office did a remarkable job locating individuals who worked with Tony through the years and found news articles written about him along the ways. It was a pleasure to see all of these and to meet his daughter and granddaughter who drove to Fairfield University to attend the occasion.

I had flashbacks to my own father's retirement party at the Clam Bar in North Syracuse, New York - one for Pete Caroli, too (and I remember my mom drinking White Russians on top of cough medicine and being absolutely hysterical---and even out of control). Tony's gathering yesterday reminded me of all the support beyond one's work that also exists, especially at a time when one is finally saying goodbye to the location that paid them, but also drove them absolutely bonkers. Actually, Tony said, "Work was never an issue, because each and every day I absolutely loved doing everything I was blessed to do."

If only all of us can be this fortunate in our careers! Congratulations, Tony. Your history with Fairfield University is absolutely admirable. I'm beyond impressed.