Field Journal 021: I reflected on being of use

Trouble viewing? Read this issue in your browser.

I'm thinking a lot about mattering and being of use, lately. This was a perfect time to air my conversation with Thomas J. Tobin about how we all can contribute to UDL in powerful ways. I also invite you to reply to share how you work to be more present.

Listened

Episode 638

UDL at Scale, with Thomas J. Tobin

I enjoyed getting caught up with some of the emerging changes from the last few years, in addition to thinking about how we can each impact UDL at scale in our university communities through this conversation with Tom Tobin. For a quick way to get the link to his book, as well as our recommendations and the resources, visit the episode show notes, or use the button to listen via the new Teaching in Higher Ed website.

Listen now →

Read

A favorite poem

To be of use

I keep thinking about Jennifer Wallace's book, Mattering, ever since reading it to prepare for my conversation with her for episode 622. For my first night of class in my overview of organizational behavior and psychology, I read them this treasured poem:

To Be of Use, by Marge Piercy

The very end gets me every time:

The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.

Yes, we want our work to be real. To matter. Much of my teaching philosophy is wrapped around that idea in recent years. We each want work that is real and that includes what we are asked (or invited) to do for classes that we take.

Tried

A Trusted Liberating Structure

Spiral journal

I enjoyed using a Liberating Structure for my organizational behavior and psychology class last week. The Spiral Journal aims to help us: "Calmly prepare and sharpen observations for the work ahead."

It worked great and I especially appreciated that one of the students said that they could see a use for this very activity in her leadership role in the near future. I'm thankful to Maha Bali, who was the first person to introduce me to Liberating Structures.

Spiral Journal

Wondered

About The Power of Reclaiming Our Time

What do you say no to now that you used to say yes to?

Last week, I wondered about something that used to get a 'yes' from you that you now say no to...

Bonni Stachowiak

I have had my fair share of what William Bridges called 'transitions' in the past year. Some personal. Others professional.

Bridges Transition Model

As I navigate my constant shifts between those three stages Bridges identifies, one of the things that has become important is attending more closely to where I'm investing my time and energy.

I've saved a number of bookmarks over the years on the topic of saying no. Here are just a couple of them (which link over to other great pieces, too):

Just Refusal, by Kate Bowles

Being Too Helpful At Work Can Hurt Your Career—Here’s How To Say No, by Kim Elsesser

To raise my self awareness and interrupt any 'default settings' (aka scripts) I have going on, I decided to set up a place in my Obsidian notes to track times when I said no to a request (or invitation). However, the word 'no' just didn't resonate, as I thought about how to title it. Kate's 'just refusal' really does, but I didn't come across it, as I was creating this new little mini tracking system.

The word that came up was reclaim. The word had come up in another context and seemed a perfect fit for this. Of course, I chuckled at my cleverness and thought back to a politician who had boldly declared that she was reclaiming her time.

screenshot of a log of various entries of where I have reclaimed my time. Some words are blurred out. Fields are: Entry: From: Hours: Frees me up for

I haven't been super disciplined about logging, though part of that was because I was doing some travel in July and August, where it was way easier to say no to stuff. This morning, I declined an invitation that I really had wanted to do, yet recognized was also feeling overwhelming to me to try to do this Fall. It felt good to write to her and say thank you and that I would love it if we could collaborate on something for early 2027.

Here's to us all finding healthy ways to reclaim our time to free us up for those endeavors we say are most important in our lives. This is not a pass/fail exam, I might add. The small choices we make add up to creating a life we want to live.

This week, I'm wondering:

What you do to try to attend to the present moment?

Hit reply to let me know. I'll choose a few to include in the next Field Journal. Let me know in your reply if you prefer to remain anonymous, as otherwise, I'll assume it is ok to include your name.