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Students are a Blessing; Some More than Others

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

I love my students. They are cheerful (usually), intelligent (for the most part), and hard workers ( 9 times out of 10). They are engaged in the subject matter and love to get me to go off script when I’m lecturing and encourage me to head down a rabbit trail. And that’s fine.

The times when we have our greatest time of fellowship is when the topic doesn’t seem to match the lecture. Until it does. They say that “more is caught than taught,” and I have to agree. Perhaps we are discussing communication technology, like we were in one class yesterday. Seemingly irrelevant information led to a wonderful chat about how technology has affected our everyday life. Which, in the end, was the whole point.

My students became very animated as I shared the differences between their lives and mine at the same age. Just imagine taking a walk and NO ONE being able to reach you. Going into the ladies’ room and not overhearing someone carrying on a conversation while using the facilities. (That happened to me today!) (Please note, I was not the talker….)

It was a great conversation. We shared about the prevalence of mental health issues in young people in this generation. That was basically unheard of in my generation. So what do you think? Is technology to blame, at least partially? Let’s talk about it.

I would argue that these precious young people are an incredible generation; they are a real blessing in my life. But imagine life with the complete lack of privacy; I think that is what they are facing now.

I would love to hear your thoughts.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Pay Attention to Feedback or It Could Cost You Some Major Points

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

On every assignment for every class I teach, I offer feedback. Students are also sent emails via our announcement page, and they get special postings where they can locate additional instructions on how to successfully complete an assignment.

But some students doggedly hang onto the wrong way of doing something, too stubborn to follow the instructions. Why would they do that? They are paying a lot of money (or someone else is) for them to go to college, yet they absolutely refuse to learn. I don’t understand.

Case in point: I am teaching an online writing class where I went over the instructions via the announcement page. The instructions are also in the syllabus. I explained and re-explained (if that is even a word), only to get emails from students who told me “I didn’t know….”

Well, now we know who isn’t paying attention. We now know who spends more time paying with his or her handheld device than checking out what my announcements and the syllabus say.

Funny thing, it isn’t just the online student doing this. I had a residential student who was so intent on her texting that, when I specifically mentioned her actions in class, she never noticed. I stopped speaking and stared at her, looking amused (I’m hoping it was my amused face, that is, and not my really-ticked-off face).

The whole class turned around and looked at her, and still she texted on, totally oblivious to what I had just said. The class got the giggles, albeit, briefly. The silence finally got her attention. She looked up. I asked, “You finished with that yet? Are you ready to re-join the class now?”

A few minutes later, the phone was back in her hand.

Here’s the lesson to be learned: Pay attention, follow the instructions, ask questions if you don’t understand, and stop texting while the instructor is talking or you may end up with the words “I didn’t know….” coming out of your mouth.

My reply? “I talked about it while you were texting…”

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Let Me Introduce You

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

Introductory phrases can be wonderful. Or not. They can, if used to excess, muddy the water, bore your reader, and add tedium to your writing. What’s a person to do? Get rid of as many as you can.

Let’s start with “what is an introductory phrase?” It is, according to Siri, “an introduction to a subject or a topic; basis or preliminary.” It is stuck on the front of a sentence. Usually students who use them fail to use a comma afterwards, which muddies the literary waters. Here are some examples:

As you just read… should be written: As you just read,…

Most of the time… should be written: Most of the time,…

Since they are willing to pay scalper prices… should be written: since they are willing to pay scalper prices,…

In the beginning…. should be written: In the beginning,…

Conversely….. should be written: Conversely,…

And my all-time favorites: Firstly, secondly, lastly. Dump these three examples from your writing. You may, however, use first, second, third (or finally).

The sad thing is that the examples above are fine, but the student did not use a comma to separate the introductory phrase from the rest of the sentence. Occasionally, the student will realize that he or she needs a comma, but will put it in the wrong place.

Popular positions (which are incorrect, for the record) are between the subject and the verb in a sentence. Please note that, in the examples above, these are prepositional phrases. We have not yet gotten to the subject or verb.

Let’s move the introductory phrases somewhere else in the sentence, as follows:

The rain in Spain, as you just read, falls mainly on the plain. This is what happens, most of the time. We got good tickets because they were willing to pay scalper prices. It looked like a good deal, in the beginning. They told us, conversely, that it wasn’t.

I have now eliminated all of the introductory phrases and, in two cases, given you a parenthetical expression by moving the phrase to the middle of the sentence (where you now need two commas).

Best,

Dr. Sheri

I’m About to Graduate: AKA What Do I Do Now????

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

During my time as a residential faculty member, numerous students have come to me, asking what I think they should do after college. What should their next steps be?

To help guide their thinking, the first things I usually ask are “What do you want to do?” and “Where do you like the weather?” If you are young and unattached, why not live some place you are going to enjoy when you aren’t working? As long as you and your family members live near a major airport, you can still see quite a bit of one another.

One thing you do need to realize is that this is a MAJOR change to everything you are used to. Don’t let that blindside you, once you get out of college. Your whole life, you have defined yourself as a student and now you won’t be. It can be a real culture shock.

So, who are you? You have been a son or daughter, and you still will be, but who are you, as a person, an adult? I can tell you who I am- perhaps that will help you define yourself.

Okay, here goes: I am a daughter, sister, mother, and grandmother who teaches residential classes and online courses for a major Christian university. I am a runner, writer, sign language interpreter, and choir member. I am a child of God.

That wasn’t too hard, but I knew ahead of time what to say. Now it’s your turn. What do you do? What do you enjoy? Tell me about yourself and it will be easier to know who you are. Do you support the arts? Do you enjoy sports? What kind of work would you love to do, even if you didn’t get paid for it? Perhaps student debt won’t allow you to do that at the start, but that could be your next goal.

Where do you want to go in life? Do you want a big house and a really nice car or would you prefer to be a full-time missionary living out in the wilds of a foreign land? Or do you believe, like I do, that your mission field is here in the States?

I know a young man who worked for years as an employee for a secular company, but he now works for less pay at a major Christian nonprofit company. He absolutely loves his job and finds great fulfillment in it. “Tell me what you love and I will tell you who you are,” as someone very wise once said.

So, your first step as you prepare to finish your coursework should be to determine who you are. Once you know that, you will have a better idea of what kind of job to apply for and what your next steps will be.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Dawn Isn’t Just for Dish Grease: Use it On Clothes

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hi everyone:

I learned something from one of my daughters-in-law this weekend. I had gotten some grease on a favorite blouse and the stain just wouldn’t come out.

She told me, “Mom, one of our neighbors told me to use Dawn dish soap on grease stains.”

I tried it and it worked like a champ! I had washed that blouse three times, with special spot remover, once and full-strength detergent twice, to no avail. I popped some Dawn on the blouse and washed it again. Presto! No more stain!

When I came home from my trip, I went directly to to store, bought a big bottle and put it… next to my washing machine. No more expensive stain removal products for me! Give me my dish soap and no one will get hurt! 🙂

Do you have any ideas that I can share with my readers? I would love to hear about your non-traditional fixes!

Best,

Dr. Sheri

When You’re Supposed to Bring Five Balloons but You Only Have One

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hi everyone:

I heard a great story Sunday morning. Our worship ministry assistant was telling us about how her hubby was supposed to bring home five balloons for their son’s 6-month birthday, but he only managed to make it home with one. Here’s how the story went:

The hubby was tasked with one thing for his son’s birthday party: go to the dollar store and get five helium-filled balloons. So he went off, confident in his ability to do the job.

When he got the balloons from the dollar store worker, however, the balloons were not tethered together and one immediately headed for the ceiling. The worker said something to the effect of “tough break, dude.” And the man walked away.

Hubby went on his way, minus one of the balloons, but with a good excuse. He walked outside, where the wind was blowing very hard and, you guessed it, he lost two more balloons.

He made his way to the car, struggling to keep his remaining balloons and then get them into the car. Wind vortexes being what they are, two more balloons evaded hubby’s grasp.

A few minutes later, he went into the house, with only one balloon in hand. His wife was quite annoyed with him, and really let him have it. It wasn’t until later that she realized that he might have had a very rough 20 minutes and asked him about it. He told the story as you have read it.

Here’s the point: You never know what someone else is going through. You don’t know what happened to their four balloons, so don’t pre-judge someone. Listen to their story and then decide.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work…Or Not

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hi everyone:

I love teamwork, don’t you? Well, perhaps not so much.

If you have ever had a …shall we call the person a “Non-productive Member,” then you are probably thinking I have rocks in my brain right about now.

Bad teams, good teams: Been there, done that, got the T-shirt, and worn the hat.

Some of my students have a project due tomorrow. Some of the team members have not yet done their part for the assignment. What’s a good group to do?

First the don’t list: Don’t wait until the last minute to complete the project yourselves. Set the due date for members to have their parts ready to add into the team paper several days before the instructor wants the project. That way, you will know ahead of time if you have to “fire” the no-load and do that part of the paper yourselves.

Don’t be afraid to tell the instructor if someone is a goof-off. Do not wait until the last minute to tell her (or him). If you wait until the Lazy Loader has his or her name on the paper and you turn it in, then I have to give the person who did nothing a grade as if he or she did something. That’s not fair to you and it gives the person the idea (apparently correctly) that he or she can goof off and get an A.

Do not feel sorry for a sob story. Yes, things happen and they are sometimes pretty sorry-sounding. If I, as an instructor, have heard that the person has had a death in the family followed by a flooded basement followed by a spouse losing his or her job followed by a broken leg, root canal problems, and a herniated disk, then I will have pity and ask you to do the same. If someone has a hang nail, then the pity party is over.

Now the Do list: Do keep your instructor in the loop. I cannot help if I do not know what is going on. Allow me to qualify that statement: Do not email the professor, demanding the person be dumped off the team just because he or she has not answered the 27 emails you have sent him or her in the last fifteen minutes. Do not fire the person without a reasonable time for that person to become active.

What is a “reasonable time?” If your project has a due date in four weeks, then one and a half weeks in without any action from the Lazy Loader means that we might have a problem. Two weeks in, and you definitely have cause for concern. It’s time to email the professor. I will send an email and, if there is no reply, I will move the person to a team where he or she will have to complete the project alone.

Teamwork can be very rewarding, I have known teams that became the best of friends, purposely taking future classes together in the hopes that they could work together again. Teamwork can be a dream, with the right people. With the wrong folks co-joined at the hip, it can be a nightmare.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Avoiding the Freshman Fifteen

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

A friend of mine was telling me this afternoon that he avoided going to the all-you-can-eat-in-one-plateful restaurant on campus because he didn’t want to participate in the Freshman 30. I replied, “I thought it was the Freshman Fifteen.” He said that, after a few months of eating at that place, he blew right through the 15 to 30 pounds. Thanks, my friend. I had just bought my dinner from that place. Poor timing on his part.

It was his habit to load up his plate as if it was his last meal. Had to get his money’s worth, you see. While it fed his body, it added greatly to his waistband. Inches, actually. Quite a few, apparently.

What are you to do? Eat sensibly, for one thing. Your parents bought a meal plan but it doesn’t mean that you have to load up your plate just because children are starving in….fill in the blank. (Yes, this is a test!)

Next, if you do have to eat at a restaurant like the afore-mentioned, fill up your plate with low-calorie salad fixings and then take a small portion of that wonderful beef stroganoff. (It was too heavily seasoned- I’ve been drinking water all evening.)

Do watch out for salads. It’s very easy to create a beautiful but heavily-calorie-laden meal, even at the salad bar. A few high-calorie options can make your salad into a 2,000 calorie meal faster than Richard Simmons can do jumping jacks. (This is a cultural reference- ask your grandmother about him.) Note: He is 71, so I don’t know how many jumping jacks Richard Simmons is still doing, but you never know.

Pick fruit. Our salad bar offers bananas, apples, and oranges. They are a better choice than the chocolate chips cookies, even though it might not seem like it. Chose them and avoid the excess pounds!

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Back to School Success

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hi Everyone:

Congrats on being back in school. What in the world do you do now? Prepare, prepare, and do it. Here’s how:

When I was an undergrad (and even now that I teach), I would buy an academic month-at-a-glance calendar. I use different colored pens for each class and mark off all of the assignments (including reading assignments) that I had for each class. One English class might be blue ink; another class would be green; still another was red or purple. (Write the number of the class in the same color ink next to the assignments or you will get hopelessly lost. You will, however, have a very colorful book!)

When there was a major assignment, I would highlight it with a yellow marker, to make it stand out. In fourteen years as a college student, I only forgot one assignment. I had forgotten to look at my calendar and was going off of my memory. Oops!

Keep that calendar with you at all times. Is this old-fashioned? Yes. Does it ever crash? No. Does it require that you charge it at night? No. It simply sits there and works.

I hope this helps!

Best,

Dr. Sheri