So much fun! Can’t wait for Season 2.

@kirsten-verostickslcc-edu Love this! What musicals do you listen to?

Modeling our instructional approach after our professors seems to be a rite of passage 🙂 I had profs who were purely lecture-based, and I tried to replicate that because I had internalized lecturing as the “proper” way to teach.

My mix: Binaural beats (Brainwaves app) and either lo-fi hip hop (YouTube or the Calm app) or classical guitar.

How lovely! Thank you 💕

I entered the teaching profession with no education background, just content expertise. If I could go back to Day One, I would tell myself that it’s OK to be authentic and to figure things out along the way. I would say not to be like the professors I had, but instead to become the professor who is authentically me.

I dig this question because it’s a perfect prompt to engage AI as part of the learning experience (like when I had my honors leadership students have an AI conversation with an autocratic leader).

It’s hard to choose between Zora Neale Hurston, Harriet Tubman, Carl Sagan, and more. But based on my planned schedule, I would invite Karl Marx to…

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Congrats, Anesse 🎉 (though I thought there would be two weekly winners).

When students have a strong sense of belonging, they’ll continue to show up for you and for themselves. Last week, during the BHM event I planned, I invited several students to perform, covering Black history through a timeline of music. They were more than happy to oblige.…

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This makes me wonder how we get employers more on board with evaluating authentic assessments like portfolios and work samples rather than relying so heavily on grades or institutional pedigree. We do pretty well with this in the education field, at least in my experience. When I’m on a hiring committee, I look at whether a prospective…

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@Najia I love this. The Levantine dialect makes my heart melt.

~Melissa🌺

I’d grow a vegetable garden. I somehow manage to kill plastic plants, so I would need more than one sabbatical to master this skill 😂

One of my students had a lightbulb moment with thesis statements this week. After I introduced a guided formula for practice, they looked up and said, “It’s been this easy the whole time?” Huzzah for scaffolding 😂

I continue to witness increases in online enrollment. One of my face-to-face courses didn’t make, and the other has half the usual number of students. Meanwhile, all of my online classes, including late-start sections, were at capacity well before the spring semester began.

What AI-related podcasts, books, or other media (beyond the Quick Studies) are on your must list right now? Which, if any, have influenced your approach to AI?

Always appreciate the weekly round-ups😊

My end-of-year “Round-Up” is that students are clamoring for mentorship. With fewer tenured/tenure-track faculty, overextended adjuncts, and shrinking/lost funding for internships and other programs, sustained mentoring isn’t always possible. I’ve tried to create mentor-like moments in the classroom as a…

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Nearly lifelong vegan. I love this.

I like your thinking. But that plan would drive up the cost of my annual autumnal cabin rental. I’m so conflicted😅

Not sure if I qualify yet, but please add me to the double-check list (I checked the backpack on Parchment).

~Melissa🌺

Absolutely agree. It’s unfortunate, but service learning seems the most viable option, as students are reporting dwindling availability of internships and employment.

Badges are always fun😊 Quick question: Do endorsements reset in January or a year from when the initiative started?

I would never have guessed that😂

How lovely! What a wonderful way to start the holiday weekend 🥧 🕊️

~Melissa🌺

I’ve only ever had (vegan) apple and pumpkin pie. Ranked 1 and 2, respectively. But you can keep the pie and give me cookies or cake without frosting😂

For me, autumn represents abundance and possibility. This golden Blue Ridge tree (no filter!!), which I was fortunate to see every day on vacation, gently reminds me that seasons transform openly and that learning can help us do the same.

At least overnight, but a full day is best!

Compassion

I echo this: “Many describe AI as helpful for early planning while the core instructional decisions remain human-driven.”

Guineos en Escabeche (Marinated green bananas) 🇵🇷

Teaching twist: Good ideas take time. Let them marinate.

My pups bringing me a squeaky toy while I grade always brightens my day🐶🐾

I’m guessing either my tablet (which is near my desk in my tote bag) or ME! 😂

~Melissa🌺

(Season*) New bedsheets, puppies, and autumn leaves changing color

I dig this. Neurodivergent faculty benefit too. When we support ourselves, we support our students.

~Melissa🌺

@kelly-williamson @gclarke Yes! Closing the distance is what establishes good vibes. While names matter a great deal, I don’t subscribe to the idea that a name is “everything.” I blank on names all the time, but students get a kick when I say things like, “Give me the first letter of your name. I know you’re majoring in accounting,…

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