So Much Learned, So Much Done, But There is Always More

These last two weeks have been so busy, there were times I found myself holding my breath. Then I would cross off a task on my list and breath easy again. And as if things were not hectic enough for me with condensed graduate course work and four class teaching load, I took on another class to teach, Engl 3140, a beginner fiction writing class. I took over the class five weeks in, after the professor was taken ill (wishing her a speedy recovery) because I’d never get a chance to teach this level of class as an adjunct. However, I realized I was stretching myself thin and dropped from a conference I was scheduled to attend at Austin State College.

If you are wondering how all this is relevant to graduate course work, let me tell you. Remember that Gnat chart Dr. Kim asked us to download the first week, so we could structure our coursework and manage our time effectively? Adding all my schedules, tasks, and responsibilities on there made me realize I had to give up something to accomplish the rest. I had to set my priorities in the present and the near future. So, conference was dropped to better prepare for the final two weeks of course work (a lot of copyediting and regular meetings with my teammate on teams), two lesson plans (TECM and ENGL), answering student emails and plowing through a mountain of grading.

As we near the end of this course, I have a renewed appreciation for Microsoft Word and Microsoft Teams. The ease of using teams to conduct meetings, send messages, and share files continues to amaze me. My teammate and I managed to do 2-3 meetings a week to discuss our client proposal, make changes to it, work on style sheet and do edits to documents.

The MS Word tutorials in Module 6 were a god send. Thanks to them, I was able to select styles for my headings and text, employ auto correct to repetitious comments and practice several other copyediting techniques on the client’s material. The hands-on nature of this class has made me a better editor and I can see the progress I have made in eight weeks. I pay more attention to word usage, accessibility, parallel verb structures and formatting in documents.

A major self-realization hit me two days ago as I was copyediting files for the client: the precise nature of copy-editing appeals to my Container-Store-Organizing heart. I love organizing my home whenever I get time and designate bins, containers, and shelves for everything and anything. Copy editing is a bit like that. Every heading, sub-heading, caption, and comment has a place on the document, and when you are done, everything is neatly arranged. You can click on a word, phrase, or a comment, and it will guide you to the precise format location on page.

It is the same with style sheet. It took us forever (two days, actually) to write the style sheet, and we kept adding things to it as we worked on our copyedits. But the result is a well-organized style sheet with clear instructions that show where to find a specific editing guideline.

As I write this last blog post of the semester, I am also thankful for my teammate who was calm and rational when I was panicking. Even though we didn’t have a designated team leader, she steered our team well with her insightful suggestions and contribution. A team’s success depends on good communication. This is what I tell my students when they start their teamwork projects. For the first time, in a long time, I was working in a team and constant communication with my teammate will be a major contributing factor to the success of our Comprehensive Edit assignment.

It is 1.20 PM at night. I have copyedited all day, had a team meeting, wrote my portion of comprehensive edit letter, and finished writing the last blog post of this semester. I will get up early to drive to Denton to teach my 8 AM class, on five hours of sleep. Later, there will be last minute edits to do before submission time. Despite the hectic day ahead of me, I go to bed content, because I have learned much, and I have given it my best. I can’t wait to see what my next class will bring.