month[3] - The End of 2020

December 2020

December! The end of 2020!

I've tried to avoid deluding myself into thinking that 2020 was actually cursed. I know it's a great meme, and really fun to say things like "oh that's SOOOO 2020" when things go bad. But bad things happened long before 2020, just like racism and government incompetence were around long before Donald Trump... and I'm trying to avoid the naïveté of believing Jan 1st will hit and everything bad will just be gone. Because, honestly, there's no way that'll happen: Trump will still be president, a pandemic will still be raging through the country and the world, and inequity will still be a massive problem.

However, I'm looking forward to 2021 nonetheless. I'm getting married next year!! And whatever else happens, this PhD work has been great so far, and 2021 will be a full year of it. So I definitely have tempered excitement for the year ahead.

The first half of December was REALLY tough -- I'd been writing non-stop since Thanksgiving break to get the giant mock NSF proposal done for one class, and two (or three, if you include the book report I helped rewrite!) papers done for Core I. Lots and lots of writing, and on top of that I had a stats homework to redo (I messed up a few lines of R code), a stats final to finish, and grades to submit for the class I taught! And of course we were approaching Christmastime so there were a few things to get ready for that. Looking back, it was very busy, but I made it through and I think I wound up with an A in every class, though I'm waiting on final grades to be sure. GPAs seem to matter less and less as you move through degrees, but it's still an accomplishment and I feel proud of doing that well!

The holidays, meanwhile, were an incredible time to relax. I got the COVID test what felt like a million times (it was probably like... three. I really don't like the thing up my nose!) in between visits to family -- we wanted to do our normal rotation as long as we weren't bringing it home to anyone. So, luckily, I did get to see both sides of the family (my parents and my fiancee's!) this Christmas which I was a little worried about because of the pandemic.

Game of the month: Creeper World 4
Show of the month: The Mandalorian
Movie of the month: It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Book of the month: Dune (1965)
Biggest challenge this month: FINALS
Happiest moment this month: Celebrating Christmas with my families!

How I'm Feeling...

Relieved. December was quite a bit of work and I'm definitely glad to be done with it! I am proud of what I produced for a few papers (particularly my final paper for Core, which I co-wrote with a classmate and I think is actually pretty good!), but proud that I finished all of them and finished them all on time!

I'm also feeling very excited for next semester (and winter term -- I'm taking a few coding classes and an independent study! Will talk about that more in the January post!). But, to some degree, I'm very grateful for the chance to take a few weeks off academic work. I

...and What We're Learning!

Math/Sci Ed Policy, PD & Teacher Prep

This class focuses largely on what policy around education looks like, what "reform" efforts look like and aim for, and our working model for how factors inside and outside the classroom inform curriculum & instruction.

At this point in the semester, I'm almost exclusively putting my time into a mock NSF proposal on a CT-integrated math curriculum for high school. It strongly resembles Sphero.Math, although it uses Python instead of coding a robot.

Core I

This class (first of a two-semester series) focuses on what educational research is, our position and identity as researchers, and how equity and social justice can be emphasized throughout educational research. It also serves to develop our analytical and communication skills!

I'm finishing up a presentation on the book Schoolteacher: A Sociological Study to be presented on Dec. 3rd with a classmate, starting a joint paper (mentioned above) with a different classmate, and preparing a reading list for Core II in the spring! Woo!

General Linear Methods I (Stats)

This class is the second of a three-course sequence in basic statistical skills in R. It covers multiple linear regression, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), multiple comparison procedures, factorial ANOVA, Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), nested designs, and some other skills.

I have officially finished all of the homework assignments for this course and am just waiting on the final exam to be posted (on Dec. 8, I think, due Dec. 15!). The end of the course felt pretty rushed, but I have a whole 'nother semester of stats coming in the spring!!

Also, below is a fun plot I got to make for the last homework assignment for a question on birth weights!

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