By Any Other Nerd

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes I mentioned in my last post that I'd be talking a bit more about something that is giving me hope and a way to think about how to navigate the next few years (or rest of my life--take your pick).   And while I don't usually make blog titles so explicit, I really needed to with this one. I listened to  Fugitive Pedagogy: Carter G. Woodson and the Art of Black Teaching by Jarvis Givens a few years ago and it's all I can think about since the current administration decided it wanted to root out anything related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. I recently had to relisten to it and read sections of it as well. Since January 2025, I've mentioned the book dozens of times if I've mentioned it once.  The book explores the work of Carter G. Woodson and other Black educators in the 1900s.  Carter G. Woodson 's impact is significant.  He earned a Ph.D. from Harvard in 1912 and would play an important role in shaping t...

Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes I've been reviewing books, audiobooks, and graphic novels for years. Currently, it's mostly been young adult graphic novels for Publishers Weekly. Recently, I was enjoying a really great graphic novel. One that had me smiling because it focused on a young teen coming into their sexuality. The story didn't talk down to its reader and yet was sweet, kind, and complex with everyone in the story. It sought to understand the tensions and elevate the love. It's the kind of book that was non-existent in my teenage years. And the thing is, the reoccurring thought going through my head as I read was this: this book is going to be banned in the very communities that it is needed.  The thought played into all the feels I've been navigating--for the last few years but more heightened in the last year, when it felt very evident that Trump would win re-election. And now, in the face of the first monrh of his administration, has left me in a chal...

Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash For those early on their doctorate journey or not on it all, after one defends their dissertation. there are often edits to be completed.  So for those just tuning in, I defended my dissertation on December 10, 2024. It went well but as is expected, there were edits that I need to work on.  The edits recommended by the committee were not anything that I felt was unexpected. They all made sense and were things that once they mentioned them (in the defense itself or afterward), I could clearly see why they were needed.  They're not that bad, but they do require time.  If I was a bit more focused, I could probably have done them within 1-2 weeks of when I defended, but instead, I passed them in early February. Right after the dissertation, I decided to take most of December off. Between starting a new job and defending my dissertation in the first week and half of December, I was largely done for 20...