the encouragement lounge: May 2012

Friday, May 18, 2012

Encouragement Lounge break

Hi friends. I am going to take a break from The Encouragement Lounge. As you can see, I have posted very little this spring. I am engaged in a bunch of work that is incredibly time and energy consuming and so I need to find other commitments that I can let go of or at least put on hold so that I don't get overwhelmed.

If you have come to this site looking for support, use the search function in the right column menu and search for whatever topic interests you (time management, stress management, writing, APA, etc.). There is a wealth of old posts here and given the nature of this blog most previous posts do not go out of date (this is support, not current events!).

Cheering you on in your work!
Harriet

Photo by HLS

Working adult students, on my mind...

I hope this blog will be helpful to friends and others involved in a variety of endeavors. However, I created the blog with students in mind and continue to develop it with that specific group as my focus.

I believe that with the increase in evening, weekend, and low-residency programs, students are working more and more in isolation. If we were all full-time students on campus, we would have the informal support that comes with being able to go down the hall and talk with a colleague, etc. But instead, we are working late nights and weekends at home in front of the laptop.

With that in mind, I hope the encouragement lounge provides brief moments of respite and energizing connection. This does not at all replace valuable face-to-face contact. Many aspects of the academic journey can only be addressed via in-depth conversations with colleagues and teachers. And I would always rather sit down and talk with someone than to communicate online. Nonetheless, my aim is to give you one more channel for quick hits of support.