The Walden University Writing Center is privileged to work with talented students. In the Student Spotlight Series, we aim to support incredible work our students do, both in and out of the classroom. The goal of the Student Spotlight Series is to provide the Walden community with a place to build bridges and make connections by developing shared understanding of the diverse and varied student journey. Students share stories about their writing process, their efforts towards social change, and their motivations for pursuing higher education. We ask questions, and students generously answer.
This Student Spotlight features Jessica Meadows, student of the the Richard W. Riley
College of Education and Leadership.
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| Walden University Writing Center | Building Bridges. Making Connections. |
What is your professional and educational background, and what degree are you pursuing at Walden? I earned a BA in Elementary Education in 1993 from American University and an MS in Curriculum and Instruction with a Concentration in Reading in 1997 from Hood College. I am certified as a reading specialist in grades k-12, and I have taught in elementary and middle school settings for 14 years. Currently, I teach at the community college level. At Walden, I am pursuing a EdS in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. I’m about 2/3 of the way through that program. However, I am considering transferring into the EdD program in the same area now instead of waiting until after the EdS is completed. The EdD was always the final goal. Now it’s just a question of the timing. I decided to pursue my doctorate at Walden because I wanted the flexibility of an online school. Like everyone, I am busy with other aspects of life and I appreciate the ability to work from home. There is also the possibility that I may move during the program making it impossible for me to attend a brick and mortar school.
What are your
professional and scholarly goals, and how is your Walden degree program helping
you to reach these? My overall goal is to impact schools and learning on a
larger scale. I’ve always worked in a
classroom; now I would like to work with new teachers or to develop curriculum
and have a greater ripple effect in education. I want to be an expert in my
teaching craft. I want to be able to
share that with other teachers. Walden has helped me expand my view of
education and leadership which will make me an effective agent for change. I
currently have a 4.0 GPA, and although I disagree with many grading systems in
educational settings, I am proud of being able to achieve academic excellence.
For me, balancing family, teaching, and being in school is the most challenging
aspect of pursuing a higher degree. I
use a calendar program to track assignments and block out periods of time when
I plan to accomplish tasks. I also block
out time for family activities to make sure I don’t miss out on those
opportunities, too. It doesn’t always go as planned, but it serves as a guide.
What drew you to
using the Writing Center, and what Writing Center resources have you found the
most beneficial? Several of my professors recommended to all students that
they work with a tutor in the writing center. I’ve found the paper review service is the most beneficial resource! I’ve watched a few of the webinars,
but the individual feedback is a powerful tool. In my time at Walden, the Writing Center has helped me by providing individualized feedback that has helped me become a stronger writer. I have
become a much better writer of APA citations! I’ve noticed too that there are
characteristics of academic writing that I have not had to incorporate in my
writing for a while and some characteristics that I am including for the first
time as a part of my Walden program.
Having someone with a careful eye to point these out to me is
invaluable. Of course, APA citation review is always helpful too.
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Jessica (right) and her husband (left) dropping their
daughter (middle) off at Eckerd College for her first semester in college.
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You have had dozens
of paper reviews at this point; how do you find the time to make appointments
each week, and what motivates you to continue to do this? I often schedule writing center appointments well in advance
and use that as a way to hold myself accountable for making progress in
whatever I am writing. If I know that my
tutor is expecting to see my writing, I am more motivated to get it done and
uploaded in time! Also, the reviews are so valuable that I very much want to
have feedback before a paper is due. I strongly recommend the paper review
service. I also recommend developing a relationship with one writing tutor who
can see your writing progress over time.
Through your paper
reviews, you’ve been working on article annotations for your degree program,
and you’ve developed a writing process that seems to be working well for you.
What is your writing process for composing these annotations? Here’s an overview of what I do with some tips for my
colleagues who will be writing annotations too:
- For each annotation, I create a document. I add the headings for annotations sections: summary, analysis, application. As I read the article and come across information that helps build each section, I just start typing those details and my thoughts as I go. Later, I go back and organize into paragraphs.
- I always set each annotation aside for at least a day, then I go back and read it with fresh eyes for revising and editing. Often, I find parts that don’t quite make sense or need to be reorganized.
- I use the library’s resource on verifying peer review to ensure that I’m annotating a peer reviewed source, and I use Crossref.org to find the DOI of the article that I’m annotating.
- I use Grammarly.com as a resource as well. It catches small details for me, like repetitive words, and offers suggestions for changes.
- I make sure to schedule my writing center appointment and, when it comes, I upload as many annotations as I have ready at that time.
- My goal is to do only one annotation per day; more than one annotation feels overwhelming. Sometimes it is unavoidable, though. This is where having a calendar and breaking big tasks into small steps is valuable.
What tips and
suggestions can you offer to other Walden students as they seek to develop and
improve their writing? Write, get feedback, revise, repeat!
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