C.C. Chapman's Blog, page 2

Sharpen, Focus, Balance - My Three Words for 2023

The exercise is to determine three words you’ll focus on for the following year. I first heard about it from Chris Brogan and then included a chapter in Amazing Things Will Happen. During the Pandemic, I focused on surviving and helping, so I didn’t participate.

This year, as my winter break began and I was noodling over how to spend the weeks ahead, my three words came to me. I wrote them on a sticky note, and it has sat here on my desk collecting dusk and tempting me to change them.

Typically t...

Did a Student or a Bot Write That Assignment?

The sooner you embrace the truth that you’ll never be able to stay up to date on all of the latest technology, the happier you’ll be.

While I consider myself an alpha adopter who loves to play on the bleeding edge of tech, I know that I can’t see and touch it all, and I’m ok with that. I also know that my students and colleagues will try new technology before and long after I do.

I’m collecting my thoughts and sharing them in the hopes of helping others.

Artificial Intelligence is something that...

Another School Year of What Will Happen?

Next week the school year begins, and as I sit here in my home office, I wonder what the year will be like.

It is a time of change in the world and on my campus. I’ll be in a classroom maskless for the first time in two years, we have a new President in their second semester and an evolving student body. The world around us is still filled with hate, and empathy seems to be at an all-time low for many.

I’ll be teaching the same three courses I have for years. I am excited about a new first-year e...

Our Punta Cana Vacation

I’m a traveler and explorer. I love seeing new places, meeting new people, and getting lost regularly. 

As with the rest of the world, I haven’t been doing any of that due to the global pandemic, and before that, an evolution in my career cut down on the number of new passport stamps I received. The reality that my carry-on was collecting dust has been an itch that I couldn’t safely scratch. 

So, one night as we lay in bed, my wife and I began trying to remember the last time only the two of us ha...

A Moment of Thoughts

Few truly want “the honest truth.”

They may ask for it, and even if you double-check to confirm that they are ok with what may be shared, they rarely think through their answer.

They get angry when you give them their medicine since they expect cake.

How are you doing? It has been far too long since I last wrote here. Can it be over five months since I last opened my brain and dribbled my thoughts through my keyboard?

The first half of the year was another interesting one on campus. Students improv...

Windows and Doors

I’ve always kept a list of life goals that I hope to check off before I leave this big blue marble.

Last week, I check off one as I announce the release of my first photography book titled Windows and Doors.

While most of my reading is done ...

Closing the Book on Another Year

Facing the reality that this will only be the fifth post I’ve written here in all of 2021 was a bit of a shock and, at the same time, the obvious answer.

Writing is self-care for me, and if I’m being honest, I haven’t been taking all that great care of myself during this global clusterfuck we are all living through. My focus has been on doing what I can to keep those around me comfortable, sane, and COVID negative through all of this.

I have been writing a bit on the site I set up at school. Writi...

Birria Induced Brain Slurpees

I wake up and ponder a variety of things every morning. The sun is rarely up yet, but Jaz makes sure we are. This morning included public art policies, sanding walls, and how many weeks were left in my summer break (nine, it turns out).

After waiting over a month for someone to be able to service our lawnmower, it got moved up four days to today, and that means I’ll be able to mow our lawn with my own mower again. While it is rarely a priority of mine, it is good to keep it from turning into a h...

Readings, Reconnections and Random Foo

The campus is quiet with summer upon it. The distant chatter of the construction crews making repairs and renovation to our buildings, but I felt almost alone as I walked around a bit since I was my typical early to a meeting self. I had arrived on campus to get a tour of our school’s Permanent Collection, and wow, did it inspire and surprise me.

I decided to take some photos and then kicked back to read for a bit. I’ve been reading a ton since hitting the summer break.

I try to read for at leas...

I Survived The Longest School Year

I’ve made it through some tough stretches in school during my life. The last month of high school was harder than it needed to be. My sophomore year of college pushed me to my limits. Transitioning to a fully remote classroom last March challenged all of us.

This week though, as I submitted my final grades for the semester, I paused and realized I had made it through what I hope will be the hardest school year of my life.

Teaching seven classes, advising several dozen students, and being a facult...