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Getting back to blogging...

So, here I am, back to trying to blog more consistently. There are a number of things that have led to me finally getting off my butt, or out of my head, and actually sitting down at the laptop. One is that in my role as CTL Director, I repeatedly tell faculty that one aspect of being an effective teacher is being reflective - being willing to step back and look at what you're doing in the classroom, asking what is working and what isn't, how do you know what's working and what isn't, and what needs to be done to keep improving. For many years, this blog was basically my way of doing that reflection 'out loud'. I wouldn't exactly say that I've been a hypocrite in telling my faculty to do something I don't do anymore myself - I do believe I reflect regularly on my work as a faculty developer, even if not in a public forum - but I could do more, and hope blogging will help me think through a number of things in a more systematic and concrete way. I actually think self-reflection, self-awareness, is a key aspect of being an effective human being, not just an effective instructor, and writing / journaling has always helped me think through things so I hope blogging will help me be more reflective in general.

Another thing that is motivating me to get back to blogging is a desire to re-connect with my economist self. This fall, I did get back in the classroom but it wasn't an economics classroom. I'll write more about that experience in the future but one of the huge takeaways for me was the reminder that I really don't love teaching as a general thing; I love teaching economics. That is, what I love about teaching is specifically helping students understand economics, helping them develop their skills in thinking about the world like economists; everything I do to be a better teacher is in service to that purpose. This has also made me realize that I am not destined to stay in the CTL / general faculty development role forever. There was a point in time when I thought maybe this was going to be my next career stage, a fundamental shift in my identity, but I am now pretty sure that it is only a somewhat prolonged detour, albeit one that has provided a ton of lessons and new priorities I will certainly carry with me when I return to my original trajectory. That is also something I plan to write more about in the future and I hope that blogging here will help me figure out what I'm doing as I navigate my path over the next few years.

Finally, perhaps the biggest thing motivating me to get back to blogging is a desire to do more than I am currently doing to participate in what I see as a critical conversation happening in our profession, our classrooms, our country. I have always said that I believe that if everyone thought a little more like economists, the world would be a better place, and while there are many ways in which our profession is deeply flawed, I still believe that one thing the world could use a little more of these days is for more people to understand (and act on) concepts like cost-benefit analysis, positive versus normative thinking, sunk versus marginal costs. In future posts, I hope to expand on why I believe that and how, in my mind, economic thinking is completely consistent with a world of greater diversity, inclusion and equality. I have no idea who will read this but whoever you are, I hope you'll stick around for that conversation...

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