Reading up to chapter five, I am loving this book with such insightful, useful advice about writing the dissertation. I love this anecdote: "When I worked at Harvard's Writing Center, we joked that the single most useful piece of equipment for a writer was a bucket of glue. First you spread some on your chair, and then you sit down" (p. 32). This is so true, oh so true!

The third chapter, aptly titled "Getting Started Writing," speaks to my soul. Because everything written in that chapter relates to my writing pedagogy for Orientation 101 classes that I teach at Gadsden State. It shares about how writing does not begin perfectly, but a mess in a chaotic way. The author points out that we are to write it all out, not allowing ourselves to pause for that period or comma and if this word or that word is spelled right.

Subsequently, I will have to use this book as a source for my dissertation.

Can't wait to continue reading this relevant book.

Sharing Post-thoughts about my dissertation journey

SEE the Writing -- has multiple meanings.

SEE are the initials of my former married name (Sarah Elizabeth Eiland), and even though the marriage chapter in my life has ended, I still carry "See the writing" perspective lens into what I believe about writing and its effectiveness for my teaching style.

It is during my marriage that I taught Orientation 101 at Gadsden State Community College (2008-2015). Thus, I conducted research with the intent to see what students thought of my writing pedagogy, the writing prompts, as an all-encompassing tool to succeed both in the classroom and in life.

On a side but very important note, I am hearing impaired. Subsequently, I share how writing helps with my reaching out to the students sitting in my classroom.

Autoethnography is the research approach used to explore how writing over time has helped with the development of my pedagogical content knowledge.

Lee S. Shulman's (1986, 1987) pedagogical content knowledge is the theoretical framework for my autoethnographic research. Not only do I refer to PCK, I also touch on several other theories including Dee Fink's (2013) taxonomy of significant learning, Schlossberg's (1989) theory on mattering vs. marginality, Mikhail Bahktin's theory of addressivity, and Jacque Lacan's theory of interconnectedness.

I concluded my autoethnographic research with five findings:

1) individualism within diversity

2) variability

3) persistence

4) competence

5) responsiveness.