Hi!
I thought this would be a good place to post pictures and news of my adventures at Clemson. I have just finished my first school year here in South Carolina; two semesters down and who knows how far to go! It has been a good year and an interesting one. The classes aren't too hard, with the exception of quantitative research classes. Statistics was hard and the idea of using them again and again in quantitative research is a bit daunting. The preparation for becoming a professor includes teaching, research, and service. The teaching is easy and fun of course (although I may change my mind on that after teaching my first class at Clemson this fall). Service is an area I'm just developing...trying to serve on committees and in leadership roles. The research is much more difficult than I had imagined and I feel I need more classes for this. One of the things I enjoy in this doc program is that all the students in the program with me are smart and accomplished too. It's fun to talk and work with them. This summer I'll be taking a pretty full load. There are two summer sessions, June 4-21 and July 5-Aug 8. First session I am taking two classes, one from 9:15-12:15 and then from 1:15-4:15. Second session I'm taking a class from 1:15-3:15 and am hoping to audit or take another research class.
Tillman Hall where my office and classes take place
I'm also working with Vivian Correa
(who is brilliant by the way) on a few research projects. It's a great opportunity to learn about the process. We were in Barnwell, SC in May. We stayed at the Days Inn and conducted assessments of the community's early childhood programs such as Head Start, public 4K (kind of a pre kindergarten program), and child care settings. It was an interesting time. The community was profiled in a very sad documentary called the Corridor of Shame (
www.corridorofshame.com). Apparently schools in the cities along Interstate 95 have little funding and the condition of their buildings and classrooms is horrible. An anonymous donor from the area gave Clemson $100,000 to try to prepare young children for school. The team of us working had an interesting time.
The other project I'll be working on with Vivian begins during the summer. A community out here called Wahalla has experienced tremendous growth in its Latino population. Vivian is from Puerto Rico and fluent in Spanish. We're going to go into homes, visit with families, and video tape parents reading with their children to learn about family literacy practices. It will be such a great experience for me!
I'm still looking for a house to buy in the area. I think it will be a good investment. I'm looking in communities near Clemson such as Clemson itself, Central, Pendleton, and Seneca. It's a hard decision because I want to consider resale. Homes in Clemson are more expensive and I would need a roommate to afford it. Homes in Pendleton go quickly; I've put two offers in that have not been accepted. Seneca is a little further out. So, I'm not sure. I saw some nice homes yesterday and will probably make an offer on one of them. I'll keep this blog updated.
I don't know when I'll be out to California next. Probably for a week in June or in August. I'm very excited that my cousin Valerie and her beautiful baby daughter Iris are coming out to visit in July! I'm doing more 2Teach consultation trips this summer as well. I have presentations in Prince George, Maryland June 27-30. And, I'll be in various counties in West Virginia August 9-19. Wendy Murawski, the owner of 2 Teach, has developed a lot of new resources including a website and software program. You can learn about 2 Teach at
www.2teachllc.com.
I hope everyone is as well and happy as I am! Love, Jeni
Well, technically my parents bought an investment home, but it's MINE :) I made an offer on it yesterday, and heard tonight that they accepted it. So now comes the financing and house inspection, and move in July 20th-31st. YAY!!! It's a great place, and I'll get pictures and more information about it to you on this blog soon. It's 3+2 and a half, with a master bedroom downstairs and two bedrooms with a Jack and Jill bathroom upstairs. There's also walk in storage upstairs and a nice yard downstairs with grass and trees. There are two patios, one off the kitchen and one off the upstairs bedrooms; the picture below shows one of the two and it's the one I want to screen in and make steps to the outside. 
I'll be looking for a roommate to join me in this beautiful space.
Not good pictures because I only had my cell phone camera with me, but it sure was pretty!
