college life Archives - Debra Rienstra

Another Semester of Being Useless

Those of us who teach in humanities fields at university face the threshold of every new semester with the sinking feeling that we have dedicated our lives to something “the culture” no longer values. We’re useless, if not downright nefarious.

Debra RienstraJanuary 13, 2024

Calvin events college life

Goodbye to the Books

And I was surprised to find: I felt some grief. Why, for goodness sake? Was The Bit Between My Teeth: A Literary Chronicle of 1950-1965 (from 1965, not surprisingly) somehow personally important to me? It was not.

Debra RienstraAugust 19, 2023

college life spirituality

We’ve Forgotten How to Read

Our brains are altered by swimming in digital media, its allures and distractions. And our lives of continuous partial attention make deep concentration more difficult. We can still do it, but it’s harder.

Debra RienstraSeptember 3, 2022

Calvin events college life cultural commentary

Lies We Tell Young People

It's a modern day Cinderella trope, isn’t it? The long-suffering, virtuous-and-talented high schooler is visited by a talent agent/scout/special teacher/fairy godperson who provides them with the means to zing through the Dress Ball of Admissions and be whisked off to Handsome Prince University, which of…

Debra RienstraApril 30, 2022

college life

Adventures in Face-to-Face Learning: A Week in Lists

I’m paying now, hiking up a very steep learning curve as I try to get back in the game. The game, of course, has changed.

Debra RienstraSeptember 5, 2020

college life spirituality

Word of the Lord, Thanks Be to God

It's disturbing to recognize that in the Noah story, God does the same sort of thing that the Babylonian gods do in their flood story.” That’s what she said, this bold and thoughtful student in world lit class. We had been pondering the flood story…

Debra RienstraSeptember 28, 2019

college life silly

The College Syllabus: An Annotated Guide

For all you college students out there, it’s time to gird up your binders and get ready for a parade of professors thrusting their course syllabi at you. On the off chance that you will actually read these syllabi—my research shows that only about one-third…

Debra RienstraAugust 31, 2019

college life spirituality theology

Please Stop: Calvin Seniors on Vocation

Next time you encounter a college senior, you will inevitably be tempted to ask, “So what’s your major?” and “So what are you going to do with that?” Before you utter those words, please stop. Be gentle. Think of something else to ask. Why? Because…

Debra RienstraMarch 2, 2019

college life cultural commentary pop culture

Legacy Sorting the KonMari Way

I couldn’t even watch one whole episode. The first season of the new Marie Kondo television series, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, dropped on Netflix this week. Obviously, Netflix timed this premier to capitalize on our New Year’s ambitions before they fade into Februarian disappointment.…

Debra RienstraJanuary 5, 2019

college life silly

How To Achieve Syllabus Efficiency

On a typical day, I prepare to teach three different texts for the three courses I’m currently teaching: Shakespeare, Early British Literature, and introductory creative writing. This seems inefficient, don’t you think? What if I could prepare only one reading for all three courses?

Debra RienstraOctober 27, 2018

college life

Another Semester of Being Useless

Goodbye to the Books

We’ve Forgotten How to Read

Lies We Tell Young People

Adventures in Face-to-Face Learning: A Week in Lists

Word of the Lord, Thanks Be to God

The College Syllabus: An Annotated Guide

Please Stop: Calvin Seniors on Vocation

Legacy Sorting the KonMari Way

How To Achieve Syllabus Efficiency

Popular Posts

Recent Posts

Links

Books

Connections

Contact