Author Archives: Nancy Chick

The Continual Unfolding of Our Work

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Nancy Chick

This week was an especially stressful time of the semester. Some of you are looking forward to spring break, but Vanderbilt’s was at the very beginning of March.  The week after break–or, as we often call it, “break”–is hard for … Continue reading →

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About Time

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Nancy Chick

This work of mindfulness–in essence, focusing awareness on the present moment–has me noticing more clearly how I experience time. Despite the best efforts of clocks and schedules, time is a subjective, varying, and malleable phenomenon. In October’s “Stories of the … Continue reading →

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Busy-Shaming

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Nancy Chick

My Women & Gender Studies class talked about “slut shaming” recently, and I’ve since been thinking about another kind of shaming that worries me–and that I want to be careful to avoid. The flurry of popular media discussions of mindfulness … Continue reading →

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Opening Our Eyes

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Nancy Chick

In the rhythm of academia, right as we began this semester, we also selected our courses for next year. I decided to revisit my course on monsters.  Soon after, a friend gave me a book of original Grimm’s fairy tales–a … Continue reading →

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Daydream Believer

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Nancy Chick

I’ve previously written about the specific kind of meditation that leads to “Inspiration, Creativity, & New Ideas,” but I want to return to this issue. Creativity is a necessary skill in all disciplines, yet it’s among the most difficult to … Continue reading →

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Time, the Superbowl, & Bandwagons

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Nancy Chick

This past week brought a kind of harmonic convergence of mindfulness in popular culture.  First, Time magazine featured “The Mindful Revolution” on the cover. Then, or perhaps simultaneously, word spread (from ESPN to the blogosphere) that the Seattle Seahawks–then heading for … Continue reading →

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After the Honeymoon

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Nancy Chick

My class is still in the “honeymoon phase,” those carefree weeks in the beginning of the semester when students and instructor alike enjoy each other’s company and insights, before any major papers or exams complicate the dynamic. Smaller, low-stakes assessments have … Continue reading →

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Doodling & Knitting

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Nancy Chick

Last week, I had a great conversation about class participation with SoTL Scholar Hasina Mohyuddin and my Graduate-Teaching-Fellow partner in teaching the SoTL Scholars Program Andrew Greer (both PhD candidates in the Department of Human & Organizational Development).  I also … Continue reading →

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Enduring Effects

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Nancy Chick

I recently announced on Facebook that I take requests. My friend and former colleague Marnie Bullock Dresser asked the following question: “I can already tell there are fewer monkeys when I’m in serious monkey mind mode. I can tell my … Continue reading →

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Support for Stressed Students

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Nancy Chick

The new semester started yesterday here at Vanderbilt. My students were bright-eyed and enthusiastic, though I know they were experiencing those first-day uncertainties about their new classes, professors, and classmates. Soon enough, these early jitters will turn to a more … Continue reading →

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