Tonight! 7:30pm! Operators (okay, I) will be standing by. (301) 927-0083.
Here’s how I’ve described Open Office Hours.
Once upon a time, office hours were for us.
When we were overwhelmed, when we were confused, when we were excited, we could march down the hall and take our turn in the old, uncomfortable chair. We could pull our legs up onto the seat, point at books we’d dogeared, ask that question we’d scribbled in the margin of our class notes, plunk down half-written drafts that just refused to cohere.
Sometimes they were big questions, learning-the-discipline questions, and sometimes they were small questions, more about touching base and reassuring ourselves.
And in the best cases, we left refreshed, invigorated, comforted, heard. In the best cases, we left with new direction and new information. In the best cases, office hours were a security blanket, always available even if we didn’t need them right then.
But somewhere along the line, office hours stopped being for us. Maybe they got taken over by newer, younger students whose questions were more pressing and more particular. Maybe we graduated and didn’t have teachers in the same way. Maybe we started offering office hours instead.
Just because we’re all growed up now doesn’t mean we don’t still need to plunk ourselves down in someone else’s office chair now and again and have a good whine or ask that burning question we just can’t for the life of us figure out.
Introducing…
Open Office Hours for Questioning Academics
That’s right — a time set aside just for you to ask questions, tell your story, brainstorm solutions to the things that are troubling you, or just get some sympathy and commiseration.
During Open Office Hours, you can call me with whatever is on your mind — the latest upsetting situation you need to vent about if you’re going to present a polite front, confusion about where your life and your career are going, questions about what you might want to do next, frustrations about your research project or writing progress.
If you aren’t sure what you want to talk about, but you know you’re unhappy, that counts too — give me a ring and we’ll see if we can untangle it just a bit.
It’s something like Speed Coaching — we won’t be able to cover or fix everything, but if we can help one small thing be less painful or confused, then everything else will gain a sense of ease and possibility. And wouldn’t that be nice?
How Open Office Hours works
During the designated time, you can call me at (301) 927-0083. If I’m not on another call, I’ll answer. If the phone is busy, try again in a few minutes — it’s first-come, first-served.
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