Thick Skinned

Learning by reading… this is my dissertation journey.  There are many books out there to help guide the ABD (all but dissertation) student to completion.  Currently, I’m in my second read of “The Education Dissertation” by Dan Butin.  I first learned about this book, and many others, last year in Education 809 at SFU.  Although the dissertation process is meant to be a vehicle for academic research, I am learning more about my learning and obstacles I face.  As much as I want to complete my dissertation and move on with life, there are several demons, shall I say, that need to be addressed.  In Butin’s book, I appreciate his candidness and honesty with the education dissertation process.  The section that resonated with me recently is “Structuring Your Life as a Doctoral Student.” It was as if Butin was writing the book for me.  Butin identifies two key areas to address:  Learning How to Say No… and Developing a Thicker Skin.  Yup.  That just says it all.  First, he claims that because I am a person who is engaged in the dissertation process and currently ABD I must be unable to say NO.  Noted.  I am the person who likes to be on every committee, meet new people, and try net things.  The irony is, to be able to complete a dissertation I must begin by Learning How to Say No.  Honestly, this will be a personal challenge.  I have diverse interests in education and I am an opportunist. With that said, I understand the importance of staying focused and completing the dissertation in a timely manner to move forward with new learning opportunities and adventures.  Second point, Butin suggests that Developing a Thicker Skin is a necessary in the world of academia.  I see that now.  As much as a crave feedback from my supervisors as a graduate student, once I get feedback, it takes me months to recover and get back on my feet.  As a public school educator, I developed a thick-skin for parental or student feedback, but rarely would I receive constructive feedback from a colleague or school administrator about the quality of my work.  When supervisors give you feedback, Butin claims, it’s not to say that “you’re dumb” but it’s to help you to become better at your thinking and writing.  (Deep Breath)  Makes sense… in hindsight, I would give constructive feedback to my students as a secondary mathematics teacher with intentions of making them better at learning mathematics.  Anyway, this blog entry is to say… AH-HA… I am learning.