Looking at the Trees
I am so fortunate to win two FREE tickets to TEDxWestVancouverED. Check out the website. What an incredible line up of speakers who are RETHINKING EDUCATION. I cannot wait to hear how each of them “see the forest beyond the trees.” Right now, I am looking at the trees. There are a lot of trees and I’m stuck.
Yes, I am talking about my dissertation. I am ready to move forward but there is some unfinished business… like COMPLETION. At this point in time, I am working with an editor and waiting for some feedback. I am ready to revisit Chapter 1 (again) and I am reading some articles to substantiate my upcoming revisions.
What’s my PURPOSE? Hmm… It’s been so long, I need to revisit this. I am back to the SO WHAT of my dissertation. Wow. It is obviously a question I am not answering well and it’s an answer that I have been resisting for years. I am so invested in what I am researching, I have spent many hours separating myself from it. Now, I am called to question to answer this fateful question. Who cares? Why does this matter?
I am not sure how this is for others completing their doctorate, but I am not one to assume. The dissertation is digging deep into my psyche and heart to tell a story that I want to share. I struggle between what I want to share and what I think others want me to share. My mission right now is to find literature that support my views.
The writing process has always been a mystery to me. The more I know about it, the more complex it gets. I am never satisfied. I appreciated those who are willing to question and provoke me. Formative feedback is the only way to move forward. What is going well? What needs improvement? How can I get to the next step?
What I am loving the most about engaging in my dissertation are the lessons learned. What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses? What am I going to do about it? I am not worried about the oral defence. That is my strength. Another strength is data analysis. I enjoyed that process more than I had thought. I am more acquainted with Excel and descriptive statistics. I see the narrative through numbers. Data analysis was my favourite part. My mountain to climb is the academic writing process.
It’s going to happen. I am learning how to write academically so that I can get this dissertation done and move onto the next step. I am not alone on this journey. I will seek help where I can get it. I am so grateful I have good friends, a patient committee, and determined editor to help me out. I will see the forest again.