Welcome to graduate school. Here, we will find ourselves immersed in a subject that inspires us. Here, we will become engaged in conversation with masters of the field. Here, we will be mentored into a community to which we will dedicate ourselves. Of course, there is a learning curve along the way. In most respects, we expect this. There will be an increase in work time and confusion. There will be difficult times in which we feel like there are not enough hours in the day. It will feel a lot like running a marathon with shoelaces tied together. We will feel inadequate, helpless, and isolated, but hey, it’s worth it. This is what graduate school is all about, right?

Having come to graduate school after teaching at a progressive secondary school, I questioned if it really had to feel this way. I moved out of the position of teacher—helping my students to feel positive about their progress and empowering them to actively participate in their education—and into the position of struggling student looking for assistance. It was during my reflection on the first semester that I began to give myself the same advice that I would give my students and take a more active stance in my education through self-advocacy. Continue reading →