NESSA’S NOTIONS: Say ‘Yes’ to the mess
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By VANESSA W. SNYDER
There’s an untidiness to this doctoral journey that I had not anticipated. Even though I was told early on that the path to Dr. Snyder isn’t direct, I didn’t fully grasp the concept until now.
I was told it’s an “iterative” process, which basically means circling back and forth in different directions. In terms of writing this dissertation, it means cutting, replacing, undoing, rewriting, deleting, pasting, rearranging … you get the picture.
It’s messy.
Yes, there’s a rubric. And you’d think that an educator of more than 20 years could just follow the roadmap and reach my destination, right? However, just because there’s a rubric doesn’t mean the path is straight or clear.
Right now, I must have at least 15 versions of my dissertation. It’s too early to delete anything. I’ve often had to resurrect an earlier version with information I didn’t think I would need, only to discover that a crucial paragraph written 12 months ago is necessary to move forward.
It’s messy.
But in the end, I will produce a clear, well-researched, and well-written body of scholarly work, a study that I believe will ultimately change lives.
Consider your successes and your accomplishments. Remember the journey along the way.
Was it seamless? Did you ever start over? Were there detours and missteps? Did you have turn around to get something/someone you thought you didn’t need? I know I did.
And right now, it’s all still a little messy.
So, I will embrace this messiness. Because like so many other things in life, messiness is part of the process.
But it’s so worth the reward in the end. (A former journalist currently working on her doctorate in Social Emotional Learning, Vanessa is a dedicated and passionate educator in the DC Public Schools system. She loves learning, leadership, innovation, collaboration, and discovering new ways to drive student gains and support staff members).
