What Instructors are Looking For in College Writing
Whether we are outlining a scholarly book or article, an opinion piece or a personal story, all our writing is pulled out of our guts. That's why writing is hard. Getting started is always painful: the self-confrontation under a single lamp, the possibility of messing up tone or logic, the knowledge somebody's out there judging us.
It took me well into my fifties to learn how to put direct physical perceptions and masked family incidents into my writing. In scholarly articles for journals like Critical Inquiry I usually avoided "I" and used "we"; how many years and attempts before I was able to feel secure with the first person pronoun!
So from my own life I'm able to sense the confusion and reluctance in young adults who must write in order to pass courses. Also I know that because of inertia or boredom or whatever ("callowness" is unfair, but I thought of it), they just don't want to admit that with the skill of writing good sentences and arguments comes control of your own thoughts, power in your community, ease in moving about the adult world where the speakers and writers are the leaders. They need justification to become the kind of writer who attends to the arguments of others, through reading, and who produces arguments of his or her own: arguments sensitive to the likely disposition of an intelligent reader. They need some practical thoughts on how to do the actual work of writing, especially on how to get started. For those young adults and anyone else interested I've set out the following list.
1. Instructors are trying to get people ready to be citizens: fluency in writing and public speaking will help students to contribute to their communities. This is an excellent and generous aim that entirely justifies the teacher's existence.
2. What instructors want to see: knowing how to argue, namely how to give warrants for claims; knowing how to weigh and present evidence; knowing what may be the state of play in the chosen field of the paper's topic, at least in a general way--that is, knowing what may be the worthy hard questions, open questions. Also: ability to move from beginning gestures to middle line of arguments to an ending that adds something new (ending not just a summary); ability to speak impersonally, in pursuit of logic and evidence; also ability to use "I" in a genial, believable way.
3. The first-person pronoun is most useful at beginning and end of an essay. The "I" is a constructional element whose purpose is to achieve an effect that is persuasive: it is not nakedly personal or autobiographical--rather a piece of artificial seeming-spontaneity. Of course, one never lies or exaggerates or veers from what one is comfortable with. Still, college writers don't use "I" enough.
4. Perhaps a reminder on method will be helpful: successful writing is usually the result of behavior that is obsessional, and luckily not all of life gets this intensive, but when working on a paper of an argumentative or evidence-gathering sort you have to live the topic until you release it in paragraphs and pages. That means setting up a mental or actual-paper file immediately, once you have the assignment and decide the topic: no last-minute, night-before production. It means collecting materials during your ordinary life, writing notes on a pad at odd moments, getting ideas from reading the newspaper or visiting a museum, thinking about the paper before going to sleep so your unconscious brain works on it during down-time.
5. Instructors want to see error-free, complex-sentence, energetic use of formal English. However, being logical and giving the effect of being personal are, on balance, more important than correctness.
6. Usually the stages of the work will be:
A. Read.
B. Mark while re-reading: underline, disagree in margins, and so on.
C. Develop a Research Question phrased as a question.
D. Build a file-folder with pilot-analyses, questions to self, summaries of other thinkers' points of view; have a page for references of exact bibliographic information, to prepare for footnotes: do this along the way, to save trouble at the writing stage.
E. Solve everything you can by a-priori conceptual reasoning and commonsense self-questioning, and supplement this with evidence gathered from empirical studies, and by opinions of experts. It is always good to disagree with experts--better than agreeing with them and just repeating what others say: this shows active thought and judgment.
F. Make up an outline. This is what takes the longest time, but once you have the spine of your argument you can write it out relatively quickly and with assurance. Use firm headings and sub-headings. First make up a list of elements that need including; then make up an ordering of these elements. Save the best and deepest points for last: work up to them. In middle-linking strategies, use a logical schema where you work through a point like a wheel with spokes on it, and then catch on to the next point which is the following wheel with spokes, thus:
G. Devote as many paragraphs as needed to each point or argument. If arguing one side, play fair and concede merit to the other side, and modify your chosen side as seems right and reasonable. In an analytical paper, or a paper where you describe a personal experience, perhaps there are no sides. Nonetheless it always provides energy and scores points to criticize an opponent or a simpler view--if you give reasons for your critique.
H. Type it out days in advance of the due date. Live with it and re-read the draft. Check doubtful issues and passages and phrasings. Be sure the last paragraph (crucial point; worth intensive re-writing) is not a summary but a graceful (or hard-hitting uncompromising) goodbye.
Never say: Thus we see... ; In conclusion...; I have argued that....: we can see this is an ending and you don't need to telegraph that.
I. Avoid the standard 5-paragraph high school conventional essay, and do this by letting it rip in mid-essay, challenging the usual pieties, disagreeing with experts, giving unexpected energy and depth in the analytical middle, ending with force and charm.
J. Submit in exact required format.
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Other Ideas on What Helps
-It is better to write a little too much, to give a full account, than to be a page short of what was asked.
-If a topic is given, in exact phrasing, then assess what is the instructor's attitude toward the topic. Does he/she want only that topic addressed, and only in a particular way? Then do what's asked. Usually, however, in college writing the topic is a prompt: a provocation or excuse to get you writing, writing something, showing what you can do and how you think. Usually the instructor will want you to handle it any way you want, within reason, and that can include changing the topic to suit your needs, challenging the premise of the topic. If in doubt, see instructor for advice.
-If you are to invent your own topic, take three likely topics, nicely phrased, to Office Hours and get advice on which one of the three would work best.
-Develop 5 possible Titles for a paper and pick the one most adequate to describe the actual contents, or to hint or suggest the drift of the paper you've actually written. Don't be jokey.
-Write the Research Question in some form--in the paper itself--probably at the end of the first paragraph of the essay.
-Try for wire-tight phrasings of an idea or perception, at least one of these on every page of your essay. These are evidences of maturity in writing and they score points in the reader's mind.
-Never split an infinitive. Often refer to NY TIMES for details, evidences. Often refer to extra reading beyond the assignment. Be general in beginning and ending, and very particular in the middle sections.
-Use the !, the semicolon; and parentheses. Long sentences with dependent clauses are testimonies to mature thought, and they score points. Write long sentences usually, but alternate long complex sentences with short punchy ones. Show style of your own. Pay your intellectual debts to your sources of ideas and phrasings.
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Once young adults and others have learned the game, by writing a lot and being corrected, they will become aware that there is always more to understand about the relationship that is writing. Reading about how to think and write never ends, though I admit I have not kept up with current accounts by teacher-scholars of what college writers need to know. The two books by sociologists that I'll recommend here are really old, but I'll set down their titles because they are trustworthy on how to organize one's thinking.
C. Wright Mills has an Appendix, titled "On Intellectual Craftsmanship," in The Sociological Imagination, that's admirable on how to organize your life to live your project, on how to set up a file and reorganize it continually to spark ideas, and especially on solving as many questions as possible by conceptual reasoning before you get to setting up empirical pilot-studies. He also has a valuable test, phrased as Perspective by Incongruity, by which you re-think your thesis by imagining responses to it from unfamiliar angles of vision (from opposing points of view, from minimizing or giant-sizing).
Eugene J. Meehan's Explanation in Social Science: A System Paradigm, accepts that for social scientists hard facts within a deductive paradigm are usually out of reach, and that you can have a powerful explanation even if it marshals tentative evidence: "For the social scientist, the development and use of weak explanations is a matter of great importance since all of his explanations are likely to be weak" (p. 27). That goes for most of the rest of us, too.
The free speech crisis in universities: the case of Christina Hoff Sommers
Recently I have been reading about speakers who are being censored in universities in the US, Canada and the UK by students who are deeply offended by their points of view. In some instances, offended students attempt to no-platform a speaker, in others they will loudly interrupt the lecture or flee to “safe spaces.” Stories like these are causing a bit of a stir in the press these days.
The concept of students from elite universities attempting to shut down lectures or fleeing to safe spaces because they are emotionally affected by a speakers’ point of view (even if not attending the speaker’s lecture) was curious to me, so I looked into it. At least in the case of feminist author and former philosophy professor Christina Hoff Sommers, I realized that students took offense at her interpretations of statistics. In Sommers’ view, the students’ reaction is evidence of “victimology spinning out of control.”
Sommers, a registered Democrat who is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a pro-business think tank, has certainly felt the heat from offended students. She’s seen a lot of protests against her lectures and has been shouted down at events at universities.
Christina Hoff Sommers during her lecture at Columbia University
So what is she saying that is so offensive? One of her main messages is that the gender wage gap is a myth. She notes that the statistics being bandied about in the media are based on an average pay for full time work and don’t take into account number of years in the workforce, education, or job specialty. One solution she jokingly suggests is for more women to enter STEM careers.
But what really riles some students up is her assertion that the number of rape and sexual violence cases on campuses across the US is lower than is reported in the media. Sommers believes the most prominent statistics on the issue have been produced via faulty methodology. To refute the oft-repeated statistic that 1 in 4 women are raped on campus, which Sommers claims is based on an Internet study, she cites the Bureau of Justice Statistics, whose research, she says, shows that 1 in 53 women are victims of rape on campus. And while she has publicly asserted that that figure is still “too much,” she concludes it shows that there is no “rape culture” in universities. Some students are deeply appalled by this statement, believing it silences rape survivors.
Anyone can strongly agree or disagree with these points – but to be offended by an interpretation of statistics, rather than stepping up with an opposing fact-based interpretation, is fruitless.
It’s fine to disagree with Sommers’ opinions and provide rebuttals. At her Columbia University lecture on the 1st of November, for example, she made a comment about the US being the best, if not one of the best countries in the world to live in. A Columbia student later challenged Sommers on that statement during the Q&A, citing statistics that show the US coming in at 10th place out of 12 OECD countries in terms of social mobility and how it lags in other metrics such as education levels. Sommers engaged the student and even conceded on this point.
Other people in the audience also debated a bit with Sommers during the Q&A segment, mostly in a respectful tone. She even remarked on that – she had been pleasantly surprised by the lack of hecklers or people shouting her down.
Packed auditorium at Columbia University during Sommers' lecture
It surprised everyone at her Columbia lecture, actually. Before she spoke here, dissident students had ripped out the promotional flyers for the lecture that had been put up across campus. In another instance, a student poured cereal and pretzels on one of the event organizer’s feet. And everyone in the audience had heard of what had happened when Sommers visited other universities.
In Ohio, The Oberlin Review of Oberlin College reported about Sommers’ lecture there, noting that “while Sommers declined to address accusations from her audience of being a ‘rape denialist,’ activists organized a safe space in Wilder Hall during the event to affirm the experiences of survivors of sexualized violence and provide them with support. The alternative event, We’re Still Here, was attended by approximately 35 students and one dog.”
The experience at Georgetown University was similar. Students protested Sommers’ appearance, accusing her of being an anti-feminist who dismisses rape survivors.
At the University of Massachusetts, some students constantly shouted and raised hell during an event with Sommers, Breitbart technology editor Milo Yiannopoulos and Canadian Christian Steven Crowder– the latter two conservatives who have also felt the wrath of students across campuses. The video of the event went viral.
But then again, anyone’s interpretation of statistics is not necessarily an endorsement of the problem being analyzed. Is saying that highly publicized sexual violence statistics are erroneous the same as saying rape doesn’t happen?
Still, offended students consider Sommers’ speech “discursive violence” and feel her opinions “invalidate their lived experience,” to which she responds that “you don’t go to college to get your lived experience validated.”
Now, the right to free speech applies to everyone. While students do have the right to speak up against views they do not agree with, attempting to shut down or ban a speaker is in itself curtailing free speech.
OUR students and children
Like many retired folk, I have a part time job to supplement my pension. I was delighted to find a job for 3 hours a day, M-F, that wasn’t retail and didn’t mean working with food or on weekends. I work in a school, in a classroom. Full disclosure: I am not a credentialed teacher, just a mom/grandma with a big heart and lots of ideas who loves children enough to help out in a school. I say that because I am going to tell you what I am seeing in the school, what is going in the classroom. I see a lot of frustration and sadness; the teachers, the aides, the parents and the children. It’s not all bad and I really enjoy the children and the majority of them are happy, energetic kids. I live in a rural community, there is a field of cows across the street and a pasture with lambs right next to the playground. The town is small and the neighbors know each other well, some of the student’s grandparents attended this school. Some of the staff attended this school as children. Sounds like a scene out of a Rockwell painting doesn’t it?
This community is mostly low to middle income, working adults, some with advanced school degrees, many with just high school degrees, but they work and they work hard. They love their children fiercely and are really great parents making sure their kids are safe, healthy, and happy, involved in sports or other extracurricular activities. There are a few children in every classroom with some kind of life challenge, some have identified diagnosed conditions either mental or physical, some have as of yet undiagnosed conditions (something is not right and it is obvious to even the untrained that there is an issue), some are living in extreme poverty or stressful home conditions. For privacy and sensitivity concerns I am not going to identify and will even alter some of their story. Here’s what I am seeing and it hearts my heart because I know there really aren’t solutions that our culture is willing to admit and implement.
I see children who are between 6 and 14 that are having loud verbal tantrums in the classroom. Tantrums that other children cannot ignore and prevents them from continuing to work on their assignments while their classmate is screaming and yelling. These tantrums require immediate attention by the teacher or aide thus taking attention away from the other students. YOUR student. I recall my children telling me about children with behavior problems in their classrooms and how it affected their ability to pay attention to the classwork at hand. Most teachers and aides have very little dedicated training in handling distributive or emotionally upset children. They should, but they don’t. I don’t and neither do most of the aides. We do the best we can. Often these tantrums are brought on by something that appears to us on the surface to be simple and insignificant, obviously they are not insignificant to the child. There is probably something that has triggered the child and we do not have any background information. We do the best we can. I have seen children run around the campus screaming and yelling on 5 different occasions. While they were doing this I was responsible for 25-30 other children. I could not run after the child because I would have had to leave 25-30 children alone. What do you suggest? What would you want the responsible adult with a class full of children to do about the child running and screaming at the other end of the school playground? What do you want me to do with your child who is the one screaming and yelling? I called for help from other teachers and aides. We brought all the children back into class and we were able to help calm the upset child. Dealing with these situations took about 20 minutes to over an hour of class time. That’s time out of YOUR child’s classroom day that they were not learning. The situation was handled, yes, but at what cost? No one was harmed but what was the impact on everyone?
I tell you these things because I hope to help all of us understand that this is going on, probably in your own child’s school, and that even if your child does not have any mental or physical problems, the impact of others that do affects YOUR child. It is not some other parent’s problem, or the school staff’s problem, or the other family’s problem. It is OUR problem because children with emotional issues affect the staff and classroom. The answer is not to send your child to private school because that is just sticking your head in the sand. Sure you can find a private school where they don’t have these problems but these children are still around in our communities. These children are going to grow up to be adults. These children may grow up to be people who are not capable of ever living independently, they may be incapable of being employed at living wage jobs thus will need to be recipients of social services for the rest of their lives, they may grow up to be addicts or criminals that will come into your neighborhood, they may grow up to be incarcerated for behavior that they simply cannot control. We can turn a blind eye now while they are children and pretend that they won’t affect our community. OR we can work together for adequate mental health services, increased school support staff at living wages and effective affordable addiction services. We can tell ourselves it’s not OUR problem because we are good parents but these children are not going away just because we ignore them.
If screaming tantrums don’t concern you, perhaps you may be worried about your child being physically harmed by a fellow class mate. What if your child was in the path of chair that was thrown across the room? Yes, we have children who throw school property in classrooms during fits of rage. It isn’t just the school where I work, it is a problem in many places. When I read the article in the link below I was not surprised at all. I have seen it, both the violent outbursts and the teacher stress. Pulling your child out of public school will not make this problem go away. These children are going to become adults one day. Wouldn’t it be better to invest in them today rather than paying through taxes for their potential years in incarceration? Wouldn’t it be a better utilization of our time and tax money to address mental and behavioral issues in children BEFORE they become adults?
If you don’t care about ‘other people’s children’ consider that their parents may be your co-worker or employee. They are working next to you and they are constantly worried and stressed about their child. They may miss work days because of an issue with their child. We have had to call parents and tell them to leave work to come and get their disruptive child. That might be your employee who has to leave work. Maybe the person driving in the car next to you is exhausted because their child has been preventing them from getting restful sleep- they may unwittingly cause an accident. Not your problem though, right? Have you ever considered that you may have to raise your grandchild in your retirement? Instead of travelling during your golden years you could have a 10 year old to raise because their parents are addicts or in jail. I have a cousin who is raising her grandson because her daughter has an untreated mental diagnosis that was not addressed in her childhood. It’s too late in some cases.
Still don’t think it’s your problem? Several students vandalized our school and damaged property to the tune of thousands of dollars. These boys live in a home where the father physically abused their mother, their parents both use drugs. Our tax dollars went to replace the vandalized items. The future is not bright for juveniles who vandalize property and live in homes with drugs. We will all be paying for the cost of their lack of upbringing. OR we could intervene right now.
What do I suggest? Lower teacher/student ratios. Every problem in a classroom that I have seen could have been addressed better with lower ratios- YOUR child would benefit from a teacher who can spend time individually with YOUR child, instead of a few seconds they could get many minutes or quarters of an hour. Every classroom should have at least one aide. Special needs children would benefit tremendously with more one on one attention. If we want to mainstream all special needs children we will need a lot more staff. One adult in a classroom of 30+ cannot address the needs of all children, even the most excellent teachers could use help because that help translates to more time spent on YOUR child.
I suggest we also compel insurance companies to spend less on executive salaries and bonuses and more on long term mental health care for children and adults. What we have now is a rubber patch on a super tanker, it won’t last long. Mental health is no different than physical health. We all accept that children with cancer deserve all the help they can get but a child with a mental diagnosis? Hm, not OUR problem.
Many of the children I know of have parents who have had or now have an addiction problems. Addiction is another branch of the mental health tree. Parents with addictions need OUR help now so that they can raise their own children. If they cannot raise their children, who does? WE DO, in the form of social services and a child in foster care is not good for any of us, especially the child.
Before I finished writing this I watched Trevor Noah interview Eve Ewing. At 1:13 in the following video she talks about the disparity between poor and rich schools and how poor schools don’t give students the same quality of education. Not YOUR problem, I know, but are you sure it isn’t? Uneducated people make uneducated workers. Uneducated people don’t get good paying jobs which leads to other social problems which will affect you. You may not be able to find qualified people for your business. And crime again enters the picture because uneducated, unemployed people have to do something to survive.
“You can’t incentive poverty or struggle and these are the things kids are coming to school with.” (starts at 5:45) Click link here: http://www.cc.com/video-clips/va29l1/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-eve-l--ewing---breaking-down-structural-racism-with--ghosts-in-the-schoolyard-
We can tell ourselves, ‘not my problem’ and ignore the problem or we can face the reality that children with issues grew up to be adults with issues. Adults with issues create problems in our community by not being able to care for themselves or becoming criminals. Every child deserves a fair chance at the starting gate of life. We can pay now to help these children, which will be expensive, but not as expensive as years in the prison system or years in and out of jobs and homelessness. Pay now or pay later, it costs us all.
One Little Girl’s Harambee Summer
This past summer, my daughter registered my seven year old granddaughter for the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools program. The six week course was held in the elementary school building of our small town – a town where the population is 95.7% white and residents living below the poverty level is at 21.4%. [i]
I mention the demographics of our town because the CDF grew out of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s and its Freedom Schools are modeled after the Mississippi Freedom Schools which came to be during the “Freedom Summer” of 1964. And I, also, mention the demographics because I grew up in this small town, and it is my observation that an attitude of white privilege is the central approach by the majority of residents within the village.[ii]
I was quite pleased that the CDF Freedom Schools program had been brought to our community and delighted that my granddaughter was participating. One day, she came home very excited about a lesson being taught at her Freedom School, calling out, “Grandmama, we learned about Ruby Ridges today!”.
For a moment, I was confused and wondering what and why, exactly, were they teaching about the FBI stand-off at Ruby Ridge in 1992? Then it dawned on me...
“Do you mean Ruby Bridges?”, I asked.
She confirmed that she had meant Ruby Bridges, the little girl who made history in 1960, by being the first African-American child to desegregate an all-white public school in the South. [iii]
My granddaughter loved participating in all the activities at her Freedom School. And I loved how she would come home and rush to tell me all about them. She told me how all the scholars assembled each morning for “Harambee” time, before dispersing to their individual classes. She also informed me that a song they learned called “Something Inside So Strong”[iv] (with motions added) would be performed at the Finale celebration ceremony, along with a reenactment of Ruby being escorted by federal marshals, past an angry crowd, on her first day of school at William Franz Elementary in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The day of 'The Finale' came and I went to the event with my daughter and son-in-law (and my granddaughter's younger siblings, of course). I was very impressed by the teachers’ genuine kindness towards - and active involvement with - this group of children. Not only had they fostered educational enrichment in their students; they imparted invaluable lessons about inner-strength, loving your neighbor, making a difference, and the importance of community engagement.
Most of all, I was impressed by the children. Not only did they learn academic lessons; they learned how to "all pull together" - Harambee - to make the world a better place.
[i] Percentages are from 2013 demographic data gleaned from http://www.city-data.com/
[ii] “It's easy to understand why someone might bristle at the mention of white privilege; after all, most people don't like to think of themselves as being racist. It's important to remember that white privilege is not something that a person actively cultivates; rather, it's the product of a culture that is built on a white supremacist ideology. Yet, while white privilege is generally unconscious, it can be manipulated and exploited, which is why it is important that we know how to identify it and understand how it affects people of all races” from http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-white-privilege-definition-examples-statistics.html
[iii] I listened, while my granddaughter told me what she had learned about Ruby Bridges’ experiences as a student at William Frantz Elementary, in Louisiana. I shared with her things I knew, that she had not mentioned. She was intrigued by the fact that I winter in New Orleans where all this took place, and where Ms Bridges resides to this day.
[iv] Lyrics to “Something Inside So Strong”, by Labi Siffre, can be found at http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/labisiffre/somethinginsidesostrong.html
5 TIPS TO MAKE A TEACHER'S FINANCIAL GOALS A REALITY
If you’re a teacher in America, you know the importance of supplementing your income. The average teacher’s salary can range from $30K-$50K, depending on your experience and location but earning a little extra money is always a positive. Side gigs are a great way to boost your budget and give yourself something to do during summer break, but have you thought of ways to work your gig into your school-year schedule? Here are a few ideas to help you work your side gig all year long.
Help Write and Edit Resumes
If you have a knack for grammar and punctuation, then proofing and creating professional writing may provide you with a chance at some easy extra income. Thousands of job seekers look to professional writers to help craft and fine-tune their resumes and cover letters. Since you are already a pro at proofing papers, tackling a few resumes will be a breeze for you. You can advertise your services online or work through a professional resume service. With freelance writing/editing jobs, you get to set your own pace and schedule, which makes working during the school year a little less stressful.
Take on a Tutoring Gig
Still eager to help people learn at the end of the school day? Then tutoring could be the side-gig for you. From grade school to college, parents and students are always looking for help to improve test scores and knowledge. You can set your rates based on your experience and tutor in any subject you feel comfortable with. If you speak a second language, you can take your tutoring gig to another level by helping students learn English or at least help them to better understand subjects that are taught in English.
Create Income With Your Hobbies
Hobbies are a great way to relieve stress but have you thought about turning your hobby into a source of income? From knitting scarves to growing a garden, you can earn a little extra income by simply doing what you love. Depending on your location and the amount of business you plan on doing, you may need to secure licenses to begin selling your goods to customers. Set your own pace for producing items and find a sales outlet that works for you. Many markets take place on the weekend but you can also look into selling your items online if that’s more conducive to your normal work schedule.
Set Up a Functional Home Workspace
Whether you get into freelance writing or decide to make furniture, chances are you’re going to be completing most of your side-gig work at home. A home office is essential for any teacher or side-gig professional, so take some time to create a productive workspace. Look for a quiet room or corner of your home where you can focus on your tasks. Avoid the health issues of sitting by investing in a standing desk. When you do need to sit, make sure your chair, mouse and keyboard are all at a proper angle to protect your posture. If you hate working in silence, try playing some calming, classical music to help fill the void without causing distraction.
Be Aware of Moonlighting Policies
If you pick up a gig during the summer, you should be safe from any restrictive policies. But before you incorporate your gig into your normal school-year schedule, check in with your administration about any conflicts of interest. Many organizations have moonlighting policies in place that prevent their employees from picking up certain kinds of work while school is in session. So check out your school’s policies and talk to your supervisors to avoid any issues with your side-gig.
Side gigs are an excellent option for teachers looking to supplement their normal income. You can transform your temporary summer work into a way to make extra money all year long by following a few simple tips. Good luck with the school year and good luck making your summer side gig into a year-round success!
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