The iO office is very small. I arrive at 9:30 every morning after doing a literature review or working on one of several iO projects I have in the works currently. My work day begins at 8:30. I take my large coffee mug with the Nam Center for Korean Studies insignia down to Starbucks every morning, and each refill after the first cup is only 53 cents…I hammer away at my keyboard, drafting research materials for iO writers, and sip my favorite stimulant. Currently I’m working on a packet of educational material on the Common Core, workshops and school events I’ve attended, developmental needs of young adolescents, Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), and Multiple Intelligence Theories. I’m using all this research to develop lesson plans that achieve CCSS and reflect the wealth of research on education. In the end I’m going to include all of these educational resources into a research packet I’m developing.
After I get loaded up on caffeine I head into the office and greet the office manager. I sit down at the long table adjacent to the office managers desk, spread out my research materials, and continue my project. Normally I get so absorbed in my project that I forget I’m even in an office. There is very little traffic in the iO office, and most of my days are filled with educational research with the ambiance of sounds from the air conditioner, the clacking of keys at the office managers desk, and the occasional phone call.I have a meeting with my supervisor about once a week, and by that time I’m so ready for conversation. Occasionally I do talk with the office manager about random things or one of the teaching artists about important life decisions or the philosophy of teaching.
I have a lot of freedom at iO, and most of the staff seem very independent. Especially as the summer continues, more and more people get time off, or are beginning a new chapter in their lives. Everyone has their own projects, but occasionally we all come together for a big event. This week we’ve been planning the Douglass conference. The office staff and I got together a few times on an impromptu basis to discuss how the Douglass event would be organized and what preparations are necessary to carry the whole thing out successfully. Many of the meetings and goings on around the office are impromptu, at least they seem that way from the level I’m operating at. Generally speaking I’m always happy to assist office staff with random tasks. It gives me a break from drafting documents and plunging deeper into my research.
There has even been a day when the morning office staff couldn’t make it in until after lunch due to off site meetings. On that occasion I did research in my room and didn’t shower or brush my teeth until right before I had to go in. However, not having bathed or preened that morning did not stop me from bumbling out of Achison Hall in cutoff shorts and a messy gray tee shirt for my morning coffee at Starbucks. It was nice to work from home. Sometimes I think better in my own space, as I tend to be a very insular type character. I was able to have all my resources spread out, some were on my desk, other bits were on my couch or the bed; and the strange organization system I made use of helped me crank out a comprehensive bibliography. I was also able to draw on my personal library for lesson plan materials. I wouldn’t have been able to bring all those books with me to the office!
I’m learning a lot about the nitty gritty methods of research; what works and what doesn’t work. Which methods make me nervous and which methods ease my mind. If you want to do research you have to be able to reflect on process. I think the process can be different depending on what organization or people you’re working with while conducting research. The culture at iO has suited me well so far. I’m given space to figure things out for myself, but I’m not so unguided as to feel unaware of my goals this summer. The staff are really fun and friendly. I’ll post a video one of the teaching artists turned me on to. It’s called, “This is Not a Chair.” Maybe this video will give you some insight into the people I’m working with and the culture in the iO office.
