Jumping into actual comic books from the movies and television shows is terrifying and daunting. It’s like jumping into Doctor Who: where do you start? From the beginning? From the most recent major event? And with what character? And what publisher? And will people judge you if you pick the wrong place to start? And how did I make the leap from comic book noob to teaching Ms. Marvel?
All achievements in academia seem to be underwhelming. You write and write waiting for that moment of validation ("send it on to the committee"), only to feel completely underwhelmed when it actually comes through because you're so emotionally exhausted from the entire process.
In elementary school, you dream that the teacher doesn't know your name. In middle school, you enter a nightmare world where you show up to school with raging acne and everyone knows but you. In high school, the nightmare matures as much as you have and involves having a final exam in a class you never attended. As an instructor, it becomes far more sinister... showing up for a class without lecture notes, or having not prepped for the day at all, or being forced to teach organic chemistry when you normally teach Latin American poetry.
Holly A. Jordan 