First Post - Welcome!

Salutations, and welcome to Chesterley!

In this introductory post I'll explain some of the basics of this blog by asking questions and providing answers. I figure it's as good a way as any to start, so here goes.

Where did I get the name Chesterley?

Chesterley is, believe it or not, the name of my house. No, I don't live in a mansion or even remotely in a neighborhood where houses would ever have a name. A book favored by my wife, Pride and Prejudice, features several great English homes many of which have names; for example, the character Mr. Darcy lives in an enormous mansion called "Pemberley." Our home is neither in England nor is it what one would consider "great," but still we thought it needed a name (we have a creative sense of humor, shall we say?). Our dog/first child is named Chester, so for reasons not entirely known by me we decided to name our house "of-or-pertaining-to Chester" or, more simply, Chesterley.

In turn I decided to carry the name through to this blog, as I anticipate it will become my home on the Web.

Why did I create this blog, and what themes do I expect to emerge from it?

I am working on a Ph.D. in higher education administration from "a large research university in the Midwest USA." I have two major research interests: 1) teaching and learning, and 2) college student development. As I near the end of my coursework and begin the dissertation process, I find that I need an outlet for my writing. The fact that everything I write here will be public is an inspiration to write coherently on a regular basis (good exercise!) and to express my ever-changing thoughts on my doctoral student experience and research interests.

This semester I am making the preliminary preparations for my dissertation, and as a result many thoughts, ideas, and concepts are coming together for me internally. For me, writing forces me to word some of these thoughts and make some sense out of concepts. It helps me combine new knowledge I'm learning in my coursework and my job with old ideas I have had for years, some of which inspired me to pursue this degree in the first place!

So...let's see where things grow with this blog. I am excited about the opportunity here, and I hope you'll join me on this journey.