Mary Jo Richards

@mjrichards.bsky.social

Teacher, observer of people and the natural world, wife, cat mom, leaning waaay left, queerdo, neurodivergent in normie drag. Obsessed with the analog, particularly film cameras, typewriters & fountain pens.

Photoblogging at shutterprof.com

@mjrichards.bsky.social

Thank you so much. Right now it’s just a dream. I’ve been using typewriters and fountain pens with students for years. But I’d like to expand my reach and invite folks from other disciplines to join me.

@mjrichards.bsky.social

Today’s #typewriterjournal pages are the result of my being irked by going to one too many academic conferences where keynotes and breakout sessions focus largely on how to use AI in the classroom. I’m tired of AI sucking all the air out of every educational space I’m in.

10 October 2026 Another conference keynote today all about how educators can't beat AI, so we might as well get onboard. I tuned out, opened my journal, got out my fountain pen, and started writing down ideas for this project I am working on involving developing a campus space dedicated to retro tech. Tech like this 1980's electronic typewriter I am using. The motor that controls the paper advance is slowly dying, so the distance between the lines is inconsistent. But you know what? That’s okay. It’s not suggesting better ways to phrase things or offering me links to products that will improve my "workflow." It leaves me alone for the most part and lets me write. If the ideas suck or the language is trite, it's on me. So, back to that idea I'm working on. For now, I think I'm going to call it the Lo-fi Lab. That leaves space for multidisciplinary usage and will resonate with younger people who listen to lo-fi beats.I was approached after my session today by a member of Achieving the Dream. Apparently, they are administering a Mellon-funded initiative to help infuse the humanities in community colleges. He wants me to present what I am doing to the cohort institutions as a part of a webinar they are holding in November. So, clearly, not EVERYBODY thinks we should just jump on the Al bandwagon. Some folks see strategies that resist Al as valuable, too. So I will hold onto that hope as I move forward with my dream to design a space where Al does not have relevance. Because I feel like we are rapidly approaching a time where such spaces are going to become rare and precious, and people will start seeking them out ... not all people, but some. And those people are who this space is for.
@mjrichards.bsky.social

It’s Friday, as in my brain is FRIED! Here is today’s #typewriterjournal written on the Canon Typestar 5 Deluxe. I got rechargeable batteries for it, and now I basically have a distraction-free laptop.

Note: forgive the shifting point of view and needless repetition. Like I said, brain is mush.

9 October 2026 My brain is on fire with ideas, plans that are percolating, relationships I want to build, spaces I'd like to establish, a legacy I'd like to leave behind. But I am also so damned tired. My reach, I fear, exceeds my grasp. But this is the time. If I am going to move, it should be now, while the wave is cresting. It's a risk, putting one's hat in the ring and asking people to support your notions. I've avoided taking such risks for the most part in my career, content to sit in my little corner and teach my students and be glad of the small wins. But, I guess now is the time to go big. Not OR go home. Go big so I CAN go home and look back and be glad of what I left behind.
@mjrichards.bsky.social

Most of the students in this class plan to go on to be teachers themselves — mostly elementary teachers. And yes, they deserve to step into a career that will treat them well. Sadly, that is not the state of the K-12 profession today.

@mjrichards.bsky.social

I am someone interested in creating a booklab-adjacent space. Specifically, I’m thinking about developing an analog writing lab and/or multidisciplinary vintage technology lab at a community college. Given that, do you think this course might be something from which I would benefit?

@mjrichards.bsky.social

One of my Tuesday night students gave me this at the start of class this week. It meant a lot, especially since I had such impostor syndrome coming into that particular class this term. Taking the little wins where I can get them.

Sticker that reads “best English teacher ever.”
Older posts