I recently gave students an assignment using the library. I had each of them choose a topic and tell me three resources that they could use for this specific topic.

One of my freshmen wrote:

"My three sources would be the Grove Dictionary of Music, the library, and the internet."

Well, yeah.

Labels: funny stuff

At the end of last year, I wrote:

Being the Newbie Prof makes for a lot of pressure. A lot of that pressure, of course, is self-imposed. But it's there nonetheless. Prof Friend remarked that teaching is a performance in which we have to be mentally "on" for 90 minutes at a time, keeping a high energy level, engaging the students, keeping their attention. And in addition to that, we both realized the importance of socializing with our colleagues, being available to our students, and doing research (him) and performances (me). No wonder we're so tired. But it's a satisfying tired."

Yeah, well, that was last year.

This year, it's not a satisfying tired at all. It's just a weariness that makes my entire body ache. This school year I went through two economy-sized bottles of Advil, had almost daily headaches, and didn't get to enjoy playing the kazoo much. All last week my stomach ached. The overloads just about did me in.

I almost cried last week in a faculty meeting with a senior faculty member announced that she was not willing to teach any overloads because "I just don't want to get sick." Hello, I've been sick off and on all year long because of overloads. And that's somehow ok? And it was ok when New Hire didn't have to teach any general ed classes at all this whole year...and I taught three in one semester?

Classes are over, and the grading is done, but I still have so much stuff to do. But I do not want to deal with paperwork. I do not want to do all the filing that has stacked up in my office and at home. I do not want to clean up my messy house (which I haven't had time to keep organized), put it on the market to sell, drive to Airport City for more wedding dress fittings, or make wedding plans.

I just want to sleep.

And I want the headaches and stomach aches to go away.

Labels: health, pathetic whining

That's what this time of year feels like, doesn't it?

Things to do today:

Administer 4 exams (2 written, 2 listening identification)
Grade 2 listening exams
Grade 2 written exams
Enter grades from all 4 exams in Blackboard
Grade 7 more research papers for Upper Division
Grade 25 short papers for Lower Division
Find the missing tests from Unit 2 (if I blog it, they'll show up?)

WOOHOO! I found the missing tests.

All upper division papers are done! Now on to lower div...

Updated again: all lower div papers are DONE! Now I just have to record grades in blackboard. That will take a while, sadly.

If there's one plagiarized paragraph, is it all plagiarized? Or is it a student being dumb? I can't decide.

Labels: grading hell

Arrive at work at 8:30.
8:30 - 12:30 - Listen to four hours of juries.
1:00-1:45 - Quick lunch at the cafeteria.
1:45 - schedule a fitting for The Big White Dress (tomorrow, in airport city, 2.5 hrs away)
2:00-6:00 - Write three exams. Load the online exams. Check to make sure they're ready to go. Reply to student e-mails.
6:00-8:30 pm - Hold a review session for upper division students. Order pizza and eat with the students.
8:30-10:15 pm - Write two more exams.
10:15 -11:00 pm - Track hours for student work/scholarship program. Make up invoices so that all students get paid on time. Figure out mileage for all students. Submit all invoices.
11:30 - Home.

I didn't get everything done today, sadly. The papers still aren't graded.

Labels: grading hell, time management

I'm sitting in the closet in Unexpected's house. There's a tornado alert and sirens are going off.

Unexpected, who has been through countless tornado warnings, is out in the living room watching TV next to a large plate glass window that doesn't have any blinds. But it's a small closet. I have no idea how two of us would fit. :)

I'm finding this rather amusing. Because for once I'd actually much rather be grading.

From a student who has missed way too many classes:

Dear Dr. Degree:

I have been out of class because I have a staff infection. How can I make up the work?

Thanks,

Stu Dent

Labels: funny stuff, students

"Cigarette smoking increases the chances of asbestos workers being in your lungs."

This was preceded by:

"Breathing can be the hardest downfall of surviving if a person can not breathe at all."

And in the Works Cited section, he/she listed simply www.google.com.

(Can you tell we're still grading papers? *whimpers*)

Labels: grading hell

Unexpected and I are in the midst of a grading fiesta. Alas, calling it something fun doesn't make it so. Luckily, there are always a few howlers to lighten the mood:

"Now my mother has Coppertone. Sometime [s]he can not write, stir some food, or even pick up a book because her wrist hurt."

Now, this is a sad situation, and we're not laughing at the mom's plight. But, dear readers, can anyone guess what Coppertone is?

(We've figured it out...we think.)

Labels: funny stuff, grading hell

Another department on campus has a monthly film night. It's a great idea: take a topic from class and present a movie that relates to the topic. Have a professor introduce the film, give students extra credit for attending, and make the film open to the public and free.

In a small town with no movie theater, it's a great concept. And the person in charge of the event, a nice guy and a friend of ours, is really trying hard to bring some enriching events to campus. I appreciate that.

But after tonight's movie, I'm tired of film night. I've actually avoided several of the films, because all of the movies for the last two years have, if I'm not mistaken, only starred men as the war heroes. The only women have been wives, mothers, victims, or sluts (of course). Tonight's movie had one female in it, she only appeared in a bikini, and she was portrayed as really dumb, naive, sexy, and subservient.

I realize that history--even in fictionalized film accounts--is told from the perspective of those who hold power. But must the university perpetrate this archaic tradition of privileged narration?

I discussed this with a colleague tonight, and he suggested that such film choices were great ways of luring a male audience. But what about luring a female audience? Must we always show films in which Stuff Gets Blown Up or Women Get Screwed?

The department means well. In fact, the prof who announced next season's films said that in an effort to increase diversity in what we teach, the department would be including a war film in...German.

*sigh*

Labels: female and academic