Come on, PZ! Find your inner Juliette Burber! Look forward to humiliating those students who think that showing up 80% of the time entitles them to a B!
Ah, to be back in school where seasons mean something and the weeks do not march on endlessly with nothing to break the monotony except for the occasional long weekend but even those eventually only become notable for the preceding hike in gas prices and finally you even stop booking off days for the holiday week in December and New Year’s Eve is too cold and you’re too old to go out anymore and so the only evidence that time hasn’t stopped entirely is the year you write on cheques and the thickening of hair on your shoulders.
My program starts on the 20th, as well. Didn’t even realize it until yesterday. Not sure when teaching starts, though.. guess I should figure that out!
MAJeffsays
I just turned in final grades for summer session yesterday.
Three weeks here, and in that time I have to pack up and move into a new apartment, rework my syllabi (both old courses) and prepare for a visit from the parents.
I’d rather curl up for a nap.
Ken Mareldsays
Am I insane or what? In five weeks I start Nursing school. I also work as an aide in a hospital 36 hours a week—at night.
At 52 years of age, I’ll just hunker down and occasionally put on some Wishbone Ash or Jefferson Starship for relief. If any more Kitzmiller vs. Dover books come out, I’ll squeeze them in. Somebody must be developing a movie out of that. It truly must be the most compelling story around a court case that has come up in decades. And the good guys won!
Ken
BruceJsays
Feh, the first-years are already infesting the place for orientation; classes start next Monday for us here in the desert.
And Ken, good luck, and check out iTunes..a whole lotta Lennon solo stuff just got put up!
(listening to Watching the Wheels as I type this…not entirely conducive to getting work done, I’ll admit :-)
My school likes to start each semester with day-long “staff development” sessions. They are soul killing and time wasting. It’s all faux cheerfulness and cloying cheerleading. Add a dollop of desperation because the organizers are usually smart enough to sense that their captive audiences aren’t actually delighted with the cutesy team-building exercises they inflict on us. Let’s cheer! Let’s clap! Let’s make suicide pacts!
If the theory is that staff development will make us long to meet our students and do some teaching, there may be some merit in it.
lcsays
I’ve worked at two major Universities. Profs believed they would be better off without the staff or the students. Staff believed they would be better off without the profs or the students. Students just tried to survive.
You get no sympathy from me. I can still recall the dread with which I faced the start of every term, and am incredibly grateful that I will never, ever, again have to take a test prepared by a sadistic (is there any other kind?) professor.
(It’s been years since I got out of grad school and I STILL get exam nightmares.)
Science Goddesssays
I’m finishing up the summer session tomorrow (YAAAY). I’m teaching BIO for majors this fall, my first time. There are no instructors’ texts, no auxiliary materials, no PP slides, no support material whatsoever. The publisher says they shipped it, but nobody can find it. I’m winging it on borrowed slides and an old text. Who says that the life of an adjunct is all fun???
By the way, what do y’all do about cheating? I had two doozies this summer!
SG
Hairy Doctor Professorsays
By the way, what do y’all do about cheating?
I invite them hiking. There are plenty of places around here where no one will ever find the bodies.
Barn Owlsays
Good luck to you, Ken-I have a childhood friend who went through nursing school in his thirties, after experimenting with several different jobs. He’s a successful Neuro ICU nurse now, and couldn’t be happier. Don’t let them psych you out with that “older student” nonsense.
We’re in our third week of classes here, so absolutely no sympathy for the Whingeing Ones from me. And I have a course syllabus to submit this week, for a class I won’t teach until early 2008. Professional schools are pretty uptight and curriculum-micromanaged, probably with good reason for the most part.
lcsays
Correction to/apology for adjective in earlier post (+14) – “sadistic” is a bit harsh – ok, more than a bit harsh. But some profs did seem to delight in tests that were designed more to trip one up than evaluate one’s knowledge of the subject.
lc
Brian Fsays
Crap. 2 weeks!? I still have a summer class to finish up. I am SO not looking forward to this semester.
(cheerfully) Oh, shut your piehole. I go back to work tomorrow…..!
BTW, nice talk on materialism and the brain. I viewed Part 1 over at Blake’s place, and I’ll probably be able to catch Part 2 (when you morph into a blood-crazed invertebrate) later this week.
In the meantime, everyone should go over to Blake’s and leave lotsa juicy personal comments….SH
Nostradumbasssays
Sorry, ignore this. I’m using an old thread to learn to try to learn to link hypertext.
My syllabi are done. Are yours, PZ?
Emotionally, though, I’m not ready either.
Come on, PZ! Find your inner Juliette Burber! Look forward to humiliating those students who think that showing up 80% of the time entitles them to a B!
Less than a week for me.
Ah, to be back in school where seasons mean something and the weeks do not march on endlessly with nothing to break the monotony except for the occasional long weekend but even those eventually only become notable for the preceding hike in gas prices and finally you even stop booking off days for the holiday week in December and New Year’s Eve is too cold and you’re too old to go out anymore and so the only evidence that time hasn’t stopped entirely is the year you write on cheques and the thickening of hair on your shoulders.
Sigh.
I start Monday, PZ…
(Although, if you ask my wife, I’m currently in denial)…
[*sigh*]
Thanks for reminding me, PZ. I’m taking introductory bio and microbiology in the fall, and I’ve completely forgotten when it starts.
I’m also planning to start intramural lacrosse.
Right now, I’m psyched. Just gotta figure out how to fit in waiting enough tables to pay the rent.
I guess I shouldn’t look forward to becoming a professor.
Brownian – Your misery is awesomely liberating. Cheers.
Two weeks? Lucky you. We start back on the 20th.
Hah-hah! I’ve got 20 days… Oh crap, I have to finish writing this f%$&^*@ lab manual.
My program starts on the 20th, as well. Didn’t even realize it until yesterday. Not sure when teaching starts, though.. guess I should figure that out!
I just turned in final grades for summer session yesterday.
Three weeks here, and in that time I have to pack up and move into a new apartment, rework my syllabi (both old courses) and prepare for a visit from the parents.
I’d rather curl up for a nap.
Am I insane or what? In five weeks I start Nursing school. I also work as an aide in a hospital 36 hours a week—at night.
At 52 years of age, I’ll just hunker down and occasionally put on some Wishbone Ash or Jefferson Starship for relief. If any more Kitzmiller vs. Dover books come out, I’ll squeeze them in. Somebody must be developing a movie out of that. It truly must be the most compelling story around a court case that has come up in decades. And the good guys won!
Ken
Feh, the first-years are already infesting the place for orientation; classes start next Monday for us here in the desert.
And Ken, good luck, and check out iTunes..a whole lotta Lennon solo stuff just got put up!
(listening to Watching the Wheels as I type this…not entirely conducive to getting work done, I’ll admit :-)
My school likes to start each semester with day-long “staff development” sessions. They are soul killing and time wasting. It’s all faux cheerfulness and cloying cheerleading. Add a dollop of desperation because the organizers are usually smart enough to sense that their captive audiences aren’t actually delighted with the cutesy team-building exercises they inflict on us. Let’s cheer! Let’s clap! Let’s make suicide pacts!
If the theory is that staff development will make us long to meet our students and do some teaching, there may be some merit in it.
I’ve worked at two major Universities. Profs believed they would be better off without the staff or the students. Staff believed they would be better off without the profs or the students. Students just tried to survive.
You get no sympathy from me. I can still recall the dread with which I faced the start of every term, and am incredibly grateful that I will never, ever, again have to take a test prepared by a sadistic (is there any other kind?) professor.
(It’s been years since I got out of grad school and I STILL get exam nightmares.)
I’m finishing up the summer session tomorrow (YAAAY). I’m teaching BIO for majors this fall, my first time. There are no instructors’ texts, no auxiliary materials, no PP slides, no support material whatsoever. The publisher says they shipped it, but nobody can find it. I’m winging it on borrowed slides and an old text. Who says that the life of an adjunct is all fun???
By the way, what do y’all do about cheating? I had two doozies this summer!
SG
By the way, what do y’all do about cheating?
I invite them hiking. There are plenty of places around here where no one will ever find the bodies.
Good luck to you, Ken-I have a childhood friend who went through nursing school in his thirties, after experimenting with several different jobs. He’s a successful Neuro ICU nurse now, and couldn’t be happier. Don’t let them psych you out with that “older student” nonsense.
We’re in our third week of classes here, so absolutely no sympathy for the Whingeing Ones from me. And I have a course syllabus to submit this week, for a class I won’t teach until early 2008. Professional schools are pretty uptight and curriculum-micromanaged, probably with good reason for the most part.
Correction to/apology for adjective in earlier post (+14) – “sadistic” is a bit harsh – ok, more than a bit harsh. But some profs did seem to delight in tests that were designed more to trip one up than evaluate one’s knowledge of the subject.
lc
Crap. 2 weeks!? I still have a summer class to finish up. I am SO not looking forward to this semester.
(cheerfully) Oh, shut your piehole. I go back to work tomorrow…..!
BTW, nice talk on materialism and the brain. I viewed Part 1 over at Blake’s place, and I’ll probably be able to catch Part 2 (when you morph into a blood-crazed invertebrate) later this week.
In the meantime, everyone should go over to Blake’s and leave lotsa juicy personal comments….SH
Sorry, ignore this. I’m using an old thread to learn to try to learn to link hypertext.
Here
Very Nice!