Post-semester priorities

The semester is over. OV-AH!!!



Some people are excited about catching up on sleep. Others are glad not to have to deal with students for a few weeks. For some, the end of the semester means time for family.


And me?


I'm most excited about getting caught up on my blog reading and posting.



What does that say about me and my life priorities?

End-of-the-semester emailings: complete the sentence!

Dear Student,

Thank you for inquiring about your final exam / your grade / my "completely unfair" grading policies.

Yes, you really did earn that D / F.

No, you cannot get into my class next semester because it is full / the waitlist is 15 people long / you won't pass it.



See you next semester / good luck with next semester,


Dr. Reaction

Judging the Judged

I'm not sure students here at PermaU really understand that once they have a Judicial Committee ruling against them (cheaters! cheaters!), some professors will never view them in the same light again.


I know because I'm one of them.


When I find out that a student has been "convicted" of cheating or plagiarism--either from another professor or because I had to report them-- I never think positively about them again.


I suppose I should not be so judgmental, right? They have been judged. I am sure they will learn their lessons and never cheat (or plagiarize) again. Right?



Do you get bothered when students cheat? Is this something that I will out-grow?

So it's come to this...

...it's time.

I really didn't want this day to come, but I know it is necessary to maintain my mental health.


It's time to turn on word verification for my blog comments.


Spam in other languages I can ignore (and eventually delete). After all, if the only words in English are "sex", Viagra, or "hot girlz", then I know it really doesn't apply to me.

Spam in English is more annoying because I certainly don't want any of you, dear readers, to accidently click on a link and get a virus.


I've hesitated to turn on word verification because I really dislike it. The extra step is mildly annoying, but what really gets me are the "words" themselves. I *always* misread the word. Usually into something perverted. Every time. Without fail.


Am I the only word verification pervert out there, or is this just one more thing I should add to my list of Weird Things that Annoy Unreaction but No One Else ?

Finally getting some

As the semester winds down, it's a good time to reflect back on the last months. Classes are coming along swimmingly. My students are tolerating me pretty well, and I think they might have actually learned some stuff. After my year as a visiting prof at TempCollege, I am much faster at lecture prep, exam writing is not as time consuming, and grading doesn't always make me want to impale an eyeball on my red pen.

But...although I would never admit it to my coworkers, there is really only one thing I want out of this semester.

All I really want is a hot pepper.

Deny it all you want, but you know you want a little hot pepper action on ratemyprofessor.


Looks like Christmas has come early for me!

Hugging like a man?

A recent comment on this old post on group work got me thinking. I'm going to (probably) address portions of Anon's (who is an engineering student, hooray!) comment in some future post(s), but let me reproduce the last bit:

"Group work is ONLY recommended if you have bright, responsible and good students who know they must work as a team. Then it is indeed a very good experience, although I've seldom have had that. Manly hugs."


Hmm...


I've been told that I have a good handshake because I don't "shake like a typical woman."

I've been told that I'm a good lecturer because I "don't lecture like a girl."

But I've never had anyone comment on my hugs. What is a manly hug? Like a quick shoulder slap? I'm not sure what a "womanly" hug would be, probably because my preferred state is to NOT have people touching me.

Especially students.

So I wonder. Could there be a difference between engineering and non-engineering hugs?

Boosting the Ego

I know that I'm an amazing professor. I prep awesome lectures, I'm insanely available for my students, my tests are hard but fair, and I even get some research done.

Still, whenever you start a new job, you always wonder: do my students know I'm an amazing prof?

This week several different students (from different classes, too) decided to tell me how much they liked my teaching style, lectures, sunny disposition (where did that come from??), etc. etc.


While I like to claim to be a very confident person, and that I don't care if my students like me or my class, I gotta admit it...... I was really freakin' pleased to get the praise.



I'm sure there are many (several?) of you out there that don't give a bleepity bleep about what your students think of you. If that's the case, I'm guessing that you are tenured. (Just a guess--- if that's not the case, please correct me.) But I'm not tenured. As a new prof, it's great to hear well ahead of midterms that I'm meshing with the department. Now I just have to keep this up for the rest of the semester....