This is relevant in no way I can think of to anything, but it's interesting to me, so ha. The benefits of running one's blog like a dictatorship never end! Though I prefer to think of it as a non-parliamentary monarchy.
Anyhow. I'm sitting here eating Ramen noodles, drinking a beer and watching Coupling - standard Saturday night when Andy is out. Coupling, for those not in the know, is like British Friends, except with lower production values and slightly more explicit jokes. It's one of my favorite shows, and I've been savoring the remaining few I've never seen.
...actually, the rest of this post was going to be too inane for words, so we'll drop it.
In lieu of that - description of my cats battling. Polo's been hanging out inside a paper bag we leave out for the purpose lately, and right now he and Penny are having it out over rights to said bag - she'll run into it and stare out at him, then run at him suddenly, they'll slap hissily at each other, and then it repeats - only with a lot of seemingly purposeless dashing about. Sometimes it looks boring to be one of my cats, but tonight it looks friggin' sweet. I want to engage in bi-weekly Battle Royales for supremacy over my domain! And I'd also like to do it with a clawless opponent so I always win. Though his enormous size advantage evens it out some.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Grading: Pt 4
32.5/35
Thoughts: Okay, I'm ready to be done. I have done almost literally nothing for any of my other classes since I got these things, I had a plagiarism alert that took an age to settle, and I am tired of writing about the same issues in 32.5 different ways.
Also, I hate my prelims list. And all books. And blah. Who am I to maintain optimism in the face of grad student life?
Thoughts: Okay, I'm ready to be done. I have done almost literally nothing for any of my other classes since I got these things, I had a plagiarism alert that took an age to settle, and I am tired of writing about the same issues in 32.5 different ways.
Also, I hate my prelims list. And all books. And blah. Who am I to maintain optimism in the face of grad student life?
Monday, October 19, 2009
Grading Pt 3
18/35
Okay. I'm beginning to sour on this process. Not so much because of the act itself, but because it's fucking up my life. Did I do any reading for this week yet? No. Not even the classes I had today. Because I was grading. Have I edited my list? No. Because of the grading. Did I have a good lesson plan for class today? See above.
On the plus side, this section will go faster because I made up a handout off the problems in the first one, and now I can say "see handout on this" rather than explaining 15 separate times that a good thesis is one that's not obvious the first time through the text.
Okay. I'm beginning to sour on this process. Not so much because of the act itself, but because it's fucking up my life. Did I do any reading for this week yet? No. Not even the classes I had today. Because I was grading. Have I edited my list? No. Because of the grading. Did I have a good lesson plan for class today? See above.
On the plus side, this section will go faster because I made up a handout off the problems in the first one, and now I can say "see handout on this" rather than explaining 15 separate times that a good thesis is one that's not obvious the first time through the text.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Grading: Pt 2
15/35
Current thoughts: Still not hating it. I think only having two sections helps with that a lot - since the overall task is manageable, I don't dread it as much. Patterns are developing for sure; there are three main problems I keep seeing over and over again. I'm making notes for a handout that talks about the things (why or why did I not go over the MEAL plan before this?), and for another that gives examples of good theses, readings, etc from their peers' papers. I've just started assigning grades to them as I go, and need to go back and give grades to the others. So far there are probably two or three As, and only a handful of out-and-out Cs. One of which I feel no compunctions about giving, too, which is nice. The last paper I did was astonishingly good - also nice.
I'm beginning to flag though...not thrilled about the last three in this section, which I want to finish before dinner at 7:30. And then the other section. Though I am interested in comparing the two, I suppose.
On an unrelated note - still a bad idea to mix wine and liquor. Just in case anyone was wondering.
Current thoughts: Still not hating it. I think only having two sections helps with that a lot - since the overall task is manageable, I don't dread it as much. Patterns are developing for sure; there are three main problems I keep seeing over and over again. I'm making notes for a handout that talks about the things (why or why did I not go over the MEAL plan before this?), and for another that gives examples of good theses, readings, etc from their peers' papers. I've just started assigning grades to them as I go, and need to go back and give grades to the others. So far there are probably two or three As, and only a handful of out-and-out Cs. One of which I feel no compunctions about giving, too, which is nice. The last paper I did was astonishingly good - also nice.
I'm beginning to flag though...not thrilled about the last three in this section, which I want to finish before dinner at 7:30. And then the other section. Though I am interested in comparing the two, I suppose.
On an unrelated note - still a bad idea to mix wine and liquor. Just in case anyone was wondering.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Grading: Pt 1
8/35.
Current thoughts: Grading is incredibly time-consuming, but so far pretty interesting. It's interesting to see what Tim's lectures, my teaching, the handouts I gave and their own ideas give rise to. And honestly, though most of them (quite naturally) don't grasp how to write a literary analysis, I'm surprised by the extent to which they touch on valuable and thoughtful points - even if they lack the ability to develop them.
More to come. If reports are true, almost certainly downhill. But I remain hopeful that my current obsession with pedagogy will pull me through.
Current thoughts: Grading is incredibly time-consuming, but so far pretty interesting. It's interesting to see what Tim's lectures, my teaching, the handouts I gave and their own ideas give rise to. And honestly, though most of them (quite naturally) don't grasp how to write a literary analysis, I'm surprised by the extent to which they touch on valuable and thoughtful points - even if they lack the ability to develop them.
More to come. If reports are true, almost certainly downhill. But I remain hopeful that my current obsession with pedagogy will pull me through.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Always with the other shoe, aren't you Life?
Today was utterly unremarkable and of limited productiveness. Of course.
Although Writing Center training was particularly helpful today, which is almost worth noting. Though it's always non-time-wasting, to be fair. The DVD we watched about multilingual writers was great; it made a lot of points that were new to me and helpful. One of the instructors who spoke on it made the point that as teachers we wouldn't expect a non-native speaker to speak without an accent and wouldn't think less of the points they make verbally for it, but most instructors don't feel the same way about writing.* I don't know exactly how this translates into pedagogical practice on my part, if it does, but I thought it was a good point.
It also had interviews with international students who discussed what conventional academic essay form means in their home cultures. This was fascinating. I hadn't considered before the idea that rhetorical conventions and formal structure differed so widely, but apparently they do. Again, not sure what I'll do with this practically yet, but it was one of those "oh...obviously" moments when you see a thing you had missed before.
Writing center 12-5 tomorrow! It's like it's my real job. Minus three hours.
Although Writing Center training was particularly helpful today, which is almost worth noting. Though it's always non-time-wasting, to be fair. The DVD we watched about multilingual writers was great; it made a lot of points that were new to me and helpful. One of the instructors who spoke on it made the point that as teachers we wouldn't expect a non-native speaker to speak without an accent and wouldn't think less of the points they make verbally for it, but most instructors don't feel the same way about writing.* I don't know exactly how this translates into pedagogical practice on my part, if it does, but I thought it was a good point.
It also had interviews with international students who discussed what conventional academic essay form means in their home cultures. This was fascinating. I hadn't considered before the idea that rhetorical conventions and formal structure differed so widely, but apparently they do. Again, not sure what I'll do with this practically yet, but it was one of those "oh...obviously" moments when you see a thing you had missed before.
Writing center 12-5 tomorrow! It's like it's my real job. Minus three hours.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Something random this way comes...
Today was a weird day of classes. I'm not sure if it made me more or less excited to finish with classes, but as both my seminars today were essentially circuses, it's got to be one or the other.
Seminar one - argument over whether or not a reading is offensive (rapidly becoming my favorite seminar spectacle), a Madonna video, and the ensuing inevitable sexually-tinted discussion thereof.
Seminar two - no-holds-barred discussion/bitchfest about academic discourse and its conventions, many references to wizards/gatekeepers, and several counts of severe honesty on my part concerning the academy. Also a general sense of class goodwill.
...yeah. I've noticed before that going from seminar one to seminar two is an interesting juxtaposition of classroom styles, so I guess today was the "what does a particularly exaggerated form of each class look like?" day.
I can only imagine next week.
Seminar one - argument over whether or not a reading is offensive (rapidly becoming my favorite seminar spectacle), a Madonna video, and the ensuing inevitable sexually-tinted discussion thereof.
Seminar two - no-holds-barred discussion/bitchfest about academic discourse and its conventions, many references to wizards/gatekeepers, and several counts of severe honesty on my part concerning the academy. Also a general sense of class goodwill.
...yeah. I've noticed before that going from seminar one to seminar two is an interesting juxtaposition of classroom styles, so I guess today was the "what does a particularly exaggerated form of each class look like?" day.
I can only imagine next week.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Easy come, easy go...perhaps too easy
The mysterious breakage problem over here is getting out of hand.
Current totals (give or take a glass or two):
wine glasses: 6
non-pint glasses: 3
pint glasses: 4
priceless sentiment-imbued plates: 2
PSI bowls: 1
All this in barely 6 weeks of residence. SIX WEEKS. We're going to have to switch to pewter or something...I'm not sure even plastic is safe.
Current totals (give or take a glass or two):
wine glasses: 6
non-pint glasses: 3
pint glasses: 4
priceless sentiment-imbued plates: 2
PSI bowls: 1
All this in barely 6 weeks of residence. SIX WEEKS. We're going to have to switch to pewter or something...I'm not sure even plastic is safe.
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