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Aug. 31st, 2005 09:09 pmI'm beginning to think somewhat poorly of this school. They've just completed a huge addition onto their building, and still I'm teaching a class in a basement room that is filled to capacity plus one, a room with no clock, a dent in the whiteboard (which is too small for mathematics work anyway), and a light switch that fell off the wall when I went to use it today. And when I write to the registrar about my predicament, he says there are no rooms and that "everyone" is in their situation.
Meanwhile, the Arts and Sciences department has hired a record 31 adjunct professors this semester, for which they have _one_ office. When I ask the associate dean if there might be a locker somewhere for me to leave my stuff while I teach, she suggests I try to bring less stuff with me instead. (No, that's not entirely fair; she's a good person, and new to the place herself. She might have suggested I leave my stuff in the Arts and Sciences office or some such, but then again I didn't ask to do that.)
I know that adjuncts are traditionally treated shabbily, but it seems to me that they've over-extended themselves. Probably taken on far too many students, in the excitement of all the brand new classrooms and facilities and whatnot.
On the plus side, everyone I've met has been nice enough. They do seem rather helpless, though. Makes it harder for me to complain. Maybe they're just clever that way. :)
Aargh. Oh well. Conditions aren't impossible by any means. I taught the second set of classes today: dimensional analysis (i.e. converting between units). I started using my letter cards today, and they worked well. I'm still not entirely sure what to do when I get mostly the right answer and one or two with the wrong answer; pointing out their error embarrasses them, but you don't want to pass them by either. I'm too occupied (at least for now) in class to take note of who makes the errors for later comment. There are still kinks to be ironed out of the system. I think I will get in touch with some people who have more experience with it; I'm in the situation now where I saw this neat idea, have implemented it, but maybe haven't understood all the ramifications yet.
Started with a dumb joke that fell completely flat today. Stole the idea from a comedian on Comedy Central, about eating Fig Newtons by the sleeve. I was trying to make a point about how units matter, and they got the point, but the joke sucked. Great. Going into the first class I was afraid I wouldn't have enough time for my material. Going into the second class, I was afraid the material was too easy for them. Now, I'm afraid I look pathetic. :) Well, given enough time I'll cycle through all possible fears and maybe I'll get back to normal.
For the second time now after teaching, I've come home and collapsed on the couch watching television for the rest of the evening. I drank an entire 1.75L container of orange juice too; is that a bad thing? Better than a pint of Ben and Jerry's, at least. Pretty filling, too; that and some pretzels served for dinner. No, I don't have a great diet.
This concludes Wednesday's treatise. :) Nothing like something to complain about to get one writing.
Meanwhile, the Arts and Sciences department has hired a record 31 adjunct professors this semester, for which they have _one_ office. When I ask the associate dean if there might be a locker somewhere for me to leave my stuff while I teach, she suggests I try to bring less stuff with me instead. (No, that's not entirely fair; she's a good person, and new to the place herself. She might have suggested I leave my stuff in the Arts and Sciences office or some such, but then again I didn't ask to do that.)
I know that adjuncts are traditionally treated shabbily, but it seems to me that they've over-extended themselves. Probably taken on far too many students, in the excitement of all the brand new classrooms and facilities and whatnot.
On the plus side, everyone I've met has been nice enough. They do seem rather helpless, though. Makes it harder for me to complain. Maybe they're just clever that way. :)
Aargh. Oh well. Conditions aren't impossible by any means. I taught the second set of classes today: dimensional analysis (i.e. converting between units). I started using my letter cards today, and they worked well. I'm still not entirely sure what to do when I get mostly the right answer and one or two with the wrong answer; pointing out their error embarrasses them, but you don't want to pass them by either. I'm too occupied (at least for now) in class to take note of who makes the errors for later comment. There are still kinks to be ironed out of the system. I think I will get in touch with some people who have more experience with it; I'm in the situation now where I saw this neat idea, have implemented it, but maybe haven't understood all the ramifications yet.
Started with a dumb joke that fell completely flat today. Stole the idea from a comedian on Comedy Central, about eating Fig Newtons by the sleeve. I was trying to make a point about how units matter, and they got the point, but the joke sucked. Great. Going into the first class I was afraid I wouldn't have enough time for my material. Going into the second class, I was afraid the material was too easy for them. Now, I'm afraid I look pathetic. :) Well, given enough time I'll cycle through all possible fears and maybe I'll get back to normal.
For the second time now after teaching, I've come home and collapsed on the couch watching television for the rest of the evening. I drank an entire 1.75L container of orange juice too; is that a bad thing? Better than a pint of Ben and Jerry's, at least. Pretty filling, too; that and some pretzels served for dinner. No, I don't have a great diet.
This concludes Wednesday's treatise. :) Nothing like something to complain about to get one writing.
