Ramblings of the Sleep-Deprived

Pro Tip

2012-02-10T21:13:00.000-06:00

When you're applying for a temporary position, writing a nasty email to the person making the choice (because they didn't answer the email you sent late at night several days ago, at the start of that person's 20-hours-a-day week-from-hell) may not put you at the top of the "let's hire this one" list.

Just sayin'

Look At MEEEE!!!

2012-02-08T22:53:00.004-06:00

Several of my male colleagues are driving me nuts with their constant need for attention and recognition/adoration from students (for their normal, everyday duties). It's sorta like this and I'm counting the weeks until the end of the semester, already:

Here We Go Again

2012-02-07T19:01:00.003-06:00

Just when I thought the stress level couldn't get higher around here, my mom called this afternoon to tell me that her cancer is back. This time, luckily, it's in her breast, is small, and is relatively new (wasn't there last year when she had a mammogram). She'll see the oncologist next week and we'll go from there. It's going to be almost impossible for me to get away to help her right now.

Several unbloggable situations in my department are sending me through the roof. And (most of) my students aren't doing any work outside of class. 12 more weeks...

Ugh

2012-02-05T14:19:00.001-06:00

Much unbloggable unpleasantness regarding hiring a replacement for my sabbatical. It's an adjunct position (1 course each semester, no benefits, etc.). You'd think we were hiring a tenure-track department chair.... Sheesh!

Hitting the Wall

2012-02-02T10:07:00.003-06:00

My body seems to be programmed to hit the wall of exhaustion about this time every Spring semester. I've been dragging at the end of the day for the past week, but can't get settled down enough to get a good night's sleep. So, I stayed home today, after posting materials and activities for all of my classes. The students will be fine, they will appreciate the break from routine, and we'll be back at it next week.

One of the things I've been mulling over recently is the notion of having my job responsibilities be a (major) part of my life, but not be my life. Can I have a life that doesn't revolve around my job every waking moment, but still do my job? I suppose I should have had this conversation with myself 25 years ago, but it's hard to do when one is caught in the world of finishing up a degree, teaching part-time, trying to pay off a house, dealing with family issues, etc. I'm also guessing that this is a bit of a generational thing, as I see younger colleagues able to navigate this in ways I never dreamed: they are in book groups, go to yoga or train for marathons, socialize regularly with friends, etc. And they also do their jobs, but it's not their entire life.

I think people in my generation (I'm in my mid-50s) who were raised in middle-class or lower-middle class households have a lot of things that get in the way of really living (at least among the folks I know and talk to about this). The concept of a "school night" haunts me to this day (true for H, too): as in "I can't go to a movie. It's a school night!" Or going to a store in the middle of the afternoon. Or being out after dark. This 1960s-1970s guilt/duty/whatever that was drummed into our heads is really, really hard to let go of, especially if one is in academia and thus still ruled by the school calendar. And when one is attached to someone who has this even worse than I do, it doesn't help, I guess. Even younger colleagues with children don't seem to have this problem, though they are tied to activities surrounding their kids. Maybe it's a Midwestern thing...

Also, this is why I shouldn't stay home sick and have time to think...

RBOC for Mid-Week

2012-01-25T10:07:00.004-06:00

This broken molar is really painful and I should have it looked at, after 10 months. I need to find a new dentist, as the current one's "pain medication" was anything but the last time I was in (despite repeated protests). And I have a very high pain tolerance... Plus, he doesn't do implants, so his answer to many problems is "we'll just pull it."
I have two persistent students from last semester who are sure that they turned in work that I didn't receive (one of the reasons I use an electronic dropbox with a time stamp in the large classes...). I've sent long, detailed emails and hope that we've finally be the end of this--their grades aren't going to change...
On a happier note, one of my majors told me yesterday that he's really enjoying the upper-division class he's taking with me this semester: "finally, a college-level class in this department." I smiled and told him I was glad he was enjoying the class, but what he says is true. Too much high-school level stuff here. Challenge them and make them sweat, I say--in the end it will pay off for them, even if the short-term is a little uncomfortable or stressful.

Catching My Breath

2012-01-20T10:57:00.003-06:00

We've finished our first week of classes (well, I have no classes on Friday this term). I'm pretty worn out, but the semester is off and rolling, and I seem to have nice groups of students. Most of my classes meet on Tuesday and Thursday, so it's as if I had a complete week, even though we were off on Monday. I've stuffed Mondays and Wednesdays with office hours right before the class I teach and hope that I don't get a lot of other stuff piled up on top of that.

The next couple of weeks will be crazy, as we have our national accreditation process, but that will be over mid-semester. It's the third time I've been through one of these and so I know that, though stressful right now, we'll likely get through it just fine and I won't be around here when they do the next one, ten years from now (unless they raise the retirement age even more). H and I are among the better writers in the department and so end up on the self-study writing team for all of this sort of thing. Luckily, we can use much material from the previous report (which was mostly written by H), so there's less work than it seems. Will be glad to have this off of our collective backs soon, though.

I'm teaching some interesting classes this semester (including one that's cross-listed with another dept. that I only teach every few years). And half of them are upper-division (juniors and seniors), which makes up for the freshman and sophomore diet Fall semester. There are fewer of them, too: classes capped at 35 instead of 90. Even though I have one more prep than in the Fall, it should be a nice, rewarding semester. Ever the optimist at the start of a semester!

Ahhh

2012-01-09T08:12:00.002-06:00

The first thing I found in my mailbox this morning was a note from the campus official in charge of these things, approving my sabbatical application as originally submitted. And they're going to investigate and revamp the process. Hooray!

Now, off to a waste-of-time meeting to start the new semester.

New Year (and some sadness)

2012-01-03T10:27:00.004-06:00

H and I have been laying low this week, as our Break just started and ends next Monday. We both really needed the recharge. Today I'm getting back to work I need to accomplish: syllabi, course planning, finishing with overdue library books so that I can return them, writing various proposals.

The promise of the new year was clouded somewhat yesterday when I learned that my undergrad mentor had passed on Sunday evening. I'm in a field that, at least at the undergrad level, involves a lot of one-on-one teaching. I met Mr. G when I was in high school, studied with him at a summer camp, and then was awarded a big scholarship to study at his school. I also ended up working at the camp every summer during undergrad, as did most of my peers. I could never have attended such an expensive, prestigious school without his help and my life would have turned out very differently if I hadn't met him. Last night a number of us were reminiscing on FB and it struck me that he would be very pleased to know that we're all still in touch (30 years later), that we've made sure to contact everyone from school then, and that we're still spreading his teaching in many ways, however small. Kindness, high standards, humor, love: pay it forward.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

2011-12-24T11:08:00.002-06:00

Done

2011-12-22T22:09:00.003-06:00

Finished up the grading a little while ago and have turned in all grades except for the ones the system won't accept (I'll make that phone call in the morning). I gave my last final yesterday morning and have been grading non-stop for the past three days. Some colleagues had finals yet today and grades are due tomorrow. Clearly, something needs to change here (and I know this isn't a state requirement, as a colleague at another nearby state university doesn't have grade due until the 30th). My majors did a nice job (mostly) on an assignment that, in retrospect, was a bit too challenging for the course. Yet, I was surprised and pleased that many of them rose to the occasion and turned in the best work I've seen from many of them. That was a nice way to end the semester.

Now, time to be away from this stuff for (only) 2 weeks. Our first meeting is 8 a.m. on Jan 9th (classes don't start until a week and a half later). Grr.

Almost

2011-12-20T22:00:00.005-06:00

I have to give one more final early tomorrow morning and still have many papers to grade, but I can see the end. Grades are due on Friday and, once I don't have to go in to give finals, I should be able to get the grading done and materials returned to students. Ooof!

I have finished most of my Christmas shopping (thank goodness for online shopping), but still need to buy a few things for Sunday dinner (including a turkey...). We have a beautiful tree in the living room and I'm hoping that tomorrow night we can finally trim the thing! We're not traveling over break (which is only 2 weeks), so we'll get to enjoy it. We tend to do the "Twelfth Night" thing with the Christmas tree, since we're usually so late to get it trimmed. At least we were able to do our traditional "nice dinner in the dining room, with Advent wreath and candles" for all of the Sundays during Advent (something I bust myself to make happen). Not bad for a couple of mostly-agnostics...

Still no news about the sabbatical reassessment. Kind of hoping the administrator will give me a Christmas present on Friday (since it won't cost the University any $$), but we'll see. Not too hopeful.

Phew....

2011-12-14T13:27:00.002-06:00

Classes are done. I have a difficult student coming in to talk about his grade in a little while, but I'm otherwise done with all of that. I may have two meetings tomorrow, but no one has gotten back to me to confirm, so maybe not. I still need to deliver a bunch of materials to the Disabled Students center tomorrow, for various exams. This year, for some reason, they aren't able to accommodate students at scheduled exam times and so I've got folks taking exams at various times there from Friday until next Thursday. Grades are due next Friday.

After meeting with my area administrator yesterday, I sent a note to the upper administrator who's next in the chain. It was non-whiny, non-strident, and fairly unemotional. I received a nice response and was told that a reversal of the original decision was still under consideration. I still think nothing will change, but I appreciate not being ignored.

Now...to Grading Jail.

Ugh

2011-12-12T16:54:00.002-06:00

Two more plagiarists.... One will be simple, as it's clearly an inexperienced writer who made a mistake. The other sent me a long email defining plagiarism, describing her/his assignment, describing all I didn't do in the class to help her/him all semester, and then listed other things going on in his/her life this semester that are "contributing factors" (not sure how personal problems make one copy other people's work, but I'm all ears). This one's ready to graduate—you'd think they'd be more careful...

The Semester That Will Not End

2011-12-10T18:51:00.005-06:00

Many of my blogging friends are starting their winter break or, at least, in final exams. We have 3 more class days, followed by a week and a half of finals and meetings. One of our sports teams is in a tournament next weekend, so many of us will have to reschedule finals for some of our students. Grades are due on the 23rd, and I'll be giving finals and grading until then. At least we're done with classes on Wednesday.

Still no sabbatical news, though my colleague who is on the committee (Awkwardness) heard that I wasn't approved and was surprised. I won't post any further on that situation, except to say that the disconnect between the application procedures, the grants office's advice, and the adjudication committee's process is deep and profound. I'm supposed to go talk to my administrator on Monday before s/he goes to talk to upper administration. I still predict that nothing will change and I'll come off looking like a crybaby, rather than a long-time hard worker who helps keep the place going but doesn't have a teaching/service load that allows for things like Major Awards. Such is life.

Holding Pattern

2011-12-08T14:50:00.001-06:00

News on sabbatical reconsideration? Crickets...

In other news, my freshman class's presentations rock (mostly)!

Awkwardness

2011-12-07T12:33:00.002-06:00

A colleague from a different department and who teaches across the hall from me is giving me those "I'm so excited, congratulations!" smiles and vibes, though we haven't spoken. She's on the committee that reviewed sabbaticals (and not the one who wrote nasty things). I don't have the heart to tell her that it wasn't approved (though I guess it's still under reconsideration).

Reconsideration

2011-12-06T19:07:00.002-06:00

The campus administrator who made the decision on sabbaticals is reconsidering my application. At this point the focus is on what I was told by the grants office...since the advice turned out to be crap, perhaps this will help my case. Still not expecting a reversal, but at least there's a (probably miniscule) chance.

In other news, we still have a week of classes, and I'm really ready to be done (so are the students).

The Body Knows

2011-12-05T08:43:00.002-06:00

And now I'm sick... I'm usually pretty successful fighting off bugs until breaks, but the emotional upheaval of the past half-week has finally caught up with me (plus the germy stew that my students and colleagues share with me). We still have 8 class days left, so it's not a huge interruption. Maybe some of my students will work on their projects....

Going to Bat

2011-12-04T10:37:00.005-06:00

Although I didn't ask him/her to, my chair went in to talk to the division administrator on Friday morning, along with the chair of another department that's in the same boat with sabbaticals. Turns out 2 of the 3 from their department DID get theirs, but another (another long-timer who helps pay her/his department's bills) was denied as well. The two who got theirs are certainly deserving, but haven't been here very long and, since at least on this campus the awarding of sabbaticals has always been semi-reward for hard work and service, the two chairs are angry and (according to mine) yelled at our administrator to get something done with this. The other candidate and I are both active in our professions (offices, papers, publishing, attending meetings). My chair reminded the division head that I have had 19 different course preps since I began teaching here and that I usually see several hundred students per semester (no TAs here, either). The division head has a meeting this week with the upper administrator who made the ultimate decision (the committee, though BS-ttedly critical, DID recommend me for approval). I predict that there will not be a change of decision, but we'll see.

One situation I've encountered before on this campus is apparently at work here: my division involves both folks who create new and shiny and mysterious things and those who research and write about these things. Folks on committees that give awards tend to be awed by anything to do with the former and assume they know all there is to know about the latter, so the vast majority of awards, prizes, etc. go to colleagues who do the former in their jobs here. BTW, I also do the former and am thinking that I should have proposed something along those lines (though I'm not actively involved there much these days) instead of being honest (when I think of some of the BS projects some of my departmental colleagues have received sabbaticals for...). Sheesh!

Friday Morning RBOC

2011-12-02T07:26:00.004-06:00

Considering the events of the week, why am I sitting in my office at 7:00 on Friday morning? Oh, yeah. It's called a JOB and I teach 5 days, unlike most of my colleagues here and around campus. One departmental colleague just posted on FB the nice things they're doing today since they don't teach on Friday. Of course the huge cattle-call classes I teach help pay for that lovely day and flexible time. Have a great one!
After having lunch with an administrator friend earlier this week, I know that the aimlessness of my first-year students is not something I'm doing: everyone on campus is talking about this. This year's freshperson class is particularly needy: tasks such as reading directions, looking at assignment documents, meeting deadlines, etc. are apparently too overwhelming for them, even with helpful reminders from the professor. Funny, this stuff wasn't a problem for last year's crew...
I can't believe that we still have 3 WEEKS to go in this semester. I give my last exam on the 21st and grades are due on the 23rd. We go back to meetings on Jan. 9. At least my cattle-call classes are arranged differently in Spring semester, allowing me to also have a lovely day off of teaching on Friday. When I grade the mountains of papers and attend College committee meetings (which are all scheduled on Friday afternoon).
Why do I do this, again?

And so it continues...

2011-12-01T16:41:00.002-06:00

My chair just forwarded an email he sent to the administrator in charge of our area--he and another chair are meeting with the administrator tomorrow morning. Apparently, for the second year in a row, no one from our division was awarded a sabbatical leave. And, apparently, I'm not the only one who received BS/random criticisms/comments. I still think any protests will fark this up for the future (and I'm a little embarrassed by his vehemence), but I'll be interested to see how this all pans out...

Nope

2011-11-30T12:56:00.002-06:00

No sir, not you, nada.... No sabbatical for me.

The "suggestions" and comments from the committee were BS and show that a) our research office gives crap advice (I asked specifically about an aspect of the application that came under scrutiny and was told that it was exactly right and looked great), b) people on the committee didn't read the application very carefully (one criticism/suggestion misrepresented what was in the application), c) the committee is weighted towards the sciences and business (more representation in the group) so those in the humanities have less of a shot unless we've also got a huge grant of some sort (non-existent in my discipline), and d) one of my departmental colleagues who doesn't care for me got to have a little "fun" pulling down my application (as I read his words in the commentary...). Not happy at all. Exploring options for next year, future. Have been doing this for far too long to deal with this crap....

Waiting, waiting...

2011-11-28T15:31:00.001-06:00

I heard from my Chair this morning that the Provost "signed a big pile of sabbatical letters" and "they are going out this week," but that's all I know. I feel good about my prospects, but can't relax until I get the letter. Ugh!

RBOC For Thanksgiving Week

2011-11-22T10:38:00.004-06:00

I've had more students attending my classes than I expected (we'll see about tomorrow). I learned years ago not to give tests in General Ed classes during this week, as deer season is upon us and it's religion for many (thus they expect to be excused from class/obligations, and many administrators over the years have backed up the students on this one. Go figure.)
Had a student in this morning's class want to take a make-up exam since he missed last Thursday's class. His excuse: he had to take a friend to the ER. I asked why he hadn't contacted me (exam was Thursday, this is Tuesday. He had his smartphone in his hand as we spoke). He "figured he'd just talk to me in class." Kicker: he flunked the same class with me last year for the same sort of thing. As one might expect, this one's not an intellectual giant...
I'm still waiting to hear about sabbaticals. The provost was supposed to have sent off the list 2 weeks ago, and there's been no talk of cutting the program in any of the budget talks. I sent a polite inquiry to the grants office yesterday (just a general "any idea when the announcement will be made?" sort of thing). Crickets... UPDATE: Grants office says they'll be announced next week. Provost a week late sending them in.
Everybody's super grumpy. I think we all need a break!

Back to Reality

2011-11-13T21:36:00.002-06:00

We returned home from Big Deal Conference a couple of hours ago, after a nice weekend. The jet lag will keep me up half the night, but I'm not as dead as I usually am after a conference (I took a lot of naps while I was there...). We got to visit with H's brother, wife and son last night--a nice meal and visiting, which made it an even better weekend.

My paper went well. It wasn't scheduled at the best time, but I had a respectable number of folks there and got good comments and questions. And I had a publisher's rep ask if I had a publisher for the book and asked me to talk to them, as it's the kind of book they do and she really liked my paper! Now, to find time to write the prospectus...

I heard some really good papers, though I didn't wear myself out by trying to go to a million of them. We were able to spend time with a couple of friends (and I wish I had spent time with more--I saw them, but the site wasn't conducive to gathering and seeing people, unfortunately). We had a lot of good meals (and one great one, last night), so I need to not eat for a couple of weeks...

Back to reality in the morning: 2 classes, a faculty meeting (that will likely be contentious, as the college administrator is stopping in), and lots and lots of grading. 5 1/2 more weeks...

Still Here...

2011-11-09T22:50:00.002-06:00

Busy, busy time. I'm off for the Big Deal Conference in the morning at the crack of dawn. My paper's not until Saturday, but it will be great to see friends and have some nice meals. More importantly, it will be great to get the hell out of here for the weekend and get away from students, colleagues, and plagiarists.

Urge to Strangle

2011-10-31T21:33:00.003-05:00

I'm ready to strangle a couple of my undergrads, as they have me all tied up in academic misconduct hell (I'm speaking in hyperbole here, of course, lest anyone think I'm threatening said students...). I understand why many faculty won't take the time to pursue this stuff, as the hoops are many, but I'm on this one. This morning I discovered that a student I thought had been a victim in this (someone stole their work) has a similar issue with another assignment and another classmate. That one came to see me today and looked bored as I explained the procedure (though there was a hint of interest/attention when I mentioned that I'd already spoken with the Dean of Students). None of these students has a file about this sort of misconduct, but I have no doubt that all of them have done it before. In any case, my policies are clear, these folks are sophomores, and if they appeal they will lose. Grrr.... I should be working on the paper I'm giving at the end of next week, instead (or grading).

Midweek Midterm RBOC

2011-10-25T21:59:00.003-05:00

Our university system just announced huge additional cuts from the state (twice what was anticipated). They're going to have to start firing people at this point...there's nowhere else to cut. I'm guessing the sabbatical program is gone (though mine wouldn't cost them anything...)
Also, today, the state announced that there will be no pay raises for any state employee for the next 2 years. We on the faculty (non-union) haven't had a raise in 3 years, so this is nothing new. When there was no inflation, this wasn't much of an issue. Now, it is a big deal (especially with the benefit and pay cuts we've already taken in the past year)...
I have an academic misconduct issue in one of my classes that I have to deal with this week. Do they really think I won't catch it?
I have a major presentation in less than 3 weeks and I'm terrified that I won't get things pulled together by then. I'm tempted to give some of my classes online work...we'll see.
On the positive side, I had a nice birthday over the weekend. H and I drove to the suburbs of NearbyLargeCity, had a nice lunch and shopped (I shopped, H indulged me because it was my birthday). He bought me beautiful flowers and we had a nice day.

These Kids Today

2011-10-18T16:50:00.002-05:00

Unlike most of my colleagues at other schools (and fellow bloggers), I'm NOT on Fall Break this week (we don't have one). I'm grading dreadful exams taken by my majors while I was at the conference and noting that I have been talking to the wall all semester, apparently. But, the "A" students still did well and the more motivated students passed. I wish there weren't so may Fs, but those students who spend all of their time outside of class on Netflix and Facebook may need to reexamine their priorities (Seriously, how many of us watched several hours of television and/or movies EVERY NIGHT when we were in college?).

The weekend conference was an "interesting" experience, but it's over: turns out I had the wrong paper for this particular group, which happens and I'll live. It was well-received elsewhere, so I know it's not a bad paper. But I was sort of appalled by general rudeness afterwards... When I know someone well and they have just given a paper and it's break time and we end up next to one another on the way out, I find a way to say "Thanks for your paper," even if I think it wasn't the best thing I've ever heard. This is an organization for which I've provided a great deal of service over the past couple of years, so I was surprised that fellow officers couldn't even share polite conversation as we headed to lunch. Fine. I was steamed enough that we just didn't return after lunch (1-day conference) and H and I spent a wonderful afternoon exploring the city and seeing some things we didn't think we'd have time for.

Back to grading...

Ugh

2011-10-12T22:20:00.002-05:00

I'm so very tired (to the point that I should probably give the doc a call, though I suspect she'll just tell me to get more sleep and more exercise).

We head to NearbyMetropolis on Friday for a conference--my paper is mid-morning on Saturday. We'll take the train down and then play on Friday (art museum, nice restaurant) and have opera tickets for Saturday night. It will be nice to get a little down time. This is a really low-key conference and the paper's no sweat, so I'm looking forward to it. When we get back I must gear up for the Very Important Conference in November, for which I've done little revision (though I need to). In the meantime, I should go to bed.

Sabbatical Application

2011-10-10T10:01:00.001-05:00

is dropped off, with all signatures, forms, letters, and essays. The decision will be made by the Provost by Nov. 11 and announced shortly thereafter. And so I wait.... (glad to have it off of my back, though)!.

Sunday, ahhh!

2011-10-09T10:17:00.001-05:00

I have grading and gardening and reading and writing and course prep to do, but I'm enjoying some quiet time with some beautiful weather first. Wish it could be like this all of the time!

Long Week...

2011-10-06T20:28:00.004-05:00

I had to cancel my 8 a.m. class this morning at 7:35 because the projection/presentation equipment malfunctioned and I didn't have another room to substitute for a large class. And the people who fix this equipment don't start work until 8, even though some classes start at 7:45. Best part? Equipment was fouled up because a colleague again ignored the skull-and-crossbones-never-ever-touch-this-power-switch sign and turned off the power to the mainframe. My chair is speaking with that individual (again) with a reminder not to do that. I would have thrown things at her/him...
My sabbatical application is ready to go, but I must wait to get it back from the college administrator. It's due next Monday, he's had it since Monday, and his secretary said he's looking at them tomorrow. Here's hoping our College's applications don't get fouled up this year...
I am incredibly tired, fighting an intestinal bug, and need a day to get caught up. I hate to cancel class, but may do so tomorrow so I can get through the grading, committee reports I need to write, touch up paper I'm giving at a conference in a week, etc. Plus, I have a dentist appointment in the afternoon, which will be painful because he's fixing a broken tooth.
On the plus side, the new appliances are very nice. The plumber is coming tomorrow to add a water line to the fridge so that we can have water and ice.

Hump Day

2011-09-28T20:26:00.005-05:00

Is it really only Wednesday night? We've been without a refrigerator for a week now and are really looking forward to the fancy new one that arrives tomorrow afternoon. We've never had an ice-maker before. Exciting!

Classes are going pretty well this week: several groups have research topic proposals due and so I've spent a lot of time helping students decide what they want to do. With some students, it's like pulling teeth to come up with something: what kind of xxx do you like? which people who create xxx are you interested in? Is there a historical period whose xxx you'd like to research? Others waltz in for a conference and know exactly what they want to do. Several students in my class for majors are identified with some sort of autism, which makes it more difficult for all concerned: these folks are plenty smart and hard-working, but processing tasks and sticking to directions can be a challenge. I think I had most of these folks in my office today and I think I was able to help them (I was the most popular girl in the building today, even during my 7:30 a.m. office hour). Papers come in on Friday: we'll see how it goes.

In other news, H has a nasty cold and cough. I figure I will come down with it 1.5 weeks from today, a few days before my first conference paper presentation of the year...

I have to turn in the sabbatical application to my chair and dean on Monday. I think we've come up with a plan to cover my classes so that I can get one (no state fund to cover them: collegial coverage and the % of my salary I won't get to cover it). I taught enough overloads to cover other peoples' sabbaticals, so I'm hoping folks will reply in kind. I am so ready to be away from this place for a year...

Oh, and found out this week that this garbage was a front to glorify someone the college is hoping to get a big donation from—in our meeting this week various folks noted their displeasure with the administrator in charge, but the theme that came back repeatedly was the notion that students at a state school shouldn't be subjected to this (a long, Fox-news-like political speech to a room full of folks who are not in politics).

Ladies With Attitudes

2011-09-22T14:33:00.005-05:00

In my very large core class I have a pair of students who sit in the front row and are obviously friends. Thus far in the semester they have attended class and have contributed, though they're starting to show up about 10 minutes into class. This morning I said something to the class about this, though in a general sense (there were other students who were late as well)—no big deal, but a reminder of when class starts. This pair spent the class reading books from other classes, whispering back and forth, and texting—it was a notes-heavy class, yet neither took a note. I made two reminders during class that folks needed to put electronic devices away. The second time, I waited. Of course, the phone came back out, but I ignored it. You can only do so much of this before you shut the whole place down. Other students were staring at these two and were distracted by them as well. None of the other students seemed to think what they were doing was funny, so clearly it wasn't just me.

After class, I hopped right over to both and reminded them that I don't have an attendance requirement, so that if they need to read books for other classes, they should simply not come to class. To the student with the phone, I reminded her that I had asked several times for phones to go away. She mumbled something back and started to walk away, so I put my hand on her arm to get her to hang on for a second. I reminded both that acting like freshmen is perhaps not the best approach (they're both sophomores and I get the sense that they may have failed the class last year).

I try VERY hard to avoid embarrassing students in front of a class, in large part because the rest of the class stops raising their hands and commenting. I am hoping that this was a fluke and that they will get over this over the weekend. I have options for removing disruptive students from class and don't want to go that route, but it's not fair to the rest of class to have distractions persist. This is what makes me want to retire ASAP: they don't pay us enough to have to deal with this crap.

Curiouser and Curiouser

2011-09-21T13:16:00.005-05:00

So, the big college assembly (required of all) happened yesterday afternoon, complete with military color guard, the choir, and a speaker whose firm has been involved in union-busting of several arts organizations in a nearby city (groups that involve many of those assembled in the room). More speeches about service and giving back, to people who have had pay and benefit cuts and no raises for the past 3 years (and none for the foreseeable future). Many folks were looking around to see if the ghost of Leni Riefenstahl was filming the thing...

Today's installment of why this administrator is pissing people off: emails about policy on a core course circulated to just a few of the faculty who teach the course. The most glaring omission: folks who have established the course and taught it for years (and this class is the epitome of "service," as there are twice the number of students of other core classes with no additional load credit or $). Luckily, one of the colleagues who received said memo smelled a rat and sent it to all.

The administrator in question has held many, many positions at a lot of different schools (longest run = 6 years, most places = 2 years). We're all hoping for the latter, before the place implodes. And I should mention that this individual is not a middle-aged, Bible-thumping, white man...

Further Ugh

2011-09-20T16:15:00.002-05:00

My emo colleague is at it again, sure that s/he can singlehandedly change an assignment in a class many of us teach (btw, this person doesn't teach this class. I've taught some version of it for 30 years). Please grow up, Peter Pan.

On the plus side, once my eyes were able to focus, I've gotten a lot of work done on my sabbatical proposal.

Ugh

2011-09-20T12:36:00.003-05:00

I'm home sick today with a migraine, one that's dogged me intermittently since Saturday afternoon. My doctors have mentioned the various drugs available, but also noted the side-effects. One gave me good advice a few years ago that has almost always done the trick: at the first flicker in my eyes, I take 3 ibuprofen and a Sudafed. I've had migraines all of my life (much worse when I was a kid, actually--probably because of the cigarette smoke in the house). This morning I got up and ready for work, but in the shower realized I couldn't focus my eyes (the aura) and felt a little sick, so I canceled class and stayed home. Since this happens most years about this time, I suspect it's tied into some sort of Fall allergies, too. Anyway. I'm home and waiting for the drugs to kick in so that I can get a little work out of myself.

The school year is going reasonably well, and I seem to have pretty nice groups of students. Undergraduates can be hard to motivate, and I was visibly annoyed with my majors yesterday when no one was prepared with something I'd prepared them for at the end of the last class, but so be it. They're coming to class and asking good questions, so there's at least something happening. My research class may turn out to be better than I thought, though I still need to loosen these two up a bit (smart, but very naive and provincial uber-nerds who both want to be college professors).

And now to the sabbatical proposal, which is due to my Dean a week from Monday and to the University a week after that. Lots of chatter in our college as to why no one in the college was awarded one for this year, though many applied. First time it's happened, in anyone's recollection...

Between-Class Musings for Friday

2011-09-16T10:20:00.004-05:00

All of the students in my early class were there today, despite the local "Thirsty Thursday" tradition.
The sabbatical call finally came yesterday. Applications are due on Oct. 10 and they did change the process a little. Luckily, the new thing we have to address is linked to a task force I've been on for 2 years. No sweat.
Along those lines, I'm wondering why no one in my college was awarded a sabbatical for this year. Trying not to think bad thoughts about new administrator, but this is truly odd. Hmm...
Said administrator backed down a little on the required meeting next week: students must sign in and faculty are encouraged to attend...Update: I spoke too soon. My chair just sent clarification/a correction: faculty are expected to be there and are supposed to sign in. I'm wondering why the chairs didn't speak up about this...
Now hope that students in my other morning class show up. Then I'm done teaching for the week and can get some work done (plus a salon visit this afternoon for a cut and color touch-up).

But Then They Surprise You...

2011-09-13T11:15:00.004-05:00

One of the classes I teach is a required core class in the arts. Most students take it their first or second year and most are in huge cattle-call classes (we have no TAs, so there are no discussion sections). It's a class I enjoy teaching and I think that most students have a good experience, despite the fact that I'm "old school" and spend a good bit of class time lecturing (with lots of visuals and things to watch interspersed). They're sometimes bored, but most don't hate me or the arts at the end of the semester, so I call that a success.

This semester I'm teaching a smaller Honors section of the course, something we rotate and so I do it every few years. This morning I had visiting printmakers (and a translator) in class, discussing their work in the new show and talking about making art. Most of the students in the room are not arts majors and few are fluent in the artists' language, but they couldn't have been more attentive and nice, listening patiently as the translator unraveled what the artists were saying. I'd asked the students to prepare a couple of questions to ask the artists, and most had really good ideas. We got to look at some works and my colleague who facilitated the visit gave students a little more background and told them about other workshops on campus this week (he teaches this class, too). These students were SO GREAT! And did I mention they are freshmen/women and that it's an early morning class?

These are the experiences that get me to come back each Fall...

RBOC for Monday

2011-09-12T20:35:00.002-05:00

First Monday of the semester, so I've now seen all of my classes.
The class that's usually my favorite (research techniques) is going to be a drag, I fear. 2 geeky but mostly silent students (previous classes were also uber-geeky, but fun). At least it's at the start of the week.
Despite my request on Friday that someone let me know whether or not an online posting was working (new database and I wasn't sure), I only received one email over the weekend: at 11:45 last night (for an 8:30 am class). Too bad, kids...
H has a fever and will likely miss some classes this week...no fun being sick this early in the semester.
Sabbatical guidelines have still not been released for this year (comes from the state, not our campus). Last year they released them a week before the deadline. I'm hoping the form hasn't changed much from previous years...
So very tired...

So Far, So Good

2011-09-10T16:10:00.002-05:00

I should be working on my sabbatical application instead of blogging, but I'll get back to that soon. We've had a nice Saturday, making it to the Farmer's Market (veggies and eggs) and the local gourmet grocery (beverages and fruit) by noon. One benefit of the early-morning schedule is that we're waking up earlier on weekends and getting more done. I have a load of tomatoes cooking in the crockpot and will later put them in freezer bags: we'll be well set with diced tomatoes for the winter.

The week went well and my classes seem to be populated by nice folks. Next week we get busy, with lots of extra and evening events, so we'll see how I feel next Friday. On-campus/in-college politics continue to be "interesting," but I'm hoping some of it will simmer down. Our college administrator has scheduled an "all college faculty and students" meeting: a great idea for a new tradition, BUT

Requiring faculty to sign in is just going to piss people off (campus used to do that at Commencement, as we're required to attended one of them each year, but stopped when most everyone refused to sign).
Calling the meeting 2 weeks ahead of time and scheduling it at 4 p.m. is not helpful for folks who have child-care issues, especially if they commute from an hour away (I have a colleague who is going nuts with this).
Scheduling it in the middle of a class period (instead of at the start of one) is also pissing people off ("bring your class," we're told. The marching band? Really?)
Making the program an "inspirational" speech from yet another friend of yours is not pleasing anyone who has to attend this thing.

The one bit of humor to come from this is that we were all told to RSVP to the broadcast email announcement and I guess students have been dutiful about doing so. So much so that the administrator's assistant had to send faculty a frantic note yesterday asking us to tell students that they don't have to respond to the administrator: just faculty (guessing the hundreds of emails have clogged up the pipeline. I'm secretly tempted to remind my students to RSVP when I see them on Monday). Hehe.

For whatever reason, the administrative attitude towards faculty thus far this semester has been fairly nasty (these are the same folks that were sympathizing with pay cuts, no raises, and fewer benefits in May). Perhaps those many, many folks who retired or took jobs elsewhere had the right idea....

Back To School

2011-09-05T08:59:00.002-05:00

I suppose it's different if one's life isn't run by the academic calendar, but in the Tiredprof household, tomorrow marks the beginning of the year. Classes begin, meetings continue, and new challenges await. I get to see a crop of new Freshpeople in my morning classes tomorrow and see my majors on Wednesday morning. I haven't had an all-morning schedule in a while, but moving the classes for majors should balance out my schedule and allow for the million other things I have to do.

We had a nice quick trip to visit my mom for her 80th birthday over the weekend. My brother came down, too, and so we took her out to dinner, had cupcakes, and gave her a little silliness of her kids, which I know she loved. She seems to be doing reasonably well and, given that a year ago we didn't think she'd be around this year, I guess that's all we can ask for.

No classes today, but lots to do at home and school.

Spinning Head

2011-09-01T17:12:00.004-05:00

I spent all day in a College meeting and my head is ready to explode. It was good to see colleagues and to hear announcements, but we spent a lot of time just sitting, too. Our dean's a good person, but a little green and very ambitious. Given the situation in our state, many faculty are demoralized (pay cuts at a school where salaries are way below national averages for our fields, public demonizing, etc) and morale is low. To hear two administrators pontificate about "giving back" and how lucky we are all to "serve" didn't help the mood in the room. We had 2 hours of break-out groups and then came back together to report on the groups: of course a majority of people hit the road before the group exercise began, but my group meeting was good and one we always have at this time, so it was time well-spent. I've been asked to take on an administrative function and, since they really want me, I'm able to push for a bit of "what's in it for me?" We'll see what happens there.

H and I head to see my mom this weekend for her birthday. A year ago we didn't think she'd be around now, so can't miss this one. The faculty meeting I'm missing will carry on without me...

Heading Home

2011-08-26T07:00:00.006-05:00

Ahead of the storm. Wishes for little damage and destruction from this thing: you already had an earthquake this week. In the meantime, enjoy the Weavers (that's Pete Seeger playing banjo).

Wow!

2011-08-23T19:59:00.002-05:00

Nothing like being in a Federal research library when the earthquake hits (no damage or injuries)! We all got our personal belongings, turned in the materials we were working on and evacuated. They had closed the cloakroom where we'd left our non-research bags, etc.--they didn't reopen, but we'll have to get them in the morning. H and I are staying in a hotel that's very close and so went back to the room for a bit, then came back and were told it was closed for the rest of the day.

When we went out for dinner, we saw that many workers were still sitting outside of their buildings (4 hours later), waiting for clearance. As buildings were cleared for entry there was a general announcement over the (unseen) PA speakers: it was a bit "Attention, Earthlings"-other-worldly, but no panic at all. Even during the evacuation, the police were nice, first ushering all across the street, then down the block away from Federal buildings.

Dinner was at a neighborhood restaurant that was packed (mostly) with workers who had been stuck there most of the afternoon and were either waiting to get their cars or for the subway to clear a bit before heading home. As lit up as some of them were, I'm hoping they're taking the train. For us it was merely an inconvenience, as we lost 3 hours of research time. It could have been so much worse.

Next up for this area: Hurricane Irene. Luckily, we'll be gone by then.

Goodnight, Irene.

RBOC for Mid-August

2011-08-16T13:34:00.002-05:00

Spent yesterday cleaning out my home office and threw out a dumpster-ful of stuff. Now that the plumber has come (3 hours late) and gone, I can run errands and then get back to it. 4 large plastic tubs of stuff to go (not sure how much of it I can toss, but we'll see).
It's easier to do this sort of cleaning when spouse is out of town (can spread out and also avoid the "oh, you should save that--I'll find a place or it").
I have GOT to get going on course prep since we're away on research next week. That they are (yet again) revising the online environment we use this week is putting a cramp into some of that.
We're visiting my mom for her birthday just before school starts and will have to miss the departmental meeting (who puts faculty meetings on the Friday before Labor Day? Really). Oh, well.

Back and To Work

2011-08-04T11:30:00.006-05:00

H and I had a lovely vacation where it was somewhat cooler (and with truly breathtaking scenery). It's also fairly cheap and there's lots to do: much is under the control of the National Park Service who, despite cuts in funding, do a really good job and have lots of free maps, good suggestions, guides to flora and fauna, etc. We try to leave a donation when we stop in to use their facilities and pick up some materials.

The picture above is of the shoreline (colors are minerals).

Now, I have a couple of weeks to accomplish way too much, first and foremost my sabbatical application (which I had to abandon last Fall when my mom was sick). In some ways it's an even better time now, as I have presented parts of the research several places and have some folks interested in what I'm doing. I've also got to write the corollary grant proposal for some extra $ to cover the 35% of my salary I won't get for the year. I've been nibbling at research, writing and classes all summer, but now it's time to shift into top gear.

Vacation & Anniversary

2011-07-29T15:25:00.003-05:00

H and I are getting out of town for a bit, running a few hours away to relax in cooler weather by a big lake. It's also our 28th anniversary, so we'll try to have a nice meal.

Plus ça change

2011-07-21T00:11:00.002-05:00

It's still fricking hot here (100 degrees, today), so I'm using the week to revise a paper I'm giving at a Big Deal conference in the Fall. Now that I know the session I'm on, I can tailor the revisions to fit with the overriding theme, in this case "workers." This work deals with a branch of the WPA that was accused of Communist infiltration, though that's not really what my paper's about (it was, in fact, not "infiltrated." Everyone was either a card-carrying Communist or a fellow traveler). So. I spent most of the evening reading testimony from the Dies hearings (HUAC, 1930s) and am just amazed at the crap that's there. Because I've read the (mostly-redacted) FBI files of a couple of the players, I know how they were followed, investigated, and otherwise harassed (the gasman is really an undercover FBI agent, for example). All under the guise of preserving "America." And this was over a decade before the McCarthy hearings/witch hunts and long before the current Tea Party business. And, lest you think the folks I write about were going to overturn the American way of life, they were dancers...

Hot!

2011-07-18T23:06:00.002-05:00

It's way above the normal heat and (especially) humidity for these parts this week. H and I are doing what we need to do outside and then working inside in the a.c. Having spent all of our college and grad school days dealing with this sort of heat sans a.c., we feel as if we've paid our dues and can enjoy being comfortable (though not too...it's set pretty high during the day). Hope it's cooler where you are!

Time To Get Some Stuff Done

2011-07-05T20:16:00.002-05:00

After taking it easy for a few weeks, it's time to get back in gear. I've got a paper to revise for a Very Important Fall conference and will do a bit of additional archival research out of town right as school starts. I've got a fair number of things on the To-Do list, including things around the house. I've been nibbling on those day by day and am making some headway. We had a nice holiday weekend, spending a little time at the local festivities and eating picnic food. Tomorrow we're going to a baseball game in a nearby large city (my first major league game, believe it or not)-we tend to watch the games in the evenings while we're working on our laptops, so we've been following them. Should be fun!

Relaxing and De-Stressing

2011-06-28T11:39:00.001-05:00

is hard when you've been running full-speed for a couple of years straight. But, I'm enjoying the challenge!

Small Conferences = Win!

2011-06-25T13:29:00.005-05:00

One of the things I was reminded of this past week is how much I enjoy small (50-60 participants) conferences. Except for a couple of spots, most of the time everyone gets to hear all of the papers (this past week there were only a couple of simultaneous sessions). And the ones you missed, you heard about during drinks or coffee, as others were talking about them. This past week's conference was just that and one of the most supportive academic environments I've been in in a long while: suggestions, corrections, and comments were shared, but in a (gentle) "hey, here's a better way to do this" or "let me correct one bit of info you don't have quite right, though it was a great paper" fashion. There was some sniping (generally behind the scenes) and a couple of WTF papers, but mostly there was a warm and generous feel about the whole thing. Another advantage of hearing almost all of the papers is that several "themes" brought up in papers/sessions early in the week seemed to resonate in later ones as well, and folks made lots of references in subsequent sessions. A nice way to tie things together.

H and I drove and thus had a car to enjoy the city. We spent Thursday afternoon in the art museum and came home yesterday, taking a slightly different route that turned out to be shorter and much less frantic. Now we're back to our usual weekend chores, but I don't have any deadlines to meet or meetings to attend until the end of August. That's much-needed at this point!

Travel

2011-06-17T22:16:00.002-05:00

H and I have both finished our conference proposals (different conferences, but in the same city at the same time). We've got the audio and visuals set and have honed them down to the appropriate time. In my case, about half of the attendees won't be expert in my area, so I've weeded out as much jargon as is possible (still have some, but so will others in my session: there's a simultaneous session that I suspect will attract folks who aren't interested in our session, which is fine with me).

We also both got our proposals for the Spring conference written and turned in on time. H was busy with a high school workshop on campus this week, while I did some yardwork and nursed a (resultant) sore back. We travel over the weekend to a favorite city: about a 9 hour drive. We both present early and can then enjoy the city, the conference(s), and visiting with some of our favorite friends. It should be a good time!

Getting There, Though Lacking Motivation

2011-06-13T13:17:00.006-05:00

My paper for next week's conference is almost done and I'm just putting together the handout and the audio/visuals. Here's hoping that the technology will work: it's a little hard to talk about my subject without them ("imagine, if you will..."). Since I present on the first morning, I get to relax for the rest of the conference, which is in one of my favorite midwestern cities (though it's supposed to be hot).

As I noted in the title, I'm lacking in motivation to do much of anything, but suspect it's because of the non-stop year or so I've had. Having a non-teaching summer will be good: the fact that I'm positively dreading returning to the classroom in the Fall (for the third year in a row) should probably tell me something, as well. If only I had marketable skills in another area...

Getting to Work

2011-06-08T18:58:00.002-05:00

I think I'm finally over the jet-lag from the travel class and so can plan the summer ahead. My class got canceled because of low enrollment (my choice: I could have taught it for a couple of hundred dollars per head but, for 6 week and online, it wasn't worth it to me). I haven't had a "free" summer in years, though with the unpredictable nature of my mom's situation these days, I'm not yet sure how "free" it will actually be.

It's taking me a while to get back in gear and I'm still in a bit of a daze. H figured out that since last July I've spent 11 weeks with my mother (outside of 2 additional trips with H), 2 weeks on the travel trip, 1 week at a workshop for the university, 1 week away at Spring Break (research trip plus a little relaxing), plus attended 6 out-of-state conference of 3-5 days. I've been feeling a little aimless and as if I haven't been home in a long time (have been gone 3 of the past 6 weeks, in fact), so I'm looking forward to a little down time and also a LOT of research time. I'm presenting at a conference in 2 weeks and am currently still writing the paper, so I've got work to do. My paper for Big Deal Conference in the Fall is a revision of one I gave a year ago and so, with some additional archival time at the end of the summer, I think it should go well (got some good feedback the last time, including negative-but-true comments that helped a lot).

Things on the school-front are "interesting," but I'm not being paid to think about them until August, so I won't. At least with tenure, they can't fire me as long as I'm doing my job (which I am), even if they don't like me (which they don't). Ugh.

It's Too Darn Hot

2011-06-07T22:11:00.002-05:00

I live in the upper Midwest. It's not supposed to be 100 degrees in June (or any time, for that matter). 5 months ago it was -25 here...

Meanwhile, enjoy this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlMWW4R1ZBM

Home

2011-06-02T13:58:00.003-05:00

We arrived home yesterday afternoon, after an almost 18-hour trip. One of my colleagues stayed on in Europe, but the other and I shepherded the students home (who, frankly, didn't need much help at this point). Despite their whining, we came home with mostly suburban and small-town students who have learned how to navigate a subway system by themselves, figured out how to navigate train and bus schedules in order to get to the beach in all 3 places we stayed, learned how to get along with people they otherwise probably wouldn't associate with, and learned how to act responsibly and show up for things on time, even when they had been up too late and didn't feel very well. They navigated 3 large airports like old pros (mostly) yesterday. It was a BIG confidence-booster for more than a couple of these folks.

My Europe-remaining colleague and I are bowing out from this kind of trip with this one (he's done far more than I have, but we've done 4 of these together). It was nice to go out on a relatively high note.

Home Stretch

2011-05-29T15:21:00.001-05:00

We're in our last city and will head home in a couple of days. We're really pleased with these students, as we've had very few issues (mostly small squabbles between room mates that seem to have solved themselves). We're all ready to go home, though. 4:30 am head to the airport on Wednesday....

Warm, But Still Okay

2011-05-25T10:06:00.002-05:00

It is very hot in overseas country right now: I think we'd all say hurray to one day of rain if it would cool things off a bit. A few of the students are getting into typical student-type mischief, but they are doing a wonderful job of watching out for one another, so the faculty are only hearing about it after the fact. Everyone had been showing up for required things on time, so we can't complain too much. We're getting tired of reminding (again and again) some of them that certain places we're entering require a certain mode of dress, but one student couldn't join us in one venue today for that reason, so that will probably end those problems. The current city is dirty and crowded (as it always is), but full of things we came to see, so there's little complaining.

Checking in, Almost Half-way

2011-05-22T16:33:00.001-05:00

I've been on the ground in another country with students (and two colleagues) since the middle of last week. So far, no one has died, no one's in jail, no one has been sent home for public drunkenness, etc. We have a couple of folks who are crabbing at their roommates, so we may or may not switch some folks, but we're otherwise okay. Despite bringing "sensible" shoes, my feet are in terrible shape and tomorrow's free day will be spent slowly strolling to someplace shady, I think. We head to the next city early in the week.

Out of Here

2011-05-18T00:17:00.002-05:00

Finished grading and can't wait to get away from my department for the summer. All sorts of busy-work afoot and useless reports to create. And my emo colleague is posting how much s/he misses the students (who have been gone less than a week). Get a life. Really.

Heading overseas with students and colleagues for a travel study for a bit. Back in a while...

Light at the End of the Tunnel

2011-05-16T22:58:00.000-05:00

I'm almost done with grading (5 more research papers to go). The travel class leaves midweek and I hope to God/Goddess that everyone arrives at the airport in time. In previous years we've taking a bus from campus, but the university is economizing and thus we all have to get ourselves to the Large-Airport-in-City-2-Hours-Away. I also hope they remember their passports....

Once we've all made it through security and onto the plane, then colleagues and I can relax. And drink.

Update, Mostly Positive (AKA What to Do With Aging Parents)

2011-05-12T09:59:00.000-05:00

Mom has been home from the hospital for a few days and, though still weak, she is getting around reasonably well. I'm here until tomorrow and my brother will be here over the weekend. My brother contacted the county about in-home elder services (which are quite good here) and sent Mom the information. She has to make the call, but he has power-of-attorney and so can be involved more than me. Of course, she wants to stay in her house and, except for a few things (laundry, grocery, etc.), she is set up fine to do so. Right now she's letting me cook meals, empty the dishwasher, make coffee, etc., but I suspect she'll get back to that stuff when I'm gone. I filled her freezer with microwaveable meals and, for once, she didn't object. It's difficult for me to gauge her "condition," as she's so much better than when I was here in the Fall (chemo/radiation). Both my brother and I have assisted apartment options in the towns where we live, but both are away from here (in my case, almost 9 hours). She's lived in this town, on and off, since the early 1950s and I'm not sure we'll get her to leave. There is a VERY nice, fancy retirement community/assisted living/nursing home facility up the road from her (many people she knows are there), but it's very expensive and I don't think she'd be able to afford it, even if insurance covered part of it. And she's still a smoker, which will keep her out of a number of those places.

I head home tomorrow morning, grade a mountain of exams and research papers, finish a conference paper, and then head off on an overseas travel study midweek (next). I guess I'll sleep on the plane.

Relieved

2011-05-08T12:44:00.000-05:00

Mom is better and is responding to treatment. She may come home tomorrow or the next day, and I'll stay for a few more. My bro will come on the weekend. It may be time to talk about moving somewhere where she can get help: I'm spending the afternoon doing a mountain of laundry, as she can't lift most of if to get it to the washer and it's difficult for her to change sheets. She's independent and stubborn (runs in the family), so I'm not sure how this will go. But we don't have to solved this today.

Monkeywrench (Mother's Day?)

2011-05-06T00:29:00.002-05:00

My mom called me a little while ago to tell me she's in the hospital with pneumonia. I spent almost all of Fall semester there as she had chemo and radiation for cancer. I'm headed there over the weekend and am lining up folks to give my exams. Sigh...

All Done But the Finals

2011-05-05T20:40:00.000-05:00

I finished up teaching today and have finals to give Monday and Tuesday, and upper-division presentations to hear. Research papers come in at the final, but since I spent so much time on the drafts I won't mark much (since I learned long ago that they only look at the grade—that's why I bleed all over the draft).

I need to spend tomorrow drafting my conference paper, since I leave for overseas soon and the conference is soon after I return. I've done a lot of preliminary work, but need to simply draft the whole thing and then get to revising. My colleagues and I have an informal pool going as to when one of our overseas charges goes AWOL during the trip (nice kid, but marching to his own drummer)...hoping we don't have to bail him out of jail...

Salt for the Wound

2011-05-02T19:53:00.000-05:00

State employees received an email announcing this new program this afternoon (you remember our state? The one with the union-busting-tea-party governor and protests galore?). I've never heard more people swearing at their computers as I did from my colleagues' offices this afternoon. Lots of people talking about nominating the senators who took a trip...

Brief Respite

2011-05-01T16:44:00.002-05:00

Friday evening I finished grading 40+ research paper drafts (about 36 hours of work, I estimate) and am enjoying a short period of less work (though I should be writing my conference paper). Our last week of class starts tomorrow: I have 4 lectures to prepare and give, a quiz to give, a couple of meetings, and course evaluations. Our last meeting for the overseas trip is this week, too: we leave the week after Finals.

I have started a new way of dealing with research papers for my sophomores (yes, I'm one of those professors, who still assigns them, though the students are woefully unprepared and they take hours and hours of my time). The assignment is fairly structured (because they are sophomores): 1) a topic proposal due about the 5th week of class (they have a choice of 2 topics and there's a template for this), 2) a preliminary bibliography of sources they'll use (another template: they must include at least 6, including the assigned array of books, articles, etc.), 3) a draft of the paper and an annotated bibliography (turned in 2 weeks before the paper is due: it must include an intro, a conclusion, and at least 4 full pages of text, with citations; the annotations tell me how they're using the sources), 4) the paper itself (due electronically and on paper, at the final exam).

The first three parts of the assignment are low-stakes grade-wise, but I spend a LOT of time with the drafts and mark everything I can, give suggestions for improvement, etc. I also include the University writing rubrics and show them where their writing is for a 200-level class, and I give them a copy of the rubrics I'll use to grade the final version of the paper, so that they can see how the grading is weighted. The draft grade is somewhat honest, which means that there are few As and lots of Cs and Ds (low # of points, though)—the grade on the final version is usually less stringent and based on the revisions and improvements I see. The down side of this is that I get slammed on course evals (because I'm so mean and they've never gotten anything lower than a B on their writing, etc., etc. Never mind that my students regularly win the campus writing award--including just last week). The up side is that they get a chance to really improve their writing and earn a higher grade (for many more points).

Still can't wait for a week from Tuesday (when my Finals are over and I can put this awful school year away for a while).

Ugh

2011-04-25T21:33:00.000-05:00

A week from Friday can't come soon enough (last day of classes). Actually, 2 weeks from Wednesday can come even sooner, as we're off on the travel trip for 2 weeks in Europe with a nice, not-too-large group of students. And I don't have to grade papers...

Weekend

2011-04-23T15:22:00.000-05:00

We had yesterday off, courtesy of a state furlough day. H and I slept in a bit, but then got ourselves going in the very gloomy weather and went to see an exhibit at the nearby-city art museum we've been meaning to go see. Construction on virtually every interstate/highway in that part of the state made it an "interesting" trip, but we weren't in a hurry and ended up seeing some pretty parts of town we'd otherwise likely not see.

I have a huge stack of paper drafts to ready this weekend--I always do this to myself, but it will make Finals week easier, as I do the majority of marking-of-errors now and just assign a grade to what they turn in 2 weeks from now. H and I are doing chores around the house and ran for groceries a while ago. I'll pull things together for Easter dinner later.

I'm also trying to nudge him into looking for a different house in a different neighborhood/nearby town. We've lived here for 20 years and, though the house is fine (though old) and the neighborhood now has an "association" that is active, we're still gradually turning into a rental-property neighborhood. There are strict limits on how many renters can live in the houses (and the city just passed an even stricter one for this neighborhood), but in reality it's not enforced (even with boatloads of evidence, lots of calls to the city, etc.). Parents buy the relatively-inexpensive houses on the street and their kids and friends live there through college--and we get to share that with them, too. Soon, an arterial street near here will be opened up to create a major route across town (the other one is at the other end of the block), so the traffic is going to pick up. A retirement community fills in the center of the block between us and another street behind us and, despite protestations to the contrary, they continue to add lights-that-are-on-all-night, remove shrubbery/trees that were added when neighbors complained about the new, 3-story addition in their back yard, etc. The neighbors on either side of us are nice, but neither does much to enhance their property (read: lots of junk in the yard and untrimmed weeds in back). One of them (a faculty couple) has taken to raising chickens (illegal, but I'm not going to turn them in) and having bonfires/trash burning in their backyard (small bonfires are legal, but they're supposed to get a permit and use a firepit (and not burn garbage)--they just pile stuff in the back, light it, and go. We're waiting for embers to catch our house or garage on fire on a windy night). H's parents rarely moved and he's a packrat with a ton of unfinished projects around the house, so I'm not sure how this will work. He could retire, but has decided he wants to keep going for another 5-10 years, which is fine, but I don't want to live in this house that much longer... We'll see how this turns out.

R.B.O.C. for a Busy Time

2011-04-17T15:31:00.001-05:00

We have 3 more weeks of classes, plus a week of Finals. Many students have checked out, but I'm hopeful they'll find a little extra energy, as the major assignments haven't been turned in yet...
My classes of majors turn in research paper drafts mid-week, so I'm going to have a lovely Easter weekend (I do this to myself now, so that I don't have to do much more than mark a grade at the end of the semester). It will be a pain next weekend, but will reap benefits 3 weeks from now...
I had a paper accepted for the big national conference for my discipline, something that doesn't often happen for those of us who don't teach at R-1 universities. It's not until November, and I have another (different) paper to finish and give before then, but I'm still pleased to finally get one accepted here.
Spent Friday and yesterday shepherding a former student around, who was here to receive an alumni award from the University. He and his wife were students here about 15 years ago and they've both gone on to do great things in the field. The department did diddly-squat as far as recognition goes (the publicity person said it was the first she'd heard of it, when I sent her a press release a week ago)... Still, I arranged for him to give a short careers workshop on Friday afternoon and a lot of students came and stuck around to talk with him later. Yesterday was the awards ceremony and luncheon: student had invited H and I, plus two other faculty to be guests, along with his wife and parents. After the formal thing, H, one of the other faculty, and I took them out (sans parents) for drinks and appetizers at a local watering hole, which was a good time.
I'm seriously thinking about bagging tomorrow, since I missed my Friday and Saturday research time, and there are lots of additional meetings, awards ceremonies, and presentations during the next 2 weeks...we'll see how I feel in the morning.

Here, Still

2011-04-10T10:32:00.001-05:00

The past couple of weeks have been a blur, so I've minimized my "other" activities, including blogging. We have 4 more weeks of classes, plus a week of finals. Then, I'm off with two colleagues and 20-some students for a travel study adventure. The trip will be wonderful, I know from past experience, but the administrative set-up this time has been an absolute nightmare. My colleague and I are ending our travel study days after this one, unless they get someone else into the office. This individual is new, sure s/he knows everything there is to know, and can't be bothered to ask folks who have led them successfully for years how things have gone in the past. Instead, they've come in and enacted a whole series of new rules and then tell faculty about said new rules after the fact. To wit: my colleagues are staying to do research, so I'll be accompanying our students back to the US (no problem--I've done this before. If they get on the plane, they'll get to the US). Now I learn that once we arrive, I have to sit and wait until all of the little darlings get picked up by Mommy and Daddy (or whomever), before I can go home. We're talking about college students, almost all of them seniors or graduating seniors... If I can't do this, they will send a paid staff member to do it instead. This expense (and stupidity), despite the fact that they will NOT provide any of the faculty members with a $70.00 SIM card for their cell phone, in case of emergency... We DID have an emergency last time and sent some students home: this person's predecessor made flight arrangements and paid for them after we called him/her in the middle of the night, billing the miscreants when they returned. The new person has said "I guess you'll have to pay for this and make arrangements if something like that happens. You can get me on the phone during business hours..." I copied my reply to that one to some administrators (one of whom was along for the ride last time), and I haven't yet heard back...

Home (For A While, I Hope)

2011-04-03T22:50:00.000-05:00

We made the 400-mile drive home today and missed the bad weather. We left H's sister's house about 9 and got home just before 5. Driving through the nearby mega-metropolis is never fun, but at least it wasn't a parking lot.

The conference was fine. A regional affair, so a lot of grad student papers, but most of those were better than several of the faculty papers (including the one that went 50+ minutes in a 20 minute slot--the session chair wouldn't stop it, even after being spoken to twice... It WAS a strong paper, but this was a faculty member, who knows better but apparently didn't care). I also finished up my duties as an officer in the organization (actually, not until June, but this was the last meeting I'm involved with in that capacity).

We got to stay and visit with H's older sister and her husband after the meeting, as they live in a nearby suburb. We hadn't been there in a while and it was fun to catch up, have a nice meal, and get a good night's sleep before heading out this morning.

I'm back at it in the morning and have a busy week, but tomorrow's class is prepared and I'll have time tomorrow to get ready for Tuesday. We have 5 more weeks of classes, but this was the last trip for a while.

If It's Friday, I Must Be At Another Conference

2011-04-01T20:22:00.001-05:00

I'm not normally such a conference rat, but the past month has been full of them (thank to rescheduling for one of the groups I'm in--I'm an officer and so must be here), H and I made an 8-hour drive today through Chicago and Detroit, but we're where we need to be. The conference takes up most of the day tomorrow, then we visit H's sister for the evening, as she lives in a nearby town. Sunday we head back home and teach on Monday morning. Both of us are contemplating calling in sick on Monday.

Luckily, the hotel tonight is fine, had an attached restaurant with decent, inexpensive food and a good bar. We ate, had a drink, and are now happily surfing on our laptops. Just like home. I'm so lucky we're both in the same field and that he shares this with me!

Back From S.B. Ugh!

2011-03-27T22:29:00.003-05:00

We went someplace warm for the first time EVER (including college, for either of us) for Break. I had some research to work on, which I did for 2 days. On the third day we played, which was great. It was 80-82 degrees the whole time and snowing here when we returned home. We also ate wonderful meals every night and stayed in a great B & B. It was near my archives and right on the line of public transportation, so we could get everywhere for the cost of a $12 3-day pass. H helped me on my first day of research, then went to a museum he wanted to see more than I did for most of the second day. If you go to this city, you must eat here. Heaven!

The plane ride home was uneventful, but on the way in there was a medical emergency that required a brief stop to get the person to the hospital. Luckily, there were 3 doctors and several nurses on the flight, so medical help was immediate and he walked off of the plane with the EMTs. Apparently, it was a guy who was diabetic and had recently had a heart bypass. The physician sitting behind us told the flight attendant he was surprised the guy had been approved to fly--I didn't see what happened, but shortly into the flight we heard a thump, then realized there was a person in the aisle and the attendants asked for medical help. We were afraid we might miss our connecting flight, as there was only a 1-hour turnaround and we were about 50 minutes behind, but that flight was late in loading and so we were fine. I'm just really glad the guy is okay.

I took no school work and so am behind on grading, but will get caught up tomorrow and Tuesday, as some previously-scheduled meetings got canceled. H and I are off to another conference on Friday (about 8 hours away). The nice end of this is a visit with his sister and her husband on Saturday night after the meeting. The drive home on Sunday will be no fun, but it's our last conference until June.

S.B.!!!!

2011-03-18T19:59:00.002-05:00

We've finally made it to Spring Break, thank goodness. Today was a non-teaching day but, as I'm still trying to get caught up after last week's conference (and arriving home late on Sunday night), I used most of today to catch up on things at home (grocery, laundry, cleaning). We now have food in the house and can get dressed. We'll be gone some next week (someplace warm, though for research), but have a few days to get it together and sleep in before we're on the road again.

It was a busy week of exams and special events at school. I have a lot of grading to do, but hope to get at least the easy stuff (bibliographies) done and graded before we leave (I'm about half done). The university president had our department over to his house for dinner last night, which was a nice low-pressure time that didn't go too late (as campus leaders go, he's one of the lowest-key guys I've known).

On an entirely unrelated note, I tried my hand at Asian dumplings tonight, adapting this recipe. They were really good, though a lot of work. I also baked pork chops, in case H didn't like the dumplings, but it turned out okay. The fact that he didn't get lunch today probably helped...

Midterm (Keep going, keep going...)

2011-03-14T19:18:00.001-05:00

We had a great time at the conference last week/weekend, but we're now back to a full week of teaching before Spring Break. And it IS a full week of teaching, filled mostly with the midterms I couldn't give last week because most of our students were off-campus giving presentations/programs.

This conference is usually my favorite of the year, as it's a very welcoming group and diverse in interests. I heard several friends give terrific papers, chaired a session, visited my mother, had an OMG meal at a very fancy/expensive restaurant with H, and enjoyed the architecture of the older hotel (that's another thing about this group: when possible, we get booked into interesting and historic hotels).

As happens with most people, I think, I came back rejuvenated and ready to focus on writing. Unfortunately, I have so much teaching and committee work right now that it's not going to be possible (I have 5 courses this semester: and that's with a 1-course reduction. This post made me chuckle: I've never had a load smaller than 4/4 and it's usually more than that. Usually I have at least 2 classes with 80+ students. Yes, I'm TT; no, I do not have TAs; yes, I require research papers for some of my classes; yes, I'm tenured; yes, it about killed me)

Now I have grading to finish, a class to plan, and committee work to complete, so I'd best get to it. What I'd rather do is head to bed...

Pre-Conference Craziness

2011-03-07T21:48:00.001-06:00

We leave soon for the conference (heading out early to beat an impending storm, since we're driving to this one). I have received 3 of 4 papers for the session I'm chairing--the one I haven't yet received is from a grad student at my PhD alma mater...on a topic I also write on... I have resisted all urges to email her prof and ask for a little nudge.

I also just (5 minutes ago) found out that the workshop I was supposed to lead on online teaching isn't going to happen because they couldn't get it scheduled. I didn't organize it and wasn't in charge of setting it up. I'm fine with this, though a little more notice would have been nice (and I'm very glad I hadn't yet prepared anything, as it was billed as being very informal).

In other news, I'll be happy to get away from the political hoopla, but the state we're going to is involved in a similar process, though not in Conference City.

Busy Couple of Weeks

2011-03-06T21:39:00.000-06:00

March is always a headache, teaching-wise. H and I have a conference from mid-week through the weekend near Hometown (so 8.5 hour drive, but we'll be able to drive up and take Mom out to dinner one night). Several of our student organizations have an off-campus project at the same time, so I've just canceled class (2/3 of students are going). We come back to the week before Spring Break (when another smaller group of students leaves mid-week). H and I are traveling south for Spring Break, but it's a research trip (though in a very fun southern town...the archives are closed at night, so we'll have to find something fun to do, right?). After Break, we're back for a few days, then to a weekend conference 7 hours away, then back to the week before Easter (we're off on Good Friday). Somewhere in there I'm teaching, giving mid-terms, and grading. This week I'm giving a short workshop and chairing a session, so it's not all fun and games, but it's better than too much free time. It's a conference we always enjoy and a lot of our friends will be there.

No changes on the political front, but H and I are continuing to avoid the television news. I've written letters signed petitions, and continue to do so. H and I took a nice short trip to a nearby big city for the afternoon (since the sun was out and the roads were clear): we had lunch, shopped, walked around, and came home to all of the stuff we've put off all weekend. Luckily, I had done a lot of prep at the end of last week and so just have house chores to finish up tonight. The weather is supposed to be terrible the day we'd planned to drive to the conference, so we're going to take off as soon as I finish teaching and drive at least halfway. Lots to do before then, though!

Argh

2011-03-02T22:38:00.002-06:00

The governor released his budget yesterday, and it's a doozie: 50% funding cut to the universities, huge cuts to public schools, ending recycling, ending pollution controls, ending support for bicycle and pedestrian pathways, dissolving the arts board and giving their duties to the Dept. of Tourism, no funding for alternate power and on and on (I'm not making any of this up). But not to worry, as the following are getting funding increases: highways (we have the best highways of anywhere I've ever lived, but politicians of both parties are in bed with the concrete folks and contractors), charter/private schools, lowered pollution standards, selling state-owned power plants without bids, etc., etc. Ugh.

Let me know if your campus has openings...

Thinking Out Loud

2011-02-26T09:38:00.001-06:00

We've instituted a news-blackout of sorts towards the end of this week here at home, as both of us are so upset by the goings-on and the lack of sleep isn't doing either of us any good (H came to bed about 4 a.m. at least twice last week and I was still awake). I suppose this can be seen as the "La-la-la, I can't hear you!" approach, but it's needed at this point: it's clear that no matter how many letters we've written, phone calls we've made, protest signs we've held, or chants we've chanted, it's not going to make any difference in the short term. The only up-side I see in this is the effect this will have on the next few elections (plenty of folks who considered themselves supporters of this governor last November are signing recall petitions).

In the interim, all of us have to decide how we'll respond to the pay cuts and budget cuts. At home, this is fairly simple and we've been there before: economize even more on purchases, eat out less often, travel less, drive less. I am so grateful that we are at the point (finally) where the house is paid for, the cars are paid for, and we have no outstanding debt on anything. I empathize with younger colleagues who have house and car payments, kids, and credit card debt. We spent our grad school and early-married years during the late 1970s and 1980s and so developed the habit of living very modestly out of necessity (because we didn't have any money and didn't have a credit card). We had to take out a loan to buy our first computer. Yet, we've been able to hang on and the last few years have been a nice reward for frugality. Now, through no fault of our own, we're back to where we were about 20 years ago. I'm not happy about it, but we'll survive.

At work, the challenge is to be professional, but to make a point. Our state system has responded all along to this in ways that "won't cause problems for our students." I don't see how they can continue that line and, since these students and their parents are the one who voted this regime in, I think it's fair to let them share in the suffering. For myself, I plan to keep doing what I've been doing: meeting my specified contractual obligations, but no more. And I'm not going to do anymore of the unpaid overloads some of us get roped into in my department. Service, committees, task forces, fundraisers, extra time? Sorry, no—I'm getting 15% less, so that's something that's going to have to go.

Sigh

2011-02-25T08:10:00.001-06:00

So... part of the legislature passed this awful bill last evening, even as more and more is leaking out about the proposed budget and lots of folks (even those on the other side) are saying "Hey, wait a minute. You didn't say anything about that and you said no one would lose their job." The protests will likely be the biggest this weekend (turns out the "Tea Party" folks last weekend were mostly bussed in from out of state, with a sprinkling of locals, courtesy of Koch Industries, who are our new overlords. You must have heard the [fake] phone call). Dozens of former students received anticipatory pink slips yesterday, but we won't know which are permanent until the process ends. On our campus, we're concerned about the proposal for the "flagship" campus to split from us: it may be better for them, but because of the way that the system has been set up (since 1971), the smaller campuses will likely lose access to library materials, databases, etc. It's going to be really hard to do my job if this happens: our campus will not receive additional funding to cover these losses and our budget is so small as it is, there's nothing to cut to keep them.

We will keep our jobs here in the TiredProf family, but will each have approximately 15% cut from each of our salaries (on top of the 5% we lost last year). This is a little hard to swallow after 25 years of working hard in a low-paying profession ("but the benefits are good, so it will work out in the end"). I'm tempted to remove everything from my office that isn't state-supplied and just teach like that, but it would leave me with a desk, a computer, a bookcase, and a file cabinet: even the chair is mine (as are the thousands of dollars worth of teaching materials). Because most openings in our field are entry-level, it would be difficult for us to move, but it doesn't mean we're not looking. In the meantime, folks in graduate school should develop other skills, as there aren't going to be as many retirements as anticipated: no one's going to be able to afford it.

TiredProf is Tired

2011-02-22T21:57:00.000-06:00

The budget crisis is starting the second week, with no end in sight. Our governor is now threatening to start laying off state workers if the bill doesn't pass. We'll see how long this goes, but there's a huge fund that is helping the 14 state senators pay their bills. The shenanigans are making me nuts and I haven't really slept a full night in over a week (and I'm not even unionized).

The other very tiring circumstance is having 5 students with various autistic circumstances in my 2 classes for majors. They are all great folks, all attend class, and all are doing okay in the class, but the follow-up required to keep these students on track is exhausting. Some have concentration issues, others have memory problems, and others have trouble following written directions and following through on assignments. And then there's the student who is not a native English-speaker and feels he should be "cut slack" on assignments. In all cases, I spend extra time with the students and help them to do assignments, but also make them try to do things on their own (which most are fine with). So tired...

News Mis-Information

2011-02-19T17:49:00.001-06:00

[Political rant--you've been warned!]

Am watching the ABC Evening News and I'm surprised by the hyperbole (they're usually pretty even-handed in their coverage). Why focus on cops in riot gear? There have been no arrests by local city police in a week of protests (9 the other day in the capitol building by the Capitol Police--disorderly conduct, for blocking a door). That's it. Apparently people from all over the country and the world (including Egypt) are calling local pizza places, ordering and paying for a bunch of pizzas, and asking that they be delivered to feed the crowds of protesters.

Today there are about 75,000 protesters, only about 1,000 of whom are supporting the governor and the GOP (though they had the big guns there: Sarah Palin, Ben Stein, Joe the Plumber). The unions have accepted all fiscal concessions, but the governor says "collective bargaining is non-negotiable" and "when I release the budget next week, you'll see why." So you can see that this is about balancing the budget... Word is finally getting out that the whole thing is being orchestrated and paid for by the Koch brothers (Koch Industries): the problem with messing with teachers is that they know how to do research....

My local legislator went on record last evening saying that no state worker should ever make over $50,000 a year (my bro mused on what heart bypass surgery from a state-paid surgeon would be like with that salary cap). Legislator was elected by the Tea-Party fans (hometown is very conservative), mostly for supporting "concealed carry" gun laws. Wonder how he'd feel if all of the folks protesting at the Capitol ("left wing thugs," they're calling them) were armed...

No end in sight--ready for the long haul (and I'm not even represented by a union).

In other news, the new computer arrived and is wonderful: I just wish I hadn't had to spend the money right now...

I Am So Worn Out By This

2011-02-17T23:36:00.000-06:00

You've probably heard about our state's situation (especially if you watch MSNBC in the evenings). It's a very upsetting time, though the activism is inspiring. Because I'm a state employee NOT represented and protected by a union (and also because I think I should protest and lobby on my own time), I have taught all of my classes, but then have spent time posting articles, writing letters, making phone calls, etc. Today's students were surprisingly attentive and seemed more interested than usual: I NEVER discuss political issues in the classroom (because I don't teach poli sci), but I got a real sense of "we're sorry, we're with you, this sucks" in the room. Another colleague told me earlier this morning of conversations she'd had with students who said that they'd voted for this governor but "didn't think he'd do this kind of stuff" and were in tears (for the record, he's doing exactly what he said he'd do...). The teacher in me likes the "teachable moment" aspect of this: it's not my business who they vote for, but they've learned to do a little digging, rather than relying on the television ads.

Our campus had a small (and pretty lame) rally over the noon hour. Many of the students I had in class the next hour were also there. It was easy to see just how frightened faculty are about the goings-on: even the former legislator/faculty colleague who was defeated by a Tea Partier in November didn't have anything to say to the crowd. Bless the (traditionally socially-active major) students who led cheers. Too bad no one thought to bring a bull horn...

We are living the ancient curse "may you live in interesting times."

Unrest

2011-02-15T19:08:00.004-06:00

It's a pretty bad time to be a public employee in our state, as we're being demonized by the governor and his cronies. The rally before the "public hearing" by the legislative committee set to "vote"on (read: rubber stamp) the bill attracted about 13,000 to the capitol and the hearings will go on until the wee hours of the morning, as hundreds of people signed up for 2 minutes of time to address the committee. At least he hasn't called out the National Guard yet (as threatened last week in the same press conference that announced the "repair" bill).

A number of my colleagues used a sick day today to attend the rally (most of them live in the capital city and commute to our campus). I have written letters, signed petitions, and made phone calls, but I had classes scheduled today and assignments due this week that needed explanation, so I was on campus. There's another rally tomorrow (and a bus leaving from campus in the morning) so I'm tempted to go, but will likely still teach my classes. If I lived there, I could do what the local teachers did today and just arrive after I've finished teaching.

The issues here, as in a number of states, are not the cuts in benefits and health care, but removal of collective bargaining rights. The college and university faculty have only had these "rights" for a little over a year (and our campus hasn't organized yet), so we've never benefited from this. And the new bill revokes these rights. And the flow of misinformation about public employee jobs is filling the airwaves. Here's the reality in the TiredProf house: 2 people with PhDs (needed to GET our jobs...) who have taught over 25 years each, on 9 month contracts (last paycheck = June, next paycheck = October), each teaching 4-6 undergraduate classes per semester, each very active in service and research, each of whom take on extra jobs on weekends and summers to help pay the bills, and each making mid-5 figure salaries... Now facing additional pay cuts of at least 10% (on top of the 5% we lost last year. Stop saying state workers haven't had to sacrifice). So we have less $ for the foreseeable future. Luckily we're both tenured, but it's going to be a loooong time before we can retire.

Oh, and my laptop and the dryer both died this week. Talk about timing....

Grrr

2011-02-11T15:18:00.002-06:00

Very busy, but now angry at our new governor's scheme to get the state out of debt: let's go after the state employees. After reading the full statement, I see that it could have been a lot worse. And since faculty have only recently (a year ago) been permitted to form/join unions, the ban on collective bargaining for state employees doesn't affect us. We've already got the lowest salaries and benefits... But now we are going to have more taken from our checks for health care and retirement: this after a 5% pay cut last year, canceling of a cost-of-living raise we were supposed to have received last year, and no raises for the past 4 years. The new plan cuts an additional 12-20% from our pay. Oh, and we want to increase enrollment, BTW.

I'm old enough to have weathered this stuff in the mid- to late-1980s in another state, but was very surprised a bit ago to run across a news story where new governor notes that the National Guard ~~has been~~ may be put on alert to quell any violence by state employees after his announcement. And they will step in to fill state positions left empty by state employees who don't show up for work.* Earlier, I was resigned and sad, now I'm very, very angry. I will continue to "show up for work," as his directive notes, but all of the "extras" we do (unpaid overloads, committee work, volunteer work, etc.): forget about it...

*A colleague of mine who teaches in Women's Studies notes that he'll have to make sure his lecture for that day is especially juicy: trends in queer theory, or some such topic.

Interesting Week

2011-02-03T21:46:00.000-06:00

It's certainly been an interesting week around here! I came down with the crud that is going around the department last weekend and missed Monday and Tuesday this week, too. I was also up for jury duty this week but didn't have to report until at least Thursday: call back Wednesday night and see (case was canceled, so I'm of the hook for 4 years). In the meantime, "Snowpocalypse 2011" roared through town Tuesday night, leaving us with about 16 inches of new snow and 4-foot drifts in the yard. And a snow day (almost unheard-of around here-H notes that we're like Denny's: we never close...).

Thankfully, campus made the call early (actually, the governor did) so we were all able to get some sleep and then attack the shoveling once the wind stopped. We have a snow-blower (a necessity in these environs), so with H on that and me with a shovel, we moved snow from the necessary spots in a couple of hours. Then we got out the cross-country skis and went out to see the neighborhood, as the street was snow-covered and deserted (quite lovely, though very cold).

We were back to our normal schedule today, though campus was pretty quiet, truth be told (the local team is in a sort-of-well-publicized-football-game on Sunday, so that's on the minds of many: one could rob the state blind on Sunday afternoon and no one would notice until Monday morning...).

Plugging Along

2011-01-25T21:42:00.001-06:00

We're now into the second week of classes and hanging in here around the TiredProf household. Both of us are teaching a little less (actually, I guess I have more preps, but far fewer students and no freshmen/ women). One is a travel course, so my reward at the end of the term is a trip to fabulous-overseas-country-with-lots-of-history-and-great-food.

In my survey for the majors, I'm trying some different, more active-learning activities in class, in the hope that students will be more engaged. So far, so good. Now, if my upper-division class will follow suit: lots of active-learning there, but it's hard when I'm the only one talking...

Here We Go

2011-01-17T22:01:00.000-06:00

Classes start tomorrow, despite today's snowstorm. I'm ready but have revised courses I've taught for years. Last year I was worried about my health and sort of dialed it in....

Calm Before the Storm

2011-01-15T11:25:00.000-06:00

I've made good progress this week and have one class ready to go and the other fairly close to done. They're both courses I've taught before (one, I teach every Spring), but I've tried to challenge myself to revise and revamp both. In one case, it's built in, as I'm moving from a 3-meetings-per-week to 2-longer-meetings-per-week format. In the other (small class of upper-division majors), I've pared it down and tried to really focus on certain issues, even though it will be less comprehensive. But I'm okay with that, as think it will be a better class and students will be more motivated to do the work (we'll see). I also team-teach a travel study and am directing a senior thesis, but those will take less time because 1) I'm team-teaching the one (for the 3rd time) and 2) the student writing the thesis is a better writer than I am and is the most self-motivated student I've encountered. It will be fun.

Seasons of One's Career

2011-01-12T08:14:00.002-06:00

I've been up for 3 hours already, though it's still relatively early. I'm going to follow my gut and avoid today's meeting (just a general one, so I'm just missing sitting and listening for half a day): when I start waking up at 4:30 a.m., I know that my stress level has ratcheted up and that it's time to step back.

I'm starting to observe something in my own career that I'd heard about, but hadn't experienced first-hand until now: the point at which colleagues and students start to marginalize faculty who are no longer "young and shiny." Everyone and her/his brother still asks me to serve on this or that committee, write this report, go to this meeting, ask for input on this or that, etc., but when I'm there or sharing whatever it was they asked me to do, it's really obvious that they aren't listening or had already made a decision on that matter anyway. The only part of this that bothers me is the notion that one's long (and, not to pat myself on the back too much but, awarded and recognized) experience and expertise is summarily dismissed, even after it was solicited. I experienced this in the workshop I helped run over the past two days and also in recent dealings with departmental and college colleagues and administrators. I saw the same thing happen to H (though in my case, a lot of this is gender-based, I think), and he's found great professional success/satisfaction with professional interaction off campus (He's highly respected and sought-after everywhere but here). So. I can take a hint.

One of the freedoms tenure allows me is the ability to walk away from some of these situations without fear of reprisal. I've decided that I'm going to refocus my efforts on some small changes (improvements) I've wanted to do with the courses I'm teaching this semester and on my research, which is blossoming in interesting ways. I have a "course release" this semester, but since I already had a 4-credit overload, it's not as if this will buy me much time-I'll just be a little less frantic.

Back At It

2011-01-11T22:32:00.000-06:00

H and I traveled to HomeState last week* to visit aging parent and then headed home on Friday (in a snowstorm). My mom looks much better and has more energy—she went out to dinner with us both nights we were there and we took her to the grocery. Because of pets, various travel complications, etc., I hadn't seen H's dad in over 3 years, so it was good to get there. He's in his mid-80s and looks older than the last time I saw him, but still active, engaged and busy, bless his heart.

The trip home was one of those situations in a marriage when it's best for one partner to keep their mouth shut until their advice is solicited. If we'd waited 24 hours, there would have been no snow storm, but we did eventually arrive at home, safely, after a 12-hour drive.

I've had all-day meetings the past 2 days and am supposed to attend all-day meetings tomorrow and Thursday. I'm thinking seriously of skipping the one tomorrow, because I can't miss the one on Thursday. Or I may make a brief appearance at tomorrow's meeting and then quietly slip to my office (since they're in the same building). I really have to finish my classes and haven't had any time at all to do that prep until now.

*One of the Very Fun things on the visit was having coffee with a blogging friend who lives in HomeTown! Addy N. and I kept trying to get together when I was helping my mom, but our schedules never lined up. It was a great time and we yakked for 2 hours.

Cleaning, Organizing

2011-01-02T14:58:00.002-06:00

H and I are taking down and stowing Christmas decorations today. We only had them up a week this year, unfortunately, but still enjoy having the house decorated. We didn't entertain or have family over, but it's still nice to celebrate and do something different. A few years ago I started making a nice meal on Sundays in Advent: eating in the dining room, with candles, even if the meal is simple food. It's been a nice way to slow things down and have a few minutes to breathe in a frantic time of the academic year.

We've both tossed a bunch of stuff in the past week (both pack-rats at heart): H did a HUGE throw-away last summer, and I'm about due for one, too. For now, our last week of Break!

New Year

2011-01-01T16:56:00.000-06:00

Spending a lazy day watching football and eating. Watching alma mater in important game right now, will make Hoppin' John and greens dinner for later. Loving a little down-time!

End of Year Summary

2010-12-27T11:43:00.000-06:00

I forget who started this a few years ago, but it's an interesting year-in-review (first posts of each month):

January 2010: Watching the Rose Parade and enjoying some quiet time this morning (H was up uber late and will doubtless sleep for a while yet).

February 2010: I had my appointment with the surgeon this morning: he's pretty sure it's what they call "Stage 0" DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ).

March 2010: I am so tired.... I wish I could take a day off, but will be off some next week when students are gone on a trip, so must keep going.

April 2010: We have had lovely warm weather for the past couple of days (20 degrees above normal), which has been a big lift.

May 2010: Last week and I am dead (and it's only Monday!)... Back to grading jail tomorrow.

June 2010: I'm spending today doing the prep for tomorrow morning's colonoscopy...I'm a lucky girl!

July 2010: Still here...just busy finishing up my class, giving a presentation at a workshop, and getting ready to head to a conference next week.

August 2010: Our 27th anniversary was today--we're both pretty wiped out, so we napped in the afternoon and went out for steak for dinner.

September 2010: It was odd seeing them for the first day, giving an overview of the course, lecturing on subject matter a little and then ending class with "Oh, by the way, I will be gone for the next month or so because my mom is ill.

October 2010: Away for a little R & R with my H.

November 2010: I have now been home for a week, though it feels as if it's just a day or so.

December 2010: Just when I though things were sailing along... I receive an email that I have a student who is [certain disability] in my online class for spring and that I will have to adapt all materials for this student.

It was a rough year, punctuated by my own health scare, as well as 9 weeks spent in HomeTown taking care of my mother while she had cancer treatment. H and I had a fair amount of travel during the year: Ottawa CA, Chicago, Los Angeles, Kansas City, and Indianapolis. I have very good things going on in my research, but am increasingly frustrated by my undergraduates: nice kids, by and large, but so unprepared for college and mostly unable to work through things that aren't instantly doable. They've never been challenged to really work hard, have mostly had the "hard things" done for them (so they wouldn't cry, I guess), and expect the same from college. They still have no problem cheating on assignments, though, although today they call it "collaborating" (even when it wasn't a collaborative assignment) and expect the professor to "understand" and allow that. Many of my younger colleagues are comfortable enabling these things, which makes me think it may be time to find something else to do (retirement is still about 10 years away). In the meantime, I'm on a state-mandated furlough today and need to decide when to travel to see family.

Season's Greetings

2010-12-24T22:32:00.000-06:00

Whatever you celebrate this time of year: merry, merry! Enjoy your family and friends!