Is that really you? Wow, sorry for the mess. Let me clean up here for a moment while I compose myself. Thanks for the unexpected visit.
I know. It has been a while. Truth be told, I have been busy and haven't dedicated as much time to the blog as I would have liked. This is not to say I didn't want to keep writing. I've had many ideas for blog entries and just never got around to writing about them. I knew another year was about about to pass but I could not believe it's been 3 years since I started rambling on RaUM.
I haven't taken the time to look back at the Alan that started writing back in 2008 (the same guy who once wrote consistently enough to have a potentially decent following). I probably should do that soon. But, then again, there are a lot of things that I've told myself I would do "soon" or that I would "get to" at some point and they have long been forgotten in my memory.
This entry won't serve as a declaration of where I need to be (or perhaps want to be) nor will it be a reflection of the years that have passed. Instead, I will give you a snapshot of what's been on my mind lately as I try to decide, once and for all, what I will be now that I'm grown up.
I've been teaching at Queens College for about as long as this blog has been active. It turns out it is what I love to do. I'm one of the lucky ones. As a close friend told me recently, I'm one of the few who can say he is doing what he loves... and can say it with a straight face.
Teaching has always been in my blood and perhaps that's why it comes so naturally to me. Maybe it's the power trip of managing/controlling information as well as managing/controlling a class full of students. Maybe it's the performance aspect: while standing in front of the room, everything I say and do conveys a message. Then again, the primary reason I've always given folks for enjoying the job is my feeling that the work is important. Teaching and gaining knowledge is often undervalued in our modern day, instant-gratification, self-absorbed, celebrity-obsessed society. Yet sometimes, it's the ego trip that I get off on. I've had students tell me that the way I approach the material allows them to actually learn something in my class (a wonderful compliment but also a damning condemnation of my peers).
My problem is figuring out how can I do this full time. The one pre-requisite that seems to be universal is that I must have a PhD. I was able to get my job as an adjunct lecturer (a part-time teaching position at QC/CUNY) with just my MA in Sociology. At the time I completed the Masters program, I was burnt out with school and was simply grateful to have earned a graduate degree. I wasn't considering going for a PhD. However, once I started teaching and discovered I not only loved it but was pretty good at it (based on semi-annual peer evaluations by full time faculty), I realized I would have to give serious thought to a minimum of two more years as a student.
But I haven't done anything about it yet. I'm not quite sure I want to leave QC but I don't know if there would be a job for me there should I earn a PhD. I'm terrible at change unless it is forced upon me and this isn't something I'm forced to pursue. And yet the more I consider that stance I am convinced that all I'm doing is letting my dream fade away before my eyes. It shouldn't matter where I am teaching, so long as I can make a living off of it.
I also wish there was a way to just earn the PhD and get a full time job but it also isn't that simple either. I have to ensure that I have an interest in conducting research and enter my contributions to the nebulous academic ether. I also have to actively engage in the office politics which I am able to avoid now since adjuncts are, for all intents and purposes, invisible at QC. I'm sure I'm overthinking things (as I am wont to do) but these aren't idle considerations.
Who knows? We'll see what happens over the next few weeks as I try and get things in order and figure out whether entering a PhD program for Fall 2012 is something I'd be able to do. Nine months should be enough time to gather my thoughts together and prepare for the rigors of being a student again.
As for RaUM? It won't be neglected (more accurately, it won't be AS neglected). Just give me some time to kick some of the rust off of this old hunk of junk and I'll get back to writing regularly before you know it! =)
Welcome back and until next time, faithful reader......
Showing posts with label teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teaching. Show all posts
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Monday, June 14, 2010
Test Taking Archetypes (or Profiling My Students)
Tonight, my summer class will be taking their midterm and it reminded me of something I was working on informally several months ago.
As most of you may know by now, I’ve been teaching for about 2 years. In that time, I’ve seen hundreds of students taking my exams. What was interesting to me was observing my students as they trudged through my tests. During one of these boring nights of proctoring, I took note of the different behaviors that I observed among my class. I realized that there are many different types of test takers. In this RaUM entry, I’ve compiled 13 distinct groups of students and will describe each of their habits, nervous tics, or patterns that separate them from other students.
While putting together this list, I tried to think back to my time as an undergrad to recall which type of test taker I was when I was younger. But it’s just too hard to see things from the inside, especially after so many years have passed since I’ve had the nervous energy that came every time I took an exam. There’s simply no way to know how I behaved before while taking any of those tests.
Here are the 13 test taker archetypes:
1) The Yawners – These students either lost sleep studying, panicking about the exam, or simply use yawning as a coping mechanism while taking the test. They can be fairly annoying to others around them, especially when the yawns are more vocal.
2) The Fidgeters – These students suffer from leg shakes and constantly shifting position. It’s as if they cannot get comfortable in their chair while taking the test. Are they sitting on a cactus chair? WTF!!
3) The Peekers – These students have a tendency to look up while thinking of an answer but they use the professor as their primary point of focus. This can get kind of creepy after a half hour of the same thing.
4) The Anti-Peekers – These students use a similar recall technique as ‘The Peekers’ except they look around at anything, and anyone, BUT the professor. They make every effort to NOT have the professor in their line of sight while looking up. These students rouse a great deal of suspicion. I consistently feel the need to keep my eyes on them as I suspect they’re trying to cheat in the most conspicuous way possible.
5) The Eyes Down – These students are the type that will have their head down and noses buried deep in the exam paper. All I see is the top of their head during the entire exam. They will not make their face visible until they finish the exam when they finally lift their head up. Sometimes I wonder if they’re even awake and as I walk by them I listen for snoring.
6) The “Sigh”-ers – These students (like ‘The Yawners’) use a form of exhalation during the exam that can get annoying to those around them if done in excess, which is usually true for those in this group. The sighing isn’t necessarily a sign of frustration or annoyance but can simply be a release of anxiety and nervous energy.
7) The Over-Reviewers – These students are the double-, triple-, quadruple-checkers who feel the constant need to review their answers to be absolutely sure that they have answered everything correctly and avoided any possible mistake. This doesn’t mean they always catch their mistakes but they feel better having reviewed their work repeatedly before handing their exam in. They are also likely to stay for the full duration of the exam (even if they’ve finished early)
8) The ‘Dory’ – Just like the character in Finding Nemo, these students are easily distracted and almost forget the task at hand. It’s a miracle that they even finish the exam!
9) The Over-Confident – Unlike the “Over Reviewers”, this group finish their exam fairly quickly and are so sure of their performance that they don’t give any question/answer a second look while taking the exam. They’re typically among the first to finish any exam.
10) The Head Slappers – The name says it all. Another nervous tic exhibited by students either to release tension or to smack around some brain cells to recall the information they need to answer a question. No bruising or injury has occurred yet in my classes. Though there has been plenty of forehead rubbing after the slaps.
11) The Time Keepers – These students are very aware of the amount of time they have to complete an exam and will pace themselves (whether intentional or not is difficult to gauge) to complete the exam at, or near, the end time. The will use every possible minute (and, at times, second) allotted to complete the exam.
12) The Tiny Bladders – These students are the ones who in the middle of the exam ask to go to the bathroom. I personally try to avoid any conflict with the “Tiny Bladders” by telling them they should go right before the exam or hold it until they’re done. Any suspicion of cheating is grounds for a zero on an exam in my classroom this includes going to the bathroom for an extended period of time (I’m not a COMPLETE ogre about the bathroom. I understand that you can’t control the urges to go)
13) The Exasperated – These students are the ones who seem completely lost during every single exam. When they look up, they have a WTF look on their face and you can sense a tinge of desperation as they try to work their way through the exam. I feel bad for them but it’s their way. Usually they’re pleasantly surprised by their success on an exam since they tend to walk out of an exam positive that they failed.
So, faithful reader, which type are you?
Until next time……
As most of you may know by now, I’ve been teaching for about 2 years. In that time, I’ve seen hundreds of students taking my exams. What was interesting to me was observing my students as they trudged through my tests. During one of these boring nights of proctoring, I took note of the different behaviors that I observed among my class. I realized that there are many different types of test takers. In this RaUM entry, I’ve compiled 13 distinct groups of students and will describe each of their habits, nervous tics, or patterns that separate them from other students.
While putting together this list, I tried to think back to my time as an undergrad to recall which type of test taker I was when I was younger. But it’s just too hard to see things from the inside, especially after so many years have passed since I’ve had the nervous energy that came every time I took an exam. There’s simply no way to know how I behaved before while taking any of those tests.
Here are the 13 test taker archetypes:
1) The Yawners – These students either lost sleep studying, panicking about the exam, or simply use yawning as a coping mechanism while taking the test. They can be fairly annoying to others around them, especially when the yawns are more vocal.
2) The Fidgeters – These students suffer from leg shakes and constantly shifting position. It’s as if they cannot get comfortable in their chair while taking the test. Are they sitting on a cactus chair? WTF!!
3) The Peekers – These students have a tendency to look up while thinking of an answer but they use the professor as their primary point of focus. This can get kind of creepy after a half hour of the same thing.
4) The Anti-Peekers – These students use a similar recall technique as ‘The Peekers’ except they look around at anything, and anyone, BUT the professor. They make every effort to NOT have the professor in their line of sight while looking up. These students rouse a great deal of suspicion. I consistently feel the need to keep my eyes on them as I suspect they’re trying to cheat in the most conspicuous way possible.
5) The Eyes Down – These students are the type that will have their head down and noses buried deep in the exam paper. All I see is the top of their head during the entire exam. They will not make their face visible until they finish the exam when they finally lift their head up. Sometimes I wonder if they’re even awake and as I walk by them I listen for snoring.
6) The “Sigh”-ers – These students (like ‘The Yawners’) use a form of exhalation during the exam that can get annoying to those around them if done in excess, which is usually true for those in this group. The sighing isn’t necessarily a sign of frustration or annoyance but can simply be a release of anxiety and nervous energy.
7) The Over-Reviewers – These students are the double-, triple-, quadruple-checkers who feel the constant need to review their answers to be absolutely sure that they have answered everything correctly and avoided any possible mistake. This doesn’t mean they always catch their mistakes but they feel better having reviewed their work repeatedly before handing their exam in. They are also likely to stay for the full duration of the exam (even if they’ve finished early)
8) The ‘Dory’ – Just like the character in Finding Nemo, these students are easily distracted and almost forget the task at hand. It’s a miracle that they even finish the exam!
9) The Over-Confident – Unlike the “Over Reviewers”, this group finish their exam fairly quickly and are so sure of their performance that they don’t give any question/answer a second look while taking the exam. They’re typically among the first to finish any exam.
10) The Head Slappers – The name says it all. Another nervous tic exhibited by students either to release tension or to smack around some brain cells to recall the information they need to answer a question. No bruising or injury has occurred yet in my classes. Though there has been plenty of forehead rubbing after the slaps.
11) The Time Keepers – These students are very aware of the amount of time they have to complete an exam and will pace themselves (whether intentional or not is difficult to gauge) to complete the exam at, or near, the end time. The will use every possible minute (and, at times, second) allotted to complete the exam.
12) The Tiny Bladders – These students are the ones who in the middle of the exam ask to go to the bathroom. I personally try to avoid any conflict with the “Tiny Bladders” by telling them they should go right before the exam or hold it until they’re done. Any suspicion of cheating is grounds for a zero on an exam in my classroom this includes going to the bathroom for an extended period of time (I’m not a COMPLETE ogre about the bathroom. I understand that you can’t control the urges to go)
13) The Exasperated – These students are the ones who seem completely lost during every single exam. When they look up, they have a WTF look on their face and you can sense a tinge of desperation as they try to work their way through the exam. I feel bad for them but it’s their way. Usually they’re pleasantly surprised by their success on an exam since they tend to walk out of an exam positive that they failed.
So, faithful reader, which type are you?
Until next time……
Thursday, March 18, 2010
High Praise (or The Day I Earned My Teaching Stripes)
[NOTE: This entry was almost complete as of Feb 5, 2010. It's been cleaned up a little bit but as to not mislead you, my fellow RaUMer, I have decided to not post-date it back to early February. I hope it was worth the wait.]
This Spring 2010 semester at QC, I'm co-teaching a stats class for the first time ever. I still have my own stats class which I teach in the evening. A week before the start of the Spring semester, I was offered the opportunity to take over 2 lab sections for a massive lecture class taught by Joanne Miller. It took a little bit of luck and a right-place/right-time convergence of circumstances to get me in the office of the chair of the Sociology department. It turns out the original instructor, who I went to grad school with, had decided to quit her teaching gig when she was offered a full time job at a market research firm. This left Prof. Miller without a lab instructor for 2 of her sections. The chair offered me the chance to take over the lab sections and get a little extra compensation for agreeing to it on such short notice.
Dr. Miller is the head stats instructor for the department and though she has been away for personal reasons (medical leave) for the better part of last two years, she's back in full force. I've actually worked for her before but not in this capacity. She teaches in a large lecture hall on Tuesdays to over 150 students. On Thursdays, the class gets split up into sections of approximately 20 students to do lab work which requires them to perform data analysis using real data collected from U.S. residents.
On my first meeting with the second lab class of the day, Prof Miller stopped by unexpectedly. She had some things she wanted to discuss with me but she took advantage of her time in the classroom to see me in action. I was nervous because although I've worked with her before I was never a peer. I took the same approach during this unofficial observation as I've done during my previous two observations, I focused on the material I was covering that day and tried to figure out how I can get my students to learn.
After class, as she approached me, I expected to get some constructive criticism on how I could have taught the class better. I was looking forward to getting her feedback since she has decades of experience and has, perhaps, "seen it all". Instead, I received, what I can only classify as, the greatest professional compliment I had ever gotten in my life. Dr. Miller told me that I taught my lesson just as she would... only better. (Her ACTUAL words!!)
She told me that she liked: (1) how I got the class to participate throughout the lab lesson; (2) how I managed to ask questions and get different students to respond; (3) how I had a poker face when students gave me their answers so as to not make students feel bad if they got the question wrong and to not provide clues to others on how to correct their mistakes (if, in fact, there were any); (4) that I provided the students with a very relaxed atmosphere and even she felt at ease immediately after sitting down for a few minutes; and (5) the game show gimmick where I wanted everyone to participate by raising their hands to answer some questions. She indicated that she may not be able to get away with some what I did during my lesson because of our age difference (she's significantly older than I am) but that she would adopt some of my techniques in the classroom for her classes in the future.
My jaw must have dropped!! I could not believe what she had just told me! I was waiting for the comments to be balanced out by some factors I could correct or improve upon. The only thing she did criticize was the lack of time I had towards the end of the lesson (At one point, she assisted me and took over for a few minutes while I was troubleshooting some computer issues with a handful of students in an effort to get everyone on the same page).
The only reason I was behind on time to begin with was because I had a late start having to hustle over from a building across campus and I had to familiarize myself with the new equipment in a computer lab room I never used before. I had no legitimate excuse. I should have taken the time to visit those lab rooms before the semester started but I was burnt out from the Winter class I had taught.
Receiving that feedback from Dr. Miller made me feel like I had 'arrived' as an educator. I have such a passion for what I do in the classroom and was floored by her praise. I hope that, as I continue teaching, I can maintain the high standards I've set for myself and can bring out the best in my 'kids' from week to week, semester to semester.
It'll be nearly impossible for anyone to get me off this cloud. I am truly feeling a rush of excitement and accomplishment after this first week of the Spring 2010 semester.
Someone pinch me because life CAN'T be this good.... or can it? =)
Until next time, faithful reader......
This Spring 2010 semester at QC, I'm co-teaching a stats class for the first time ever. I still have my own stats class which I teach in the evening. A week before the start of the Spring semester, I was offered the opportunity to take over 2 lab sections for a massive lecture class taught by Joanne Miller. It took a little bit of luck and a right-place/right-time convergence of circumstances to get me in the office of the chair of the Sociology department. It turns out the original instructor, who I went to grad school with, had decided to quit her teaching gig when she was offered a full time job at a market research firm. This left Prof. Miller without a lab instructor for 2 of her sections. The chair offered me the chance to take over the lab sections and get a little extra compensation for agreeing to it on such short notice.
Dr. Miller is the head stats instructor for the department and though she has been away for personal reasons (medical leave) for the better part of last two years, she's back in full force. I've actually worked for her before but not in this capacity. She teaches in a large lecture hall on Tuesdays to over 150 students. On Thursdays, the class gets split up into sections of approximately 20 students to do lab work which requires them to perform data analysis using real data collected from U.S. residents.
On my first meeting with the second lab class of the day, Prof Miller stopped by unexpectedly. She had some things she wanted to discuss with me but she took advantage of her time in the classroom to see me in action. I was nervous because although I've worked with her before I was never a peer. I took the same approach during this unofficial observation as I've done during my previous two observations, I focused on the material I was covering that day and tried to figure out how I can get my students to learn.
After class, as she approached me, I expected to get some constructive criticism on how I could have taught the class better. I was looking forward to getting her feedback since she has decades of experience and has, perhaps, "seen it all". Instead, I received, what I can only classify as, the greatest professional compliment I had ever gotten in my life. Dr. Miller told me that I taught my lesson just as she would... only better. (Her ACTUAL words!!)
She told me that she liked: (1) how I got the class to participate throughout the lab lesson; (2) how I managed to ask questions and get different students to respond; (3) how I had a poker face when students gave me their answers so as to not make students feel bad if they got the question wrong and to not provide clues to others on how to correct their mistakes (if, in fact, there were any); (4) that I provided the students with a very relaxed atmosphere and even she felt at ease immediately after sitting down for a few minutes; and (5) the game show gimmick where I wanted everyone to participate by raising their hands to answer some questions. She indicated that she may not be able to get away with some what I did during my lesson because of our age difference (she's significantly older than I am) but that she would adopt some of my techniques in the classroom for her classes in the future.
My jaw must have dropped!! I could not believe what she had just told me! I was waiting for the comments to be balanced out by some factors I could correct or improve upon. The only thing she did criticize was the lack of time I had towards the end of the lesson (At one point, she assisted me and took over for a few minutes while I was troubleshooting some computer issues with a handful of students in an effort to get everyone on the same page).
The only reason I was behind on time to begin with was because I had a late start having to hustle over from a building across campus and I had to familiarize myself with the new equipment in a computer lab room I never used before. I had no legitimate excuse. I should have taken the time to visit those lab rooms before the semester started but I was burnt out from the Winter class I had taught.
Receiving that feedback from Dr. Miller made me feel like I had 'arrived' as an educator. I have such a passion for what I do in the classroom and was floored by her praise. I hope that, as I continue teaching, I can maintain the high standards I've set for myself and can bring out the best in my 'kids' from week to week, semester to semester.
It'll be nearly impossible for anyone to get me off this cloud. I am truly feeling a rush of excitement and accomplishment after this first week of the Spring 2010 semester.
Someone pinch me because life CAN'T be this good.... or can it? =)
Until next time, faithful reader......
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
My Fall Semester and Other Quick Hits
Fall is here and my second semester at Queens College has officially begun. My first impressions of the classes are mixed. They all seem interested in the material thus far, which is nice to see. Also, I was better at my opening day speech this semester because I was able to scare away about 5 students from my 2 classes. Nevertheless, I still have nearly a full course load since I approved 4 over-tallies (2 extra students per class).
My Monday/Wednesday class is similar to my 2 classes from last semester. They seem to take good notes and manage to keep up with a quicker pace (which I prefer since the class doesn't drag). The Tuesday/Thursday class asks lots of questions (not necessarily a bad thing when it happens occasionally). I need to offer a thorough explanation to repeat the answer in an alternate way so that they can understand the material better. The side effect of this is that I can see that I'm losing the attention of the students who 'get it' and then feel the class is dragging along.
I don't mind the questions since they're valid questions but every time we meet I get asked a lot of questions which then takes time from other things we need to go over. On a personal note, another consequence of this is that they keep me in the classroom until 9:20pm (the scheduled end time of the class)!! This is a bad for me but more so for them because the last hour of the class time needs to be dedicated to doing lab work (using SPSS, a program we have for statistical analysis). I have the Sociology department's computer lab reserved for my classes. What I tend to do is dismiss my classes after the lecture is completed and then hang around for the students who want to work in the department's computer lab. The more time we take in class, the less lab time they have (or the later they stay in school since this keeps them from having an early night).
We'll see how things shake out. First exam is tonight and tomorrow. =)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disclaimer: Between classes (and grading of the first exam this week) along with finding my own place (among other things), I may end up having less time to dedicate to RaUM in the upcoming week or so. I'll do my best to write a short entry before another full week passes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'd like to offer birthday shout-outs to the Virgos in my life. My fellow earth signs are people I have gotten along with very well for most of my life. Had some fun with some Virgos this past weekend. For the record, I am STILL upset that my sister, also a Virgo, didn't tell me if she had anything going on for her b-day. I may have to tell her to her face since it's not as if she reads my blog anyway. I actually have no idea if she did anything or not. Maybe I should call her...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I feel sad for my best friend Jorge and his wife who had to give up their 3 kitties after their 21-month old daughter started having very bad allergic reactions to them. I know losing a pet is always hard whether it's because they die, are lost (and never found again) or given away for sudden (yet valid) reasons. However, given his daughter's reaction to them, the choice was clear. I know that given enough time, they'll learn to live without them. I just hope that day comes sooner than later.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm working on a RaUM entry (about Spanglish and my feelings about it) and hope to have it posted some time this weekend. I also hope it won't take me more than a week to finish it up.
Until next time, faithful reader......
My Monday/Wednesday class is similar to my 2 classes from last semester. They seem to take good notes and manage to keep up with a quicker pace (which I prefer since the class doesn't drag). The Tuesday/Thursday class asks lots of questions (not necessarily a bad thing when it happens occasionally). I need to offer a thorough explanation to repeat the answer in an alternate way so that they can understand the material better. The side effect of this is that I can see that I'm losing the attention of the students who 'get it' and then feel the class is dragging along.
I don't mind the questions since they're valid questions but every time we meet I get asked a lot of questions which then takes time from other things we need to go over. On a personal note, another consequence of this is that they keep me in the classroom until 9:20pm (the scheduled end time of the class)!! This is a bad for me but more so for them because the last hour of the class time needs to be dedicated to doing lab work (using SPSS, a program we have for statistical analysis). I have the Sociology department's computer lab reserved for my classes. What I tend to do is dismiss my classes after the lecture is completed and then hang around for the students who want to work in the department's computer lab. The more time we take in class, the less lab time they have (or the later they stay in school since this keeps them from having an early night).
We'll see how things shake out. First exam is tonight and tomorrow. =)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disclaimer: Between classes (and grading of the first exam this week) along with finding my own place (among other things), I may end up having less time to dedicate to RaUM in the upcoming week or so. I'll do my best to write a short entry before another full week passes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'd like to offer birthday shout-outs to the Virgos in my life. My fellow earth signs are people I have gotten along with very well for most of my life. Had some fun with some Virgos this past weekend. For the record, I am STILL upset that my sister, also a Virgo, didn't tell me if she had anything going on for her b-day. I may have to tell her to her face since it's not as if she reads my blog anyway. I actually have no idea if she did anything or not. Maybe I should call her...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I feel sad for my best friend Jorge and his wife who had to give up their 3 kitties after their 21-month old daughter started having very bad allergic reactions to them. I know losing a pet is always hard whether it's because they die, are lost (and never found again) or given away for sudden (yet valid) reasons. However, given his daughter's reaction to them, the choice was clear. I know that given enough time, they'll learn to live without them. I just hope that day comes sooner than later.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm working on a RaUM entry (about Spanglish and my feelings about it) and hope to have it posted some time this weekend. I also hope it won't take me more than a week to finish it up.
Until next time, faithful reader......
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Finals Week (or Lap #1 Complete)
During the last week of actual classes (this doesn't count finals week which is a totally different beast altogether), I walked into both my classes with camera in hand. I took pictures of them both as I walked through the door. Some were shocked, some laughed, some didn't even flinch even after noticing what I did.
I wanted to get a snapshot of my classes to have a physical item attached to my memory of this Spring 2009 semester. I didn't want to rely on my "mental picture" of the classes from my first semester as a college professor (some of my colleagues would argue I'm not a professor at all unless I'm a full time instructor). I figured an ACTUAL picture (or, in this case, pictures) would serve the purpose a wee bit better.
I gave them a chance to object or protest over me taking the pics. I agreed that if anyone DID object, I would delete them on the spot. Thankfully, no one objected... in either class. If anything they were supportive of my decision to take (and keep) the picture once I explained why I took it. I'm not planning to post them on Facebook or have them appear on this ol' blog. Nor will I have a digital frame in my office to have them on permanent display there. It'll stay in my archives and every once in a while I'll take them out and have a quick look at them.
I took the pictures because I know that when the day comes that I begin questioning why I teach, or if I ever begin feeling extremely frustrated with the profession, I will have the pictures as a reminder of how I felt this first semester. Two great classes!! I couldn't have asked for anything better.
It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to them this week (the dreaded "Finals Week"). I am ecstatic that the semester is coming to an end allowing me the chance to enjoy my summertime off. Yet, at the same time, I am feeling a great sense of melancholy at knowing I won't see my "kids" again, all together in the same classroom. I told my classes this and it bears repeating here: If my classes in the future are half as good as these two have been, I will be a lucky man!
I expect to be teaching for a while. Hopefully it won't only be stats but I wouldn't mind it if that's how things worked out. There's also a chance that all my teaching years may not even be spent at Queens College. But I know I love what I do and this semester I have looked forward to every single class meeting (even the morning class which, for those of you who know me well, was torture since I'm not a morning person).
If any of my students from the Spring '09 semester happen to be reading this, thank you for being a part of one of the best times of my life!!!
Until next time, faithful reader....
I wanted to get a snapshot of my classes to have a physical item attached to my memory of this Spring 2009 semester. I didn't want to rely on my "mental picture" of the classes from my first semester as a college professor (some of my colleagues would argue I'm not a professor at all unless I'm a full time instructor). I figured an ACTUAL picture (or, in this case, pictures) would serve the purpose a wee bit better.
I gave them a chance to object or protest over me taking the pics. I agreed that if anyone DID object, I would delete them on the spot. Thankfully, no one objected... in either class. If anything they were supportive of my decision to take (and keep) the picture once I explained why I took it. I'm not planning to post them on Facebook or have them appear on this ol' blog. Nor will I have a digital frame in my office to have them on permanent display there. It'll stay in my archives and every once in a while I'll take them out and have a quick look at them.
I took the pictures because I know that when the day comes that I begin questioning why I teach, or if I ever begin feeling extremely frustrated with the profession, I will have the pictures as a reminder of how I felt this first semester. Two great classes!! I couldn't have asked for anything better.
It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to them this week (the dreaded "Finals Week"). I am ecstatic that the semester is coming to an end allowing me the chance to enjoy my summertime off. Yet, at the same time, I am feeling a great sense of melancholy at knowing I won't see my "kids" again, all together in the same classroom. I told my classes this and it bears repeating here: If my classes in the future are half as good as these two have been, I will be a lucky man!
I expect to be teaching for a while. Hopefully it won't only be stats but I wouldn't mind it if that's how things worked out. There's also a chance that all my teaching years may not even be spent at Queens College. But I know I love what I do and this semester I have looked forward to every single class meeting (even the morning class which, for those of you who know me well, was torture since I'm not a morning person).
If any of my students from the Spring '09 semester happen to be reading this, thank you for being a part of one of the best times of my life!!!
Until next time, faithful reader....
Saturday, March 14, 2009
This Past Week
Random thoughts from the week that was:
- Took the car for an inspection Monday and got more than I bargained for:
I have been lazy in getting the inspection done on my car this year. It expired on Jan 31st. I know, I know. I have no legit excuse for waiting over a month to get it done.
When I took it to the dealer to get the inspection done (and possibly some other work on the car), it turns out I had a problem with my exhaust system. Upon reading the work order when I picked up the car, I had a cracked catalytic converter and needed to get gaskets and other parts replaced in the exhaust system. Fortunately, my vehicle was still under warranty so I wasn't responsible for the $1,200+ cost of the parts.
Next time the check engine light comes on, I will be sure to pay more attention to it and take it more seriously.
- Ego boost from both of my classes:
I had a student from each of my classes (day and evening) come up to me after class this week and tell me they appreciate my effort in class. They told me I've made the material easy for them to understand. They also told me that my passion for stats shows and that makes it a little easier to learn because I care that the class learns. I'm not simply going though the motions like other professors.
That was great to hear and gave me a renewed sense of pride. I love what I do in the classroom and it meant a lot to hear not just one student tell me this but to have two students in consecutive days from different classes. I couldn't ask for a better compliment.
=D
- I'm focused now:
Nuff said. This has been a week full of self-motivation and following through with plans. Re-organizing crap around the house and trying to get lots of things in order so that when I do get lazy again, I won't have much to worry about.
- "What I want I can't have, and what I have I don't want":
No elaboration here but this realization has helped me put things in perspective lately.
- I may be working less time in Brooklyn:
It's not what you think. My hours have not been cut. Nor am I getting fired.
I was offered the opportunity to work off-site. My employment status would change from salaried employee to contractor for the two programs I'm working on now. My employer has been working hard to review their accounting records for the last several years (after having their funds mismanaged by the previous Executive Director). I suspect their offer may have been made, in part, to make the accounting easier to reconcile. I also wonder if it would be easier for them to fire me as a contractor as opposed to being a salaried employee. Not that I deserve to be fired since everyone is constantly praising my work. I can say that I single-handedly kept that program alive when they were on life support and when they could barely maintain a skeleton crew to keep meeting our target numbers. Had I not contributed as much to the program (outside of my job requirements) as I have over the past 2 years, they would have lost their funding a long time ago (and I'd be working somewhere else now).
- Three consecutive days of dream recall:
When I woke up on Thursday morning, I was surprised that I was able to vividly recall three full dream 'scenes'. Minutes after taking brief notes on those three dreams, I remembered a fourth dream which had slipped my mind while I was trying to preserve the memory of the other three. On Friday morning, I was able to recall two dreams: one was a clip and the other was a full scene. Today I had another two dreams that I was able to remember and one of them is a recurring dream.
There are slight variations in each but ultimately the core of the dreams involve me trying to cross a public park and not being able to pass because of a huge walrus (I'm talking humongous, folks!) that lives in the lake/pool at the middle of the park. I don't know why he (yes, it's a 'he') is not letting me pass. It feels like he is just enjoying being a dick to me and not like he is protecting what's on the other side.
- Looking ahead to the weekend:
Shooting range plans for Saturday morning were postponed for a week. Continue training for the High Rock Challenge in April by measuring my time for 10k. Hoping I have access to a treadmill for over an hour. We'll see.
On Sunday morning, I've got my first soccer game of the season... VERY EXCITED about this! Though, I suspect I will be hating it Monday morning. =)
Go out and enjoy the sunshine! Be sure to wear a jacket.
Until next time, faithful reader.....
- Took the car for an inspection Monday and got more than I bargained for:
I have been lazy in getting the inspection done on my car this year. It expired on Jan 31st. I know, I know. I have no legit excuse for waiting over a month to get it done.
When I took it to the dealer to get the inspection done (and possibly some other work on the car), it turns out I had a problem with my exhaust system. Upon reading the work order when I picked up the car, I had a cracked catalytic converter and needed to get gaskets and other parts replaced in the exhaust system. Fortunately, my vehicle was still under warranty so I wasn't responsible for the $1,200+ cost of the parts.
Next time the check engine light comes on, I will be sure to pay more attention to it and take it more seriously.
- Ego boost from both of my classes:
I had a student from each of my classes (day and evening) come up to me after class this week and tell me they appreciate my effort in class. They told me I've made the material easy for them to understand. They also told me that my passion for stats shows and that makes it a little easier to learn because I care that the class learns. I'm not simply going though the motions like other professors.
That was great to hear and gave me a renewed sense of pride. I love what I do in the classroom and it meant a lot to hear not just one student tell me this but to have two students in consecutive days from different classes. I couldn't ask for a better compliment.
=D
- I'm focused now:
Nuff said. This has been a week full of self-motivation and following through with plans. Re-organizing crap around the house and trying to get lots of things in order so that when I do get lazy again, I won't have much to worry about.
- "What I want I can't have, and what I have I don't want":
No elaboration here but this realization has helped me put things in perspective lately.
- I may be working less time in Brooklyn:
It's not what you think. My hours have not been cut. Nor am I getting fired.
I was offered the opportunity to work off-site. My employment status would change from salaried employee to contractor for the two programs I'm working on now. My employer has been working hard to review their accounting records for the last several years (after having their funds mismanaged by the previous Executive Director). I suspect their offer may have been made, in part, to make the accounting easier to reconcile. I also wonder if it would be easier for them to fire me as a contractor as opposed to being a salaried employee. Not that I deserve to be fired since everyone is constantly praising my work. I can say that I single-handedly kept that program alive when they were on life support and when they could barely maintain a skeleton crew to keep meeting our target numbers. Had I not contributed as much to the program (outside of my job requirements) as I have over the past 2 years, they would have lost their funding a long time ago (and I'd be working somewhere else now).
- Three consecutive days of dream recall:
When I woke up on Thursday morning, I was surprised that I was able to vividly recall three full dream 'scenes'. Minutes after taking brief notes on those three dreams, I remembered a fourth dream which had slipped my mind while I was trying to preserve the memory of the other three. On Friday morning, I was able to recall two dreams: one was a clip and the other was a full scene. Today I had another two dreams that I was able to remember and one of them is a recurring dream.
There are slight variations in each but ultimately the core of the dreams involve me trying to cross a public park and not being able to pass because of a huge walrus (I'm talking humongous, folks!) that lives in the lake/pool at the middle of the park. I don't know why he (yes, it's a 'he') is not letting me pass. It feels like he is just enjoying being a dick to me and not like he is protecting what's on the other side.
- Looking ahead to the weekend:
Shooting range plans for Saturday morning were postponed for a week. Continue training for the High Rock Challenge in April by measuring my time for 10k. Hoping I have access to a treadmill for over an hour. We'll see.
On Sunday morning, I've got my first soccer game of the season... VERY EXCITED about this! Though, I suspect I will be hating it Monday morning. =)
Go out and enjoy the sunshine! Be sure to wear a jacket.
Until next time, faithful reader.....
Friday, February 20, 2009
My first month as a college professor (or How to slowly lose your mind)
Hi there,
I've managed to get some of my thoughts together regarding my time as a full fledged, bona fide (albeit part-time, lowest tier of the totem pole) professor. There have been some ups and downs but so far I'm loving the job. Of course, I say this now before I've had a chance to grade the first exam. I don't want my memories of my first few weeks ruined by my disappointment at those grades. =)
Just before the semester started, I decided to take on two classes. I thought it'd be great for me financially and would allow me to reach more students. Thus far it has been a wonderful experience but my schedule is brutal during the middle of the week. I was originally scheduled to teach one evening class on Tuesdays and Thursdays (6:30 - 9:20pm). When I was offered a second class, I had the choice of two morning classes: (1) another Tues/Thurs class (9:25am - noon) or (2) Monday/Wednesday - same time.
I reasoned that being in school from 9am to 9pm was not my idea of a good time despite the long break for the afternoon. If I worked the Mon/Wed class, I'd still be able to work the afternoons at my other job in Brooklyn. What I didn't consider was the Tuesday night/Wed morning turnover. I feel like I'm working a double (I suppose I actually AM working a double!) and it's extremely difficult for me to get up on Wednesdays for class. It has more to do with the late night on Tuesday night than it does with me not being a morning person. FYI, me and early morning sunshine do not get along!
I'm not sure how the Fall 2009 schedule will shake out but I know I would love to continue teaching two classes. I've already submitted my request for days and times so we'll see what happens.
Well... without any further ado...
Notes from my first month as Professor Gonzalez:
Week 1:
I DEFINITELY should have planned this past weekend a little bit better. After going out Friday night (bull riding, drinks, and diner food.. woohoo!), I drove down to PA on Saturday and visited Philly and Baltimore on Sunday. I came back late Sunday night. Now some of you may start telling me that 2 AM isn't that late and that I should quit my bellyaching. Also, I didn't have to drive the last leg of my trip so it wasn't all THAT bad. However, without a finalized syllabus in hand (I had already completed a draft of it) and a class scheduled for 9:25 Monday morning, it was going to be a looooong night and an even longer day!
On Monday morning, I made it to class several minutes late (at least I made it!) and I managed to trudge through the finer points of my syllabus in zombie mode - completed at 3:30am for those of you keeping track - including a mini-lecture on lateness. I may be a hypocrite but I meant every word I said about how much I despise students coming in late!
Damn, I was sleepy... zzzzzzz.... I don't think I managed to scare any of them into dropping my class. Shoot...
The night class went a lot better. I still didn't manage to scare anyone away with my opening day lecture. *sigh* Oh well. At least they were more attentive and took great notes on my Day One introductory lesson. I expect big things from this group. I don't care if it's unfair to say that since they seem more engaged that the day class.
I quickly realized that the day class was going to be my "guinea pig". I'd learn from my mistakes with them and the evening class would reap the benefits. I didn't tell them that but I knew that would be the case. This is especially true since I would always have a day and a half to tweak the lesson for the evening class.
Week 2:
WTF!?! My night class has gotten worse and my day class got better!!
OMG... Noooooo. How is this possible? lol..
The good thing is that they were now on par with each other in terms of attentiveness, question asking, etc. Let's see how long this lasts.
It was around this time that I started seriously thinking about getting the first exam completed. I didn't think I'd finish it but if I could start figuring out what will and won't be on the exam, it'd go a long way to saving me time later.
Week 3:
Oh man... I got pretty sick on Monday morning. I had to cancel class.
[Memo to self: No more late night runs to Tacolandia for tacos when you have class the next morning!]
I suppose this was a good thing because now the night class is the experimental class. I wonder if it will actually matter... though the exam date is now pushed back another day. I wanted both classes to take the exam on the same week so neither class would have an advantage over the other (a.k.a. a full weekend to study for the exam). Selfishly, this would also allow me to grade ALL the exams over the weekend. Oh well, done bun. Nothing I can do about it now.
Also, I found out that one of my students is friends with someone I know. I don't want to know who it is or which class he or she is in... OH, TOO LATE!! My friend spilled the beans and now I know who it is. Fortunately, she is one of my better students so I'm not worried about her trying to take advantage of our mutual friendship.
Week 4:
Reviewed for the first exam this week with my classes. One class takes the exam this week, the other next week. I had decided to use the first half of class for the review and go over issues with the first lab assignment during the second half of class. The Tuesday night review went relatively well and I felt they were adequately prepared for the exam on Thursday night. The review for the day class on Wednesday was going well also... except that... we had a freaking fire drill during our review... grrr.
Don't get me wrong I wasn't upset that the review was interrupted. I was actually upset for my kids because I knew that if I had just 10 more minutes, I would have been done with my review and the majority of the students could have left during the fire drill. However, after approximately 20 minutes, they all had to come back for the last part of the review session.
It was at this time that I thought it was a good thing I had gotten sick on week 3 because otherwise the fire drill would have interrupted the exam. I can't even imagine how I would have handled that headache! The evening class got the exam first and I'll grade them over the weekend. The day class gets it Monday morning with the luxury of time to study over the weekend. We'll see how that works out for them...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week's MCB (2-20):
T.I. - Dead and Gone (featuring Justin Timberlake)
Rosi Golan - Been a Long Day
Boxer Rebellion - Semi-Automatic
Temple Scene - Somewhere in the City
Drenalin - Healing Time
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've got a lot on my plate for the weekend. I wonder if there will be anything noteworthy to talk about later... hmmmmmm....
Until next time, faithful reader
I've managed to get some of my thoughts together regarding my time as a full fledged, bona fide (albeit part-time, lowest tier of the totem pole) professor. There have been some ups and downs but so far I'm loving the job. Of course, I say this now before I've had a chance to grade the first exam. I don't want my memories of my first few weeks ruined by my disappointment at those grades. =)
Just before the semester started, I decided to take on two classes. I thought it'd be great for me financially and would allow me to reach more students. Thus far it has been a wonderful experience but my schedule is brutal during the middle of the week. I was originally scheduled to teach one evening class on Tuesdays and Thursdays (6:30 - 9:20pm). When I was offered a second class, I had the choice of two morning classes: (1) another Tues/Thurs class (9:25am - noon) or (2) Monday/Wednesday - same time.
I reasoned that being in school from 9am to 9pm was not my idea of a good time despite the long break for the afternoon. If I worked the Mon/Wed class, I'd still be able to work the afternoons at my other job in Brooklyn. What I didn't consider was the Tuesday night/Wed morning turnover. I feel like I'm working a double (I suppose I actually AM working a double!) and it's extremely difficult for me to get up on Wednesdays for class. It has more to do with the late night on Tuesday night than it does with me not being a morning person. FYI, me and early morning sunshine do not get along!
I'm not sure how the Fall 2009 schedule will shake out but I know I would love to continue teaching two classes. I've already submitted my request for days and times so we'll see what happens.
Well... without any further ado...
Notes from my first month as Professor Gonzalez:
Week 1:
I DEFINITELY should have planned this past weekend a little bit better. After going out Friday night (bull riding, drinks, and diner food.. woohoo!), I drove down to PA on Saturday and visited Philly and Baltimore on Sunday. I came back late Sunday night. Now some of you may start telling me that 2 AM isn't that late and that I should quit my bellyaching. Also, I didn't have to drive the last leg of my trip so it wasn't all THAT bad. However, without a finalized syllabus in hand (I had already completed a draft of it) and a class scheduled for 9:25 Monday morning, it was going to be a looooong night and an even longer day!
On Monday morning, I made it to class several minutes late (at least I made it!) and I managed to trudge through the finer points of my syllabus in zombie mode - completed at 3:30am for those of you keeping track - including a mini-lecture on lateness. I may be a hypocrite but I meant every word I said about how much I despise students coming in late!
Damn, I was sleepy... zzzzzzz.... I don't think I managed to scare any of them into dropping my class. Shoot...
The night class went a lot better. I still didn't manage to scare anyone away with my opening day lecture. *sigh* Oh well. At least they were more attentive and took great notes on my Day One introductory lesson. I expect big things from this group. I don't care if it's unfair to say that since they seem more engaged that the day class.
I quickly realized that the day class was going to be my "guinea pig". I'd learn from my mistakes with them and the evening class would reap the benefits. I didn't tell them that but I knew that would be the case. This is especially true since I would always have a day and a half to tweak the lesson for the evening class.
Week 2:
WTF!?! My night class has gotten worse and my day class got better!!
OMG... Noooooo. How is this possible? lol..
The good thing is that they were now on par with each other in terms of attentiveness, question asking, etc. Let's see how long this lasts.
It was around this time that I started seriously thinking about getting the first exam completed. I didn't think I'd finish it but if I could start figuring out what will and won't be on the exam, it'd go a long way to saving me time later.
Week 3:
Oh man... I got pretty sick on Monday morning. I had to cancel class.
[Memo to self: No more late night runs to Tacolandia for tacos when you have class the next morning!]
I suppose this was a good thing because now the night class is the experimental class. I wonder if it will actually matter... though the exam date is now pushed back another day. I wanted both classes to take the exam on the same week so neither class would have an advantage over the other (a.k.a. a full weekend to study for the exam). Selfishly, this would also allow me to grade ALL the exams over the weekend. Oh well, done bun. Nothing I can do about it now.
Also, I found out that one of my students is friends with someone I know. I don't want to know who it is or which class he or she is in... OH, TOO LATE!! My friend spilled the beans and now I know who it is. Fortunately, she is one of my better students so I'm not worried about her trying to take advantage of our mutual friendship.
Week 4:
Reviewed for the first exam this week with my classes. One class takes the exam this week, the other next week. I had decided to use the first half of class for the review and go over issues with the first lab assignment during the second half of class. The Tuesday night review went relatively well and I felt they were adequately prepared for the exam on Thursday night. The review for the day class on Wednesday was going well also... except that... we had a freaking fire drill during our review... grrr.
Don't get me wrong I wasn't upset that the review was interrupted. I was actually upset for my kids because I knew that if I had just 10 more minutes, I would have been done with my review and the majority of the students could have left during the fire drill. However, after approximately 20 minutes, they all had to come back for the last part of the review session.
It was at this time that I thought it was a good thing I had gotten sick on week 3 because otherwise the fire drill would have interrupted the exam. I can't even imagine how I would have handled that headache! The evening class got the exam first and I'll grade them over the weekend. The day class gets it Monday morning with the luxury of time to study over the weekend. We'll see how that works out for them...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week's MCB (2-20):
T.I. - Dead and Gone (featuring Justin Timberlake)
Rosi Golan - Been a Long Day
Boxer Rebellion - Semi-Automatic
Temple Scene - Somewhere in the City
Drenalin - Healing Time
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've got a lot on my plate for the weekend. I wonder if there will be anything noteworthy to talk about later... hmmmmmm....
Until next time, faithful reader
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The Formula for Baby Nicknames + Another MCB
[Note: This entry was inspired by a close friend and his adorable offspring]
Welcome back friend,
(Verb)-y (verb)-er = Cute baby nicknames
Yes.
Believe it or not, that fairly simple and straightforward formula works pretty well for creating instant nicknames for infants and toddlers. It seems to be best used with monosyllabic verbs but that rule is not etched in stone so feel free to use it any way you'd like.
Here's an example of how the formula has been used: Over the past several months, my friend's daughter (who is now around 14 months old) has taken to grabbing things around the house. Hence, if we use the verb 'grab', she is now a "grabby grabber".
I'm sure once she starts drinking out of cups instead of a bottle, she'll be a "sippy sipper". She may only have a handful of teeth now but she is def a "smiley smiler". I can go on and on with this.
Clearly, this formula isn't quite as cute when used for the later stages of a child's development.
- Poopy pooper
- Screamy screamer
- Date-y dater (uh oh..)
- Kissy kisser (father's worst nightmare?)
And the list goes on and on, boys and girls.
Are there any other nicknames (cute or otherwise) that you've come up with using this formula? Share it in a comment below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Musical Coffee Break (02-12-09) is a laid back collection from known and not-so-known artists. On tap, we've got full songs from John Mayer, QotSA, Rosi Golan, Erin McCarley and song clips from Alicia Keys and Jazmine Sullivan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think I'm going to stop promising to post. When I announce an upcoming post, I do it with the intention of posting a new entry in the indicated time. However, it's just been so difficult to make time to actually do it.
I'm still adapting to my new work schedule. I quickly learned that the time a professor spends teaching isn't simply inside the classroom but also includes countless hours spent preparing lessons, creating assignments/exams, and grading assignments/exams. I knew this already going into the gig but the reality of it has finally hit me. This, coupled with the occasional night out (for those keeping track, it is no longer a nightly occurrence... lol), leaves me with little time to write up a blog entry.
I will likely limit myself to short entries, like the one you just read, for the foreseeable future until I adapt to this crazy time in my life.
Until next time, faithful reader...
Welcome back friend,
(Verb)-y (verb)-er = Cute baby nicknames
Yes.
Believe it or not, that fairly simple and straightforward formula works pretty well for creating instant nicknames for infants and toddlers. It seems to be best used with monosyllabic verbs but that rule is not etched in stone so feel free to use it any way you'd like.
Here's an example of how the formula has been used: Over the past several months, my friend's daughter (who is now around 14 months old) has taken to grabbing things around the house. Hence, if we use the verb 'grab', she is now a "grabby grabber".
I'm sure once she starts drinking out of cups instead of a bottle, she'll be a "sippy sipper". She may only have a handful of teeth now but she is def a "smiley smiler". I can go on and on with this.
Clearly, this formula isn't quite as cute when used for the later stages of a child's development.
- Poopy pooper
- Screamy screamer
- Date-y dater (uh oh..)
- Kissy kisser (father's worst nightmare?)
And the list goes on and on, boys and girls.
Are there any other nicknames (cute or otherwise) that you've come up with using this formula? Share it in a comment below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Musical Coffee Break (02-12-09) is a laid back collection from known and not-so-known artists. On tap, we've got full songs from John Mayer, QotSA, Rosi Golan, Erin McCarley and song clips from Alicia Keys and Jazmine Sullivan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think I'm going to stop promising to post. When I announce an upcoming post, I do it with the intention of posting a new entry in the indicated time. However, it's just been so difficult to make time to actually do it.
I'm still adapting to my new work schedule. I quickly learned that the time a professor spends teaching isn't simply inside the classroom but also includes countless hours spent preparing lessons, creating assignments/exams, and grading assignments/exams. I knew this already going into the gig but the reality of it has finally hit me. This, coupled with the occasional night out (for those keeping track, it is no longer a nightly occurrence... lol), leaves me with little time to write up a blog entry.
I will likely limit myself to short entries, like the one you just read, for the foreseeable future until I adapt to this crazy time in my life.
Until next time, faithful reader...
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Playlist #5 (The Ultimate Freestyle), Road Observations + My New Job
"Maria... the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. Maria..."
"I wonder if I take you home, will you still be in love, baby..."
"Where are you tonight, my love? In the arms of another man..."
"There's no reason for you to cry, my love, 'cause I'll always be around..."
If these lyrics mean anything to you then this list is for you!!
This weekend I've got the Ultimate Freestyle playlist for your enjoyment. I'm taking you back!! My list will lay out the tracks that are the MUST HAVES for the short lived genre known as freestyle. In it's time (mid 80's thru the mid-90's), it was a musical alternative to pop, rap (it wasn't quite "hip hop" yet), rock/metal, and the sappy music that would later be labeled as "Adult Contemporary".
Freestyle was born out the confluence of R&B, "underground" house music, latin music, and rap. Most songs were produced and sung by Latinos but adopted by everyone who loved a hot beat and lyrics that shared stories of love, heartache, and good times!!!
[Special thanks to Desi, Chulo, J, Doom, Mari, and Lizbet for their feedback]
The Ultimate Freestyle playlist
Maria - TKA
Change On Me - Cynthia
Spring Love - Stevie B
Where Are You Tonight - Coro
No Reason To Cry - Judy Torres
Without You - George Lamond
Show Me - Cover Girls
Take Me In Your Arms - Lil' Suzy
Dreamboy/Dreamgirl - Cynthia and Johnny O
Wonder If I Take You Home - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
Within My Heart - Voyce
Silent Morning - Noel
Yo No Sé - Pajama Party
Love Letter - Giggles
Temptation - Corina
When I Hear Music - Debbie Deb
Let The Music Play - Shannon (credited as being the first freestyle single on the wikipedia entry for "freestyle")
======
The Ultimate Freestyle Artists
Freestyle is unique in that there are a handful of artists that had tremendous success and who have many great songs the exemplify what freestyle is all about. Any songs by these artists are worth having in your freestyle collection:
- George Lamond
- Judy Torres
- Stevie B
- Cynthia
- TKA
- Cover Girls
======
Honorable Mentions
Endless Night - Cynthia
Thief of Hearts - Cynthia
Bad of the Heart - George Lamond
Come into My Arms - Judy Torres
Diamond Girl - Nice and Wild
Together Forever - Lisette Melendez
In My Eyes - Stevie B
Can You Feel the Beat? - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
Crying Over You - Coro
Point of No Return - Expose
Sincerely Yours - Sweet Sensation
[All this freestyle is taking me back... =)
There were PLENTY of songs not listed here. You can begin anticipating the release of the follow up to the Ultimate Freestyle list early in the New Year]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
VALIDATION OF MY THEORY::
Three examples from a busy driving day on Saturday, Dec. 27th -
(1) A driver cuts from the right lane to the left lane on the BQE only to go slower than the surrounding traffic (driving just under 40mph when the limit is 55)... in the left f*****n lane!!! The left-most lane is known to many as the PASSING lane!!! Slow vehicles to the right, passing vehicles on the left. It's not really too hard to remember. What is wrong with these people??? When I look over to the driver of this car, I see A middle aged South Asian male.
(2) Earlier in the day, again on the BQE: To enter the highway at this particular section, you must first stop at a STOP sign then merge into the right-most lane. One especially stupid person decided (a few cars ahead of me) that after waiting at the stop sign, that it was a good idea to change lanes (into the middle lane of a three-lane road) BEFORE getting up to highway speed!!! Another driver in that middle lane, traveling at a reasonable HIGHWAY speed, had to practically slam on his/her brakes and swerve to their left to avoid hitting this car. Thankfully, no one was in that left lane, otherwise, we would have had a very messy situation. Who is driving the car ahead of me, you ask??? A young Asian woman!
(3) Another slow driver in the left most lane (once again on the BQE) holding up the flow of traffic. Everyone (including me) decides that it is better to pass this car to their right (as opposed to passing on the left). Who is driving said vehicle, you ask again?? A middle aged male.
Can't win 'em all, I guess. But like I said before... these people are the aberration not the rule. It's the 1 out of 20 that I expect to find. that means my my theory has held true 95% of the time. I'll take those odds any day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The brief story of my new job
Back Story - I have a friend who is a professor at Queens College [QC]. We actually became friends after I took a few of his classes and received a recommendation from him for a job on campus. He taught several electives in Sociology and one required course: Social Statistics. For a short time, I was the stats tutor for the department and I would see some his students and some students from other stats classes. It was during that time that I began noticing that I was making a real difference with the students I helped.
I stopped tutoring when I started in the Masters Program (in Sociology) at QC. People still came looking for me based on recommendations from friends of theirs, former stats students that had been at my tutoring sessions. While I was finishing my time in the MA program this past summer, I seriously considering teaching Sociology (specifically, stats). I knew several previous MA graduates that began teaching at QC as a springboard to something a bit more permanent in the "real world". My prof friend was one of the former grads that stuck around.
I had been asked repeatedly by some faculty members, who I happen to be friendly with, whether I would consider teaching in the Fall semester. I didn't think I was ready and I was more focused on completing my thesis, first and foremost. I also wanted to try and find a full time job. The last thing I wanted was to take on some classes during day time hours only to have a job offer come my way. I'd then be forced to either drop my day classes and potentially burn bridges or turn down the offer.
But now that my friend is newly married and planning to move out of the city, he lobbied to have me take over his courses in the Spring semester. And through some arm twisting and underhanded office politics, I managed to squirm my way into the position. OK, so it wasn't really that devious but I did ask some people to speak up on my behalf and it paid off. I e-mailed the chair of the department to let him know I was interested in teaching the evening stats class and the e-mail response was "Consider it done". I never thought it would be that easy!!
Now I'm scheduled to take over my friend's evening stats class and a day section for another faculty member who the department lost due to a severe illness and subsequent surgery. I'm going to keep working in that non-profit agency in Brooklyn, for better or worse, and simply enjoy the extra income from teaching. It will allow me to travel (which I have been DYING to do!!!!) and save some more money.
I'm leading the vanguard of new Soc Stats instructors at Queens College, bitches!!! Be ready for the revolution!
OK... maybe not. But I definitely feel like we've got a movement of some sort here. Built more out of necessity than anything else. And I know I will put my heart and soul into the class early on because I want these kids to learn. I want to know that I equipped them with the knowledge needed to use what they know in other Soc courses. Also, there are changes that will be made to stats in the next year or so and I will be there involved in the decision making process! Exciting times are ahead, folks. Stay tuned!!
Until next time faithful reader....
"I wonder if I take you home, will you still be in love, baby..."
"Where are you tonight, my love? In the arms of another man..."
"There's no reason for you to cry, my love, 'cause I'll always be around..."
If these lyrics mean anything to you then this list is for you!!
This weekend I've got the Ultimate Freestyle playlist for your enjoyment. I'm taking you back!! My list will lay out the tracks that are the MUST HAVES for the short lived genre known as freestyle. In it's time (mid 80's thru the mid-90's), it was a musical alternative to pop, rap (it wasn't quite "hip hop" yet), rock/metal, and the sappy music that would later be labeled as "Adult Contemporary".
Freestyle was born out the confluence of R&B, "underground" house music, latin music, and rap. Most songs were produced and sung by Latinos but adopted by everyone who loved a hot beat and lyrics that shared stories of love, heartache, and good times!!!
[Special thanks to Desi, Chulo, J, Doom, Mari, and Lizbet for their feedback]
The Ultimate Freestyle playlist
Maria - TKA
Change On Me - Cynthia
Spring Love - Stevie B
Where Are You Tonight - Coro
No Reason To Cry - Judy Torres
Without You - George Lamond
Show Me - Cover Girls
Take Me In Your Arms - Lil' Suzy
Dreamboy/Dreamgirl - Cynthia and Johnny O
Wonder If I Take You Home - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
Within My Heart - Voyce
Silent Morning - Noel
Yo No Sé - Pajama Party
Love Letter - Giggles
Temptation - Corina
When I Hear Music - Debbie Deb
Let The Music Play - Shannon (credited as being the first freestyle single on the wikipedia entry for "freestyle")
======
The Ultimate Freestyle Artists
Freestyle is unique in that there are a handful of artists that had tremendous success and who have many great songs the exemplify what freestyle is all about. Any songs by these artists are worth having in your freestyle collection:
- George Lamond
- Judy Torres
- Stevie B
- Cynthia
- TKA
- Cover Girls
======
Honorable Mentions
Endless Night - Cynthia
Thief of Hearts - Cynthia
Bad of the Heart - George Lamond
Come into My Arms - Judy Torres
Diamond Girl - Nice and Wild
Together Forever - Lisette Melendez
In My Eyes - Stevie B
Can You Feel the Beat? - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
Crying Over You - Coro
Point of No Return - Expose
Sincerely Yours - Sweet Sensation
[All this freestyle is taking me back... =)
There were PLENTY of songs not listed here. You can begin anticipating the release of the follow up to the Ultimate Freestyle list early in the New Year]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
VALIDATION OF MY THEORY::
Three examples from a busy driving day on Saturday, Dec. 27th -
(1) A driver cuts from the right lane to the left lane on the BQE only to go slower than the surrounding traffic (driving just under 40mph when the limit is 55)... in the left f*****n lane!!! The left-most lane is known to many as the PASSING lane!!! Slow vehicles to the right, passing vehicles on the left. It's not really too hard to remember. What is wrong with these people??? When I look over to the driver of this car, I see A middle aged South Asian male.
(2) Earlier in the day, again on the BQE: To enter the highway at this particular section, you must first stop at a STOP sign then merge into the right-most lane. One especially stupid person decided (a few cars ahead of me) that after waiting at the stop sign, that it was a good idea to change lanes (into the middle lane of a three-lane road) BEFORE getting up to highway speed!!! Another driver in that middle lane, traveling at a reasonable HIGHWAY speed, had to practically slam on his/her brakes and swerve to their left to avoid hitting this car. Thankfully, no one was in that left lane, otherwise, we would have had a very messy situation. Who is driving the car ahead of me, you ask??? A young Asian woman!
(3) Another slow driver in the left most lane (once again on the BQE) holding up the flow of traffic. Everyone (including me) decides that it is better to pass this car to their right (as opposed to passing on the left). Who is driving said vehicle, you ask again?? A middle aged male.
Can't win 'em all, I guess. But like I said before... these people are the aberration not the rule. It's the 1 out of 20 that I expect to find. that means my my theory has held true 95% of the time. I'll take those odds any day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The brief story of my new job
Back Story - I have a friend who is a professor at Queens College [QC]. We actually became friends after I took a few of his classes and received a recommendation from him for a job on campus. He taught several electives in Sociology and one required course: Social Statistics. For a short time, I was the stats tutor for the department and I would see some his students and some students from other stats classes. It was during that time that I began noticing that I was making a real difference with the students I helped.
I stopped tutoring when I started in the Masters Program (in Sociology) at QC. People still came looking for me based on recommendations from friends of theirs, former stats students that had been at my tutoring sessions. While I was finishing my time in the MA program this past summer, I seriously considering teaching Sociology (specifically, stats). I knew several previous MA graduates that began teaching at QC as a springboard to something a bit more permanent in the "real world". My prof friend was one of the former grads that stuck around.
I had been asked repeatedly by some faculty members, who I happen to be friendly with, whether I would consider teaching in the Fall semester. I didn't think I was ready and I was more focused on completing my thesis, first and foremost. I also wanted to try and find a full time job. The last thing I wanted was to take on some classes during day time hours only to have a job offer come my way. I'd then be forced to either drop my day classes and potentially burn bridges or turn down the offer.
But now that my friend is newly married and planning to move out of the city, he lobbied to have me take over his courses in the Spring semester. And through some arm twisting and underhanded office politics, I managed to squirm my way into the position. OK, so it wasn't really that devious but I did ask some people to speak up on my behalf and it paid off. I e-mailed the chair of the department to let him know I was interested in teaching the evening stats class and the e-mail response was "Consider it done". I never thought it would be that easy!!
Now I'm scheduled to take over my friend's evening stats class and a day section for another faculty member who the department lost due to a severe illness and subsequent surgery. I'm going to keep working in that non-profit agency in Brooklyn, for better or worse, and simply enjoy the extra income from teaching. It will allow me to travel (which I have been DYING to do!!!!) and save some more money.
I'm leading the vanguard of new Soc Stats instructors at Queens College, bitches!!! Be ready for the revolution!
OK... maybe not. But I definitely feel like we've got a movement of some sort here. Built more out of necessity than anything else. And I know I will put my heart and soul into the class early on because I want these kids to learn. I want to know that I equipped them with the knowledge needed to use what they know in other Soc courses. Also, there are changes that will be made to stats in the next year or so and I will be there involved in the decision making process! Exciting times are ahead, folks. Stay tuned!!
Until next time faithful reader....
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