Redemption

One of my students gave me this article today. It not only made me smile, but now I feel vindicated. A chubby balding professor is ahead of the fashion curve. (I just won't pay $90 bucks for one).

Scandals

The NY Governor sex scandal is wonderful!! I can't get enough of it. It feels the same to me as reading Laud Humphrey's A Tearoom Trade. The best part of it all is that they didn't catch him, and probably won't prosecute him, for the prostitution. They caught him because of wire transfers of money out of his business account. Just years earlier, he warned Wall Street traders and skin mongers about not leaving e-mails, text messages, and other records that could be traced. He got caught doing what he was best know for prosecuting. There must be some 'cast the first stone in a glass house' joke combo in there somewhere.
So the government probably won't charge him with the prostitution crime, but it certainly will be the cause of his impeachment, not to mention his divorce. I love our government scandals. Maybe they'll let me teach a class on it sometime.

Gratitude

Someone came to my office hours today to give me feedback about my class. It was really nice. To spare you all the details, he wanted to let me know that I was doing fine as a teacher and he provided some insights into how to better structure the tests. I was grateful. When you spend time worrying about and caring for others, it is simply fulfilling to have someone say thank you.

Daytime post

I haven't posted anything during daylight hours in a long time. My mind is fresh so maybe it will be clear. Probably not.

I did some statistical work on the test scores and I feel much better. The average was around a B, so they did better than I thought. I still let them vent to me about the test via a few in class questions that they turned in for participation credits. I will probably never, in my future positions, ask for so many assignments. The grading is so time consuming. I used to laugh at all of the people in the academy who complained about service and grading. To me it was no big deal to get all of that work done. I just never saw all of the other stuff that was required. Now I just nod my head in support. Then again, once all of my classes are prepped, life will be much easier.

Happy Birthday!!

To my dearest E. on his 4th birthday...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

I hear that you may have a balloon party for your birthday. Aren't these guys funny?

For your birthday, I put together a little post full of our fun things.

Every time that I find a new cheese, you ask for a taste. More often then not, you decide that you don't like it. I know that you don't like stinky cheese, but I thought that it would be fun to have a reminder of how much I love it.

What we really love to eat together is CALAMARI!!

We also love to go for rides in the Land Cruiser. This summer we will take the top off and play. You will have the wind blow through your hair and I will get a sun tan. on the top of my head.

I want to go camping and teach you about the stars. Maybe while we are there, we could go to the cabin and take some hikes.
This summer I am planning on going swimming and riding the slide together.

You probably don't remember how or why you started talking about chickens, but I think that I had something to do with it. I have always had an affinity for them, mostly because they are so weird. It was not until I moved to P-Land that I got to be close to them. My chickens here look like this.

Here are some Israeli ones without feathers. Don't they look funny?

I think that it is so funny when you point out how much I like motorcycles, so I have included one of my favorite types, the cafe racer.
I love you very much and I am glad to have you as my son.
Happy birthday!!
Love,
Dad

Ups and downs

Yesterday I felt like Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society, but today, not so much. I have had some problems with my methodology class understanding some rudimentary concepts, so I decided to run an experiment. I bought bags of candy and they went to locations around campus to give it out systematically. I won't bore you with the details, but after the experiment we had a great discussion and I feel like they actually figured it out. They even were awake, alert, happy, and engaged at 10pm. I went to bed with a smile on my face.

One of the best parts of Dead Poets Society is when Robin Williams encourages the students to rip out portions of the text. I used to think that was really cool. It could never work now. The prof would say something like "the author was wrong... so go ahead and rip out chapter 1." Then all of the students would silently think "why did you make me buy this $100 book? Why did you choose a bad book? I'm not ripping it up because then I won't be able to sell in on half.com. Idiot professor."

Today I administered my first test (in a different class). I thought because I am such a great teacher and the test was of mixed question type, the students would have a fair shot. I was wrong. I think each one of them did poorly. By poorly I mean really bad. I haven't finished grading them, but I think that they may actually have a mean near 50% correct. I feel bad that they didn't do well, but I told them how to study and what to look at. So I am vexed with the problem of trying to balance fairness, mercy, and correctness in giving grades. Obviously, some of the questions were poorly written and that is my fault, but to what extent is that my problem and how do I correct it? I think that I need to run an experiment... with candy.

Awake, productive, and creative all at the wrong time

I have a new problem. I have found my creative/productive cycle. Unfortunately it keeps me awake late into the night, up early in the morning, and mostly dead during the afternoon. I get up early because my brain functions really well between 6:30am and 11:30am. I have a significant productivity slump, which usually includes some level of sleepiness, from about noon until 4pm. If I get another burst of focus, I can work from 2:30pm until 6pm. If not, I putt around on the internet looking at blogs, browse craigslist (for motorcycles), or sometimes some mindless grading. Around 7 pm I start thinking about work again, which usually starts with some grading or note taking. Around 8 or 9 pm I hit my stride and can work until midnight or 1am. Sometimes I will intentionally try to shut myself down around 10pm to go to bed, but if I miss my sleepiness window, I am up and working again. The other problem is that when I am efficiently working, I don't want to miss the lost opportunity costs. While I am a lone man in the wilderness I should take advantage of the work time, right?

I don't know how people get tenure without sacrificing some things here and there. The anonymous but ever important, 'they,' say that the first few years of an academic job are really tough. I can see why. With prepping classes and trying to get papers written, I have to create time to think about other things. I don't even have a service component to my position. With committee service, advising, and all that I have experienced in my current position, it is no wonder that significant relationship problems occur in grad school and through the first few years of an academic job.

What is the end goal of all of this? Family time, a stable job, very flexible hours, and freedom to study what you want, leaving a worthy legacy, and the instant gratification of teaching. How long does it take to secure? The six years to tenure.

I am investing in this time away from my family with the intent that it will be a sufficient substitution for some of those time requirements. I see it as making a deposit in an unseen bank account. If I make significant deposits now, I won't have to make them later. For the short term, I am certain that that will work. I miss my family, but the productivity benefits are unbelievably high. What kills me the most is coming home to a quiet and empty house. There are no hugs from loving children or a dedicated spouse, only more of my work. Life alone provides only limited rewards, it is family that matters most

It is late, and I am nearing the end of my productive/sane time. Welcome to my randomness.