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Started teaching again last night. So far so good. I've decided to blog about the teaching on a regular basis now. Sort of like blognitive therapy, if you will. The frustration and anguish associated with dealing with American undergraduates can, to put it mildly, get a little excessive. As I have said earlier: Teaching is like being a vet – you bend over backwards to help the animals, only to have them bite you back in the end (pun intended).
To credit these kids though, I have to say that they were pretty well-behaved last night. There are only seven of them in the class. Several of them seemed older and more in tune with how things work in the real world. Also, its a summer class, which means its usually more relaxed. And since its a class for non-majors, no one is there by force. And "by force" I mean because of university-imposed major requirements. So I can only assume that they are there out of personal interest.
However, all is not well here in these hallowed halls of academic scholarship. Someone screwed up my text-book order and ordered the wrong textbook to the University book store. The classroom is not PowerPoint enabled and it does not even have air-conditioning. Which kind of reflects badly on the University. A certain level of professionalism is expected, I think, when you're teaching in the US. But, on the bright side, I'm working to change all that. So, all of you who are waiting with bated breath to read my next blog-post on my teaching, and I know you are out there, all one of you (including me), I'll keep you posted. Or, blog-posted, to be more precise.
Addendum: In case you're wondering about the significance of the title of this post, well, it's chosen to reflect the kind of anguish Brad Pitt's character went through in the movie Se7en when he found out what he found out at the end of the movie (no spoilers here). Alternatively, the suspense you felt while watching the movie mirrors the suspense that you will feel in waiting for my next teaching post. It's got nothing to do with the fact that I have seven students in my class, though. Nothing whatsoever.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Anamika // Oct 3, 2006 at 4:49 am
Hi GG,
I completely relate. I was there…I thought my job was to teach and it wasn t. It was to prime them for the exam so that they knew exactly what to study for. I thought we were supposed to help them think and that wasnt it. I had to be prepared with synoposes, outlines and cheat sheets.
My job was their minder and their memory aide to the exam. Evals got profs kicked out and TAs “relocated”.
Like this blonde babe, who would talk more than think and insisted that I say the same thing a million times. We had an all out temper vs. temper
one sunny california day.
Keep writing … but less about tea.
tc,
Anamika
2 The Great Ganesha // Oct 3, 2006 at 11:09 am
hey anamika,
it’s quite a sad state of affairs. methinks these things move in cycles here. so hopefully, people will begin to realize they have a problem, then they focus more on education again. which, in turn, improves the student body. and i think that’s happening to some extent now. we’ll have to see.
thanks for the support, though.
thanks also for the encouragement. will certainly keep writing. and not abt tea (well, except the last part of the interview – and then no more tea, i promise).
best,
gg
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