I do still exist...

I took more than a temporary break from blogging about my trials and tribulations with teaching. Mainly, because as I mentioned last June (almost a year ago!), I was expecting my first child and not sure whether I was going to teach come the Fall semester.

So what has happened since?

1) I didn't teach in Fall... focused on my research and managed to get a TON done before the baby came. Amazing how much work one can accomplish when they are just working in the lab and not juggling research and teaching.

2) I applied to some faculty jobs due the fact that the husband was about to be relocated for his job. I didn't really think I had a shot at any of the jobs, however, I made the phone interview cut-off for one university. Which I proceeded to have while 9 months pregnant and thought it went AWFUL. More on that to come..

3) I had a baby. A little girl born in December. Yes, her birthday is close to Christmas... and no, I couldn't do anything about that.

4) The phone interview apparently didn't go as badly as I thought, as the university invited me to campus for an in-person interview. However they wanted me to come a month after Baby Girl was born and I was still on maternity leave. I debated it.... but then husband's job ended up not getting relocated and there was no need to move, so I said thanks but no thanks. (I was much more polite in the e-mail to them & tried not to burn any bridges)

5) Maternity leave is over and I'm back at work in the lab. Trying to juggle mommyhood and sciencehood.

6) I put in to team teach a graduate course at a nearby university and our "team" got selected. So come Fall, I will be teaching again, but to a completely different group of students. No longer will I be dealing with undergraduates who are required to take an intro bio course, but with graduate students who want to take an advanced biology course. This teaching should be a lot easier on me as it will only be 5 lectures, and its just once a week. I think this is the perfect way for me to continue to teach and not be pulled away from my family too much.

So thats the update on me...... how is everyone else out there?

-TempProf

The experiment gods are against me.

Have you ever had what should be a simple, simple experiment just NOT work.  No matter what you do, the experiment gods just seem to be against you.  And by this I don't mean, you're not getting the result you predicted (or even want) but that you're not getting ANY result.  That has been my fight of the last 2 weeks.   And right, I'm at the point where I would rather get the opposite result than I really need just so I know the damn experiment is working.

(sigh)

Its times like these, that I think its just best to put that project aside, and deal with something else for a little.  Thankfully, I have enough on my plate that there are many, many other things I can deal with, experiment with, toy with, design, while I wait for the experiment gods to decide to shine upon me.   And at least I am not at the point yet where every thing I touch crumbles in front of me.  Some things are still working, and for that I will count my blessings.

Telling the Boss

So due to the nature of some of my experiments in the lab, I felt I needed to let my PI know that I was expecting and thus wouldn't be able to fool around with some of the more nastier stuff we work with.

Keep in mind, I'm currently only 10 weeks along, not even done with the first trimester yet and hadn't initially planned on telling anyone until we passed that milestone.

Anyway, my PI (who I think I did previously refer to as pretty damn amazing) was actually excited when I told him I was pregnant.  I wasn't quite sure how it would go over (though there is another post-doc in the lab who had a baby 2 years ago so I wasn't the first in the lab to have to tell him such news), but he pleasantly surprised me.   Suddenly he was giving me all this advice (taken from his wife's experience, but of course) and telling me how the birth of his daughter was one of the best moments of his life.

(sigh)

And yes people, I count my blessings every day that I managed to find a lab that..

a) works on something I am very interested in

and

b) is run by such an awesome person.

Now, I just have to figure out how to tell him that I plan on taking 3 months off once the baby is born....  :)    But I think I'm going to wait a little for that announcement.

The best answer to an exam question

I do have to share this one, wonderful comment I got as an answer to a short answer question on the exam. It was from my favorite student, Mr. J. Mr. J has given me a barrel of trouble over the entire semester. This is his first college class ever, after 15 years out of school (facts that I only found out towards the end of the semester) and he has been full of great comments. Let's just say the guy is not my number #1 fan.

To sum up some of Mr. J's comments over the course of the semester:

"I'm supposed to be learn everything I need to know by just coming to your class. I shouldn't need to put in any other time outside of class."

(In response to my suggestion that he might want to start reading the assigned chapters and doing the suggested problems)

"I didn't know I was supposed to be a mind reader"

(In response to an exam question where he was asked to name the 5 major differences between two scientific processes, and he named just one. He thought he deserved full credit for the question.)

And finally.. the humdinger of them all. Written on his final exam. In answer to the exact same question that he previously answered wrong and responded with his "mind reader" comment. (Note- this was a very important topic, so I did use the SAME question again on the cumulative final. It was also stressed in the study guide for the final. How much more help can I give them???)

And here is Mr. J's answer to the question to name 5 major differences between subject X and Y.....

"Due to your critique of my previous answer to this question, I have chosen to completely forget anything I knew about these two subjects. Thank you for your helpful instructions."

My comment to that answer? A large red X and a big fat ZERO!  

Gotta love some of these students....

(though the last laugh is mine... cause he needed an 80 on the final to pass the class, and unfortunately even with the curve, he only managed a 71. So looks like Mr. J will be someone else's problem next semester. Should I warn them?)

Done

with Spring semester of 2009.

The final exam is graded (with a tiny curve) and all grades have been entered.  And I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.  One course done... many more to come in the future.

Unfortunately, as much as I enjoy teaching, I won't be teaching next semester.  I had a course (Baby Bio) all lined up for Fall, but I had to ask the Dean to remove me from the schedule.  You see, Mr. TempProf and I recently found out we are expecting our first child.  And I don't think I could handle an evening class, 2 nights a week, at 8 months pregnant.   (Especially when you add to that working a full-time post-doc job)

So, as I started this blog to talk about my adventures in teaching, and won't be teaching for a year, this blog will probably not be too active.  I definitely plan to bring it back though as soon as I re-enter the teaching world.  Which will happen.  Cause despite the difficulties I had this semester, I think this is what I'm meant to do.

-TempProf

The Home Stretch

I can see it.  I can hear it.  My weary body is beginning to breathe a sound of relief.

Only 2 more lectures to go and then a final exam.  I can do this. 

Lab is finished with.  They had their final the other night, and I've already graded them and tallied the lab grades.

Now just to get through the remaining 3 classes, and then I will have time to devout solely to research.   

I'm on the schedule to teach again come Fall, after a much needed summer break.  We'll see if my class fills.  Registration hasn't started yet.

Read My Mind

Do you know I expect students to read my mind?

Hm-mmm.

Or at least that was what I was informed of yesterday by a student.

He had an issue with his last exam.   I should say he had multiple issues with the exam (mainly stemming from the fact that he got a 62% on it), but I will spare you the details.  Instead I will focus on the fact that apparently I expect my students to read my mind.  Heaven forbid that the information asked about was not only in the book but was also in my lecture powerpoint and was extensively covered in class.

However, this particular student, when asked a short answer question to provide all the major differences between Topic A and Topic B, thought that providing just one difference should have been enough to get him full credit on the question.   He didn't understand why he got less than partial credit on the question and he argued and argued with me.   He kept coming back to the same statement, "I didn't know I was expected to read your mind."

How does fully and completely answering the question require any mind-reading?   I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, that it simply requires actually reading the material, paying attention in class, and studying.

But apparently that is too much to ask, and I should just give everyone full credit if they throw the words DNA, RNA or protein into their answer.

Too many e-mails?

So how many e-mails are too many from one single student?

I have one student who e-mails me (give or take) 3 times a day.  Always has a question on the readings, has questions on assignments, has questions on homework, etc, etc, etc.  I have reached the point where I  just plain don't feel like answering her back.  I ultimately do, but I've lost the need to e-mail her back ASAP.  I doubt many other professors  constantly and continually respond to their students, at all hours of the day and night, weeknights and weekends.   

Maybe that was my mistake.  By starting out with a good response time, I doomed myself.  Now she expects an answer right away, hence the constant deluge of e-mails.   

So I am weening myself off.

Well, weening from just responding.  Don't think I could ween myself off checking my e-mail.  But thats a topic for another post.

Evaluations

So yesterday I had to hand out the "professor evaluation" forms.  Or actually, my designated student handed them out and collected them, placing them in a sealed envelope, which I then deposited on the administrative assistant's desk.

Do I wonder what they say?   Yeah.

Am I nervous about what they say?  Yeah.

But thats a good thing, right?  'Cause if I didn't care at all about being a good professor or teacher, then I wouldn't care what the evaluations said, right?  Right?

I don't expect to get perfect scores, since really I am a new fledgling teacher just learning to spread her wings and fly.  There is a lot of room for improvement and the rationale side of me knows that.   But the other side of me just wants everyone to like me and think that I'm doing a good job.

Unrealistic, eh?

Especially the everyone like me bit.   Outside of the classroom everyone doesn't like me, so why would all my students like me?  Especially those that are currently failing.

 Apparently the assistant dean reads through the evaluations and will talk to me about them at my end of year review.  Will there be anything useful to help me become a better instructor in those evaluations?   My gut says no.

So has anyone ever benefited from student evaluations?

Also, and this is kinda related.... has anyone ever looked themselves up on Rate My Professor?  'Cause I have.  And I think I'm going to wait awhile before doing it again.

Dealing with job and outside stress

So my question for today is what are some ways other people have found that helps you deal with still being productive while working (bench work and teaching) while you're dealing with non-work issues.

I'll save everyone the current drama in my life except to say it deals with an extremely ill relative and an even sicker doggie family member.  For those who don't know me, I've mentioned at the very beginning of this blog that I have 2 fur "babies".   Right now, they are our children.  And one of them just got a horrible diagnosis so we have some major decisions to make regarding his care.

The reason I ask this question is because I'm sitting at work right now (post-doc work, in the lab) and I can't think about my experiments.  My notebook is open in front of me, my organisms sitting on my bench ready to be experimented on, and nothing is happening.  My brain can not function.  Honestly, I'll be amazed if this post makes sense to anyone besides me.

Add to that, last night I tried to work on my lecture for this week (genetics and inheritance) and I couldn't do a thing.  I spent all of my time googling potential treatment options (which only made me more and more depressed).

So now I have to teach a lab tonight that I haven't done any prep work for at all.  Have to lecture on thursday and just have the bare-bones of a powerpoint presentation ready to go, nothing else.

Do I just shut my brain off to everything non-work related and delve into work?  Unfortunately, I don't think I'm the sort of person who can do that.  So I guess the only option is just push through it all.  'Cause the world doesn't stop revolving just because you've been dealt a shitty hand.

I don't appreciate the tone

Is it just me, or are students a lot less respectful than they used to be?  

I don't remember ever talking back to my teachers or professors.  But it seems like every class now, I have someone coming up to me with some smart aleck remark or comment.  Is it just that I wasn't that sort of student so I didn't notice other students doing it?  Or has the attitude of students actually changed?

They seem to want As just for showing up, never mind they haven't put an ounce of effort in to the class.  They want to hand in assignments days or even weeks late, with no explanation, and expect a passing grade on it.  And if they don't get their way, they argue.   And boy oh boy, can they argue.

Maybe they should just all get degrees in debating... and leave the science alone.

 

Currently Unfunded

That's my funding status.

I finally got my review back from ACS (after they took their good old sweet time... see here).   Apparently I am a "very strong candidate" whose "mentor is a well established and highly regarded researcher in field X", however my research plan suffers from being "overly ambitious and not focused enough."

Hmmm... though both my 2 reviewers did say I should resubmit.  So I guess I have some revisions coming my way and attempts to focus the research down.   The next time I can submit is October 15th, so I have a while to deal with it.  (Technically the next time I could submit would have been April 1st, however since I only got the feedback on April 1st, that wasn't really a possibility.)

Oh, yeah, and the final overall recommendation was "Low Excellent"

What the heck does that mean?

I think I need to make a sign and post it on my door.

"Dr. Temporary Prof - Low Excellent"

Maybe I should change my blog title to that....

ps- I know this is all part of the process, so I'm really not that upset about not getting a fellowship.  Though it would have been nice...

Tired. So Tired.

I feel like I could sleep for days.... well, maybe just one. But still, the entire day.

Part of me can't wait until summer when the only thing I will have to do is research. The other part of me can't help thinking that if I'm tired now, only teaching one class, how in the world am I going to make it as a full-time faculty member? Having multiple classes to teach and hopefully a lab to run.

I love what I do, but where do you draw the line? When do you just say, enough is enough and for your own sanity lessen the load a little.

Unbelievable student requests

"Can you just scan in the missing pages & send them to me?"

That is a quote from an e-mail I received from a student this weekend.  Apparently their lab manual is missing 4 or 5 pages, so they want me to scan in the pages and e-mail it to them.

Ummm.. how about no.

I told them I was not near a scanner and wouldn't be for some time, so they might want to try to contact a fellow student in the class.  Maybe I shouldn't have even e-mailed them back.

I would NEVER have had the gall to ask a professor to do that for me.  Why does it seem that students these days just expect everything to be handed to them on a silver platter?

Exam Time

So that time has rolled around again.   Time to write another exam.   I think when I was a student (eons and eons ago, just kidding!) I thought professors had it really easy.  They just had to pick some random questions, throw them on a piece of paper, and print out enough copies for the entire class.  Then when I picked up the book and instructors CD and realized there was a test bank of questions, I thought how hard can this be?   It's only now, having written one exam previously, that I realize how much work it takes. 

I also think its a lot easier to take an exam than it is to write an exam.  I would much rather spend my time studying a subject, take an hour+ exam and be done, then spend hours upon hours of trying to come up with questions to test the knowledge of the students.  Questions that are interesting and challenging, but not too challenging.  Questions that make sense to people besides me, the writer.  Questions that at least some portion of the class will be able to successfully answer!

Writing a good exam is an art.  And I am not even close to perfecting that art form yet.

Bad Lab Instructor

I got tattled on this AM.

Apparently one of my lab tables didn't completely empty every single drop of water out of their beakers last night after cleaning them.  So the lab this morning had to dry them out.

How do I know this?  I got an e-mail from the "head" lab person this AM requesting that I more properly ensure my students clean up after themselves.

Being in the great mood I'm in.... I sent a very lovely e-mail back apologizing, saying it wouldn't happen again, and if we were informing of equipment not properly maintained, here were my complaints.... And then I proceeded to list the unfortunate things I've had to deal with this semester, but which I just initially shrugged off as an accident.

Spiteful today?  Not in the least.....

The Annoying Ones

I have one student (who in a previous post I've named Sam so we're just going to keep on with that) who absolutely drives me nuts.   

He just knows how to push every single one of my buttons and whenever he talks to me, I find the need to constantly  remind myself to remain calm, and that nothing good will come of strangling him.  In fact, I'm pretty sure that would get me fired.

Last week in addition to the lobster boy question, he came up to me after class and started the conversation with "I have a pet peeve with tonight's class."

Here is our conversation in as much detail as I can remember: 

(S = Sam the student, Temp = me)

S: I have a pet peeve with tonight's class.

Temp: Oh?  And what would that be Sam?

S: You never called on me when I had my hand raised to ask a question.

Temp: Hmm, I think I called on you and you asked quite a few questions tonight Sam.

(thinking to self, will you just shut up and go home!  For goodness sake 

its 10:30pm and I want to go home!!!!)

S: I had my hand raised a ton of times and you called on other people.

Temp:  Well, I apologize if I missed seeing your hand raised, I never intentionally avoid calling on you.  

(thinking- even if sometimes I want to avoid your hand, I never do!)

S:  You should call on me when my hand is raised.

Temp:  Unfortunately Sam, you are not the only student in the class who has questions, and if someone else's hand is raised, I might call on them before returning to call on you.  You did ask a number of questions tonight, and sometimes other students need the opportunity to ask questions too.   Now, was there any specific question you wanted to ask me?

(thinking- You egotistical person, I -must- call on you?  No, don't think so.)

S:  No, they all got answered.

Temp:  You mean, other people asked your question so you know the answer?

S:  Yes.

Temp:  So what is the problem?

(thinking- why the hell are you wasting my time, I'm tired and want to go home!)

S:  You still need to call on me whenever my hand is raised.

Temp:  (sigh)  See you next week Sam.

(thinking- can you just drop my class Mr. Annoying?)

And, just to hit home the type of student this individual is these are some other incidents that all happened in the same class period last week!

- He left class in the middle to go to the restroom (i'm assuming) which the whole class knows its okay to do.  However, when he returned I was halfway down the white board from where I was when he left.  He returned to his seat, and then 5 minutes later raised his hand to ask me a question about the notes that were written WHILE HE WAS OUT OF THE ROOM!   I would have had no problem with him coming up after class to ask me a question about something he missed while he was out... but to take up time in the middle of class?   This guy just thinks its all about him.

- He interrogated me about why I decided to let them work on what is normally their quiz as a group and made it into an in-class assignment.  Once in between every exam, I take what would normally be their quiz and let them work on it together, using their books and notes.   It basically guarantees them a full 10 points on it and they seem to learn that material too, so why not?  However, dear 'ol Sam, took it as a result of how badly he thought they all did on the last exam and said to me, "So, you know now that the exam was too hard so you're giving us extra points to make up for it."   Umm--- an fyi Sam--- the average on the exam was a C and just because you got a D, doesn't mean most people thought the exam was too hard.   And if you remember Sammy boy, I did the same thing one time before the last exam.  Nothing new here.

-----------

So dear readers, how do you deal with those students that just grate your nerves?  Please share with me the methods you have used, because I think I'm in danger of losing my cool with him.

"Is that the same thing as a lobster boy?"

That is an actual quote from my class last week.   

The context?  We were talking about apoptosis (aka- programmed cell death) and how it is an  essential part of normal development.  The example I provided was how a developing chicken foot undergoes extensive apoptosis whilst a duck's does not, hence the remnant of webbing in the duck's foot and not in the chickens.

So my favorite student (that was sarcasm there... this individual is actually the one who drives me nuts and can push every single one of my buttons - story on that to come tomorrow) raises his hand, and that was the question he asked.

"Is that the same thing as a lobster boy?"

I had no idea how to respond and I'm sure my face showed that.   I hadn't the foggiest idea what he was referring to.   So I ask him if he can explain what he means and he goes on to say, 

"You know, the people in carnival freak shows that have lobster claws for hands."

Looking back on it now, I guess I can see where he is coming from, and how the question related to the topic at hand.  But at the time I was just so perplexed all I could respond with was...

"Sam*, I don't know anything about any lobster boys."

*= real name has been removed for sake of privacy.  Not that I seriously believe "Sam" actually reads my bog, but one never knows.

Updates

The quiz cheater was not in lab this week.   

This morning upon checking my roster, I find the student has withdrawn from the class.  Am I bothered by this?  Not at all.   This was the same student who, after receiving a 61 on the first exam, asked me if I could just drop the exam.  Not very likely I informed them in response.

I guess they decided to just take a "W" on their transcript rather than get the grade that would be coming to them.

Now come lecture time this week I need to inform the students of their grades in the class up to this point and let them know that March 26th is the last day they can withdraw from the class without having to provide any reason.  Do I think any of them will do this?   Yeah, unfortunately I do.   The couple of students that haven't attended really any lectures... they'll probably withdraw.  The student who didn't even show up for the first exam (15% of the final grade) and still thinks they can pass...they'll probably withdraw.

Oh well.....  thats the way it goes, right?  If they don't think they'll get a B, some will just drop.  Or am I incorrect in that assumption?

And, I have to keep reminding myself to not take it personally.  Why is that so hard?  All I want to do is teach them.  Get them to learn something in the science department.

OCD. Me? Never.

So I'm waiting to hear about my ACS fellowship.  

According to the 40+ page instruction booklet, they send out an e-mail with your application status in early to mid-March.  And even though they explicitly state that they will send out an e-mail before updating the reviewers comments on the proposalCENTRAL website, I am constantly logging onto the site to see if my comments are there.  And I mean constantly.  Last night I checked at 8:30pm, again at 8:50, once more at 9:40, and then one final time at 10:10 before turning my computer off for the night.

I hate to bother the good 'ol people at ACS (especially if they deem me worthy enough of some funding) but its AFTER BOTH EARLY AND MID-MARCH!  

Last time I checked March had 31 days, which would make the middle of March occur half way through the day on March 15th.  

Today is March 18th.  That would be 3 days after March 15th.

Don't provide me with date information like that and not keep your end of the bargain.  I mean, c'mon!  Your application was due on October 15th, and I didn't try and hand mine in on October 16th!  It was there, in your hands, by the 15th.  Like stated.  So cut me some slack and send me an e-mail.

I don't know why I'm OCDing about this as I'm fully prepared for another rejection letter.  What I really want is the comments they give you.  If I could just see what they thought was wrong with my proposal, maybe I could make some changes and resubmit.  After all, ACS lets you resubmit up to 2 times, I believe.   

Will I resubmit before the next deadline?  Perhaps.  'Cause I kinda want a fellowship.  Y'know?