timna

you don't want to see this in your rear-view mirror

your daughter's car getting hit, turned, smashed by a much bigger car.

and yet, since I was driving the car in front of this crash, and I was already stopped, all I could do was watch it unfold. fast. and then pull my car over and race back to almond joy's car which was by then front-ended into the snowbank on the right side of the road. the big white car that hit her had spun in the other direction (fortunately no oncoming traffic at that particular second).

I really wasn't distraught and losing it, but I was singularly focused on getting to my baby. holding on to her, crying with her, and then finding out that we're all ok. it's just broken car pieces scattered around us.

the driver from the next car back came up to see how we were, and said the police were on the way. the woman in the other car was crying and pretty upset, but not hurt either. so we began to settle down. I backed aj's car out of the snowbank and pulled it up behind mine. (we had just come from an appointment and were coming and going to different places. we also shared a milkshake at snuffy's before going on with the day). then the police came and it took awhile for a tow truck to come. doesn't look like aj's car is going to get fixed. it was old. we cleared all the stuff out of it. people stopped to ask if they could help.

I came home and skipped the wrestling meet and the FAFSA and mostly talked to insurance folks and tow company lots and went to bed with a heating pad and cuddled with my baby.

tomorrow's another day.

I need to remember this formulaic answer

I've been really cranky lately about unsigned emails. Yes, I'm supposed to figure out from an email address with 3-4 letters and 3 numbers who this student is and what class he/she is in. I don't want to not respond at all, but I'm really pissed by now and I still get 3-4 emails a day like this even after mentioning, in each class, that it's bugging me.  I refuse to check 4 classlists. Answering the questions, however, apparently means the problem continues.

So:

Dear abcd0002,

Thank you for your email. Please let me know who you are and which class you are in, so that I can better respond.

Sincerely,

timna

and then just let it go.

pain in the back

yes, I don't want to complain because I get up every morning just fine, but each evening, and it seems to be earlier and earlier, I stop moving easily. my spine and lower back are really not ok with something that I'm doing (or not doing).

I think I used to nap more in the afternoons and lately it's just been one long day after another. could also be the cold -- I can blame anything on the cold.

sure makes me grumpy after about 7pm.

gap

my contemporary world lit folks really tried to convince me that they are supposed to be reading one hour outside of class for every class hour.

what?  

they've been really angry about the amount of reading we're doing. how can I expect them to read a book every week?  (no, there are about 8 books, that would be one every two weeks, but I suspect math is also a problem).

they were shocked when I said, yup, I think two 6 hour blocks of time each week should cover the course material. more if you are a slow reader.

they said the counselors told them that a 3 credit course should be 3 hours of work outside. that in their other courses they only have to read a 30 page chapter each week. (depending on the discipline, 30 pages could be 9-12 hours, but not in this class).  I told them they aren't getting a very good deal in classes that don't ask much of them. they said they have 4-5-6 other classes and they're working.

we went on with the poetry for the day. they said if they wanted poetry they would have signed up for a poetry class. this is supposed to be literature.

I said let's open the book.

(design at apoplecticpress)

two weeks into the semester

I think I'm asking more of my students. Giving them more information, and then expecting to see improvements. Usually I'd asked them to write proposals for the first paper on their philosophy of education. This time I gave them the 25 examples before they went home to write. And we went over the list to see what would work well and become a strong essay. I've also asked for more MLA format right away. Why wait?  

Quizzes in the global studies class -- asking students to identify the speaker in an article? How can they read an article without being able to figure out who is summarizing whom? Without looking at the footnotes? or understanding that the question involves looking at the footnotes if they haven't done that yet?

I'm impatient, but a good section of each class is doing what's being asked, so maybe it's not too much.

being introverted makes teaching challenging

and being really shy makes the first weeks just  painful.

I think that's what's going on. Otherwise, why would I be so drained and on-the-verge-of-tears when nothing's really wrong?

stressed, yes. the FAFSA is looming and the person who does our taxes isn't answering email (that would mean make a phone call, right? c'mon. not so hard.).

the teaching portfolio - the other nominees have been working away since Dec and I just keep tossing interesting documents into the pile. I know I have a huge headstart by having written the fulbright application last summer. most of the necessary documents are essentially put together. still, it's a deadline approaching.

not to mention the tenure (end of probation) portfolio. guess that's just going to be minor updates on the efolio.

classes are going well. the sun is shining. maybe a nap would help?

I am thrilled

about the inauguration.

all the energy, all gone

couldn't we have another day off? maybe until February?

so the desk is cleared at home and I'm only missing one tax document that I'm pretty darn sure I did see come in. found all of the bills and checks that I knew were hiding there. started using the new shredder. and I must admit that moving stuff into the closet so that I can find it, really is nice (everything had been in large plastic boxes since we switched rooms last Aug).

teaching today should be ok. just need to re-read the text before noon.

still clearing the desk at work. with all of this material in place, I should be able to write both portfolios -- the one for tenure and the one for a teaching award. just sorting and clearing is helping me figure out what I've been doing lately. I think I could even re-read the blog for input.

the financial aid forms terrify me. getting taxes done this week? getting the FAFSA out by Feb 1? I just don't feel capable.

and ben t. is out of sorts. his piano playing was too much for the cabin fever folks yesterday and he took it badly when asked to modify. we all could have used some community center time yesterday but only one of us was wise enough to go. it wasn't me.

my book club

I knew they'd be excited with me about the prospects for next year. We were very few last night -- between the snow coming down and our choice of One Hundred Years of Solitude -- only 5 people came.  But they cheered on my sabbatical and the prospects and uncertainty of exactly where I'll be or with which members of the family. I knew they'd be suppportive of dreaming about the possibilities.

the best sun today

was the sunrise. glad I was up to see it even if it was to drive someone to wrestling.

hasn't been any sunshine since.