A quick update...
I've been struggling to find time to post this, but here's a few bits and pieces from my first week back teaching:
- Institution A has given me two spacious classrooms with large windows and properly-working AV and computer equipment. Institution B has given me one classroom that has too many desks in it, no windows, computer podium in the corner (which makes zero sense for trying to do powerpoint presentations) and terrible sound equality on videos. I have the same number of students at both institutions, i.e. class size at one is half that of the other. Institution A pays better. Gee, I wonder where I want to work more in the future. /sarcasm
- I have a special needs fellow in one class who is bright and enthusiastic, but has a bit of trouble with the whole "make comments that are relevant to what I'm talking about, not just relevant to the topic of religion in general" concept. I was worried about handling this gracefully for about the first 20 minutes, and then it occurred to me that countless students engage in "I'm now going to beak off with my random theory about life, the universe and everything" in religious studies classes all the time anyway. So really it's just business as usual.
- On last Monday I had to teach two classes with zero sleep. This turned out to be a silver-lining thing though, because I think it's had a beneficial effect on some lingering self-consciousness issues I have with teaching. i.e. "I'm too tired to be self-conscious about this right now," a sentiment that helps me with slowly ridding myself of the problem entirely.
- I recently gave up on a certain friend ever giving back certain comics of mine that I've asked for on multiple occasions, so I just went and bought them over again. I spent my over-tired periods of time this week re-reading the whole series, and this being Grant Morrison's Invisibles, I have a lot of background spiritual-theorizing going on in my brain now. I may or may not write about it once it runs its course. I also pulled "have you heard of the Invisibles?" on some random student who was asking me a question about Zoroastrianism in P.K. Dick's work, so hopefully that goes somewhere for him.
- Because of having to change my textbook this semester, and thus re-write all my lectures, quizzes and whatnot, I'm finding the workload for teaching is really heavy right at the moment. I hope though that if I put as much time as I can into it for the immediate next while, I can get far enough ahead to be pacing the research better once again.
- As far as the research goes, the end result of the Xmas break was that I got lots of reading and brainstorming done, and have a much clearer idea of my overall direction, but didn't actually finish the chapter(s) I had hoped to because of more shifts in focus, claims I thought I could make that fell through, and etc. I get frustrated at times that, while this doesn't bother me-in-and-of-myself, because I know it's part of the process, I'm annoyed at the potential for it to seem like a lack of progress in the eyes of other parties, academic or otherwise. Can't do much about misperceptions of that sort, so I know it's ultimately pointless to worry about, but there it is anyway.
- Turn-out at tea on Friday was awesome, and I hope that's a trend that continues to strengthen. But since Zyclobonzaron comes in on Fridays these days and we aren't much for clubbing when we're together, this hasn't been conducive to going to Datalink. There's also the fact that I've disappeared from Datalink for periods of time due to academic priorities in the past, and of course I am even busier right now. Just wanted to mention that because I don't wish to give the impression that I'm "against" supporting it; I don't hate it, it's just not a priority for me right now.
Posted at 12:41 AM on Monday, January 18
Category:
Life Update
Comments
my problem with datalink is it's so empty. it's empty because people don't go, and people don't go because it's so empty. i'm not sure how to fix that.
I'm halfway through rereading The Invisibles at the mo. Schmall wurld! ... ;o)
i enjoy doing things friday nights when i'm not working my second job, or so tired from working 2 jobs all week. tea-then-datalink more specifically. it's weird... my day job has turned out to be more or less a guest teaching position. i understand the point about definitely wanting to work at the place where the technology is way better... when my technology goes awry [and something happens every bloody day], everything crashes. re: point 2: i deal with kids, so everybody seems like the enthusiastic yet special fellow you mentioned. i just hate when the kids think they know how to do things better than me, neglect to listen to instructions, then do things completely wrong as a result.
i have a feeling i have to work this friday night [blarg], but i will try to get out of it and catch at least some of tea X[
I remember being in a 400 level art history class in which a special needs student was auditing. I felt quite bad for the Prof, who was the kind of lecturer that gets into a train of thought and then is completely fucked when interrupted. It was hard for him to respond tactfully to this kid who often disrupted the class with not entirely relevent commentary, and occasionally very loud snoring, but he dealt with it in a "that is an interesting thought and perhaps we can discuss it after class" type manner.
The other fun part of that class was being crammed into a classroom with mostly broken little desks and in which the computer almost never worked. such a valuable U of C education.
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