I am writing the section of a proposal on PI qualifications right now. This is the part where I say I am great, in as many different ways and using as many different specific supporting examples as I can think of. Curiously, this has started to become quite easy. (I always found it rather embarrassing in the past– as if I was being quite the egotist). I guess I am getting used to this job.
Semester over. Back to grant writing.
This has been my first semester teaching. I have learned a lot. Here is the main thing I learned: there are students who do poor work, and I will be giving them C’s. This is painful.
When I planned my class, I included a lot of interactive activities, student-directed learning, and student presentations. In my mind, I was imagining that only A students would populate my class. It would be a good time. We would happily discuss scientific issues and explore the relevant scientific issues. I would use the class to help develop new research ideas.
I have several very good students. However, I also ended up with a sub-population of weak students in my class. Some of these students had been warned that they were not making sufficient academic progress, and needed to improve their grades. My class did not have any formal prerequisites, and it must have looked relatively fun and easy. I was a new professor; maybe the class seemed exciting. So they signed up, but they could not do the work… at least, not at an A or B level. By the time I figured out the extent of the problem, it was too late to screen them out or prevent them from registering.
All semester, several of the weaker students have been asking for extra credit opportunities, make-up assignments, grade forgiveness, etc. The students who were doing poorly have generally improved, but not to the B level. Meanwhile, the quality of class presentations and discussions have been watered down by the weaker performers, to the detriment of the whole class. My idea of using the class to develop research project ideas now looks somewhat naive.
There are now only a few weeks of classes left in the semester. I have kept the students regularly updated on their grades. Some of them may not graduate this semester, because their grade in my class will bring them below the minimum GPA. I am steeling myself now against any anticipated begging, pleading, and complaints that the grade I am giving them will bring shame on them and their family. Next year I will be far more careful about who is allowed to register for my class. But for this year, I am trying to get used to my role as a Tough Professor.
I just voted. Since I live near campus, my polling place was full of university students. While I was there, two of the students in the polling line were turned away because they were registered in another state or county, and didn’t realize you were supposed to vote where you were registered. A few more students filed provisional ballots, because their names were not on the voter roll. A very cranky female poll worker with long, talon-like fingernails took to swearing and went to smoke a cigarette (I’m not sure if this was related to the uninformed students; she might have just been a cranky person.) Another cranky poll worker was looking up voters’ and addresses with an exasperated tone: "Smith, James? I don’t have that one. No. No, don’t have that… oh wait, here it is."
Fortunately I was registered in the right county and state and properly listed on the rolls and have now cast my vote.
I was tagged by drdrA for the random things meme– here goes:
life, life in science, miscellaneous thoughts
