today i saw quite a few students who were either making-up tests or picking up their final papers and stuff. a lot of the students who were picking up stuff commented on how much they liked the class, asked me if i'd be teaching more, and in general had some good things to say about the semester. one of them was a non-traditional student and my class was her first one. she was so excited to find out that she got an A. her first A in an undergrad class as a full-time employee and mom of a college-aged student. :) i was genuinely happy as i entered 200 grades for my intro class to see that some of the students that have been showing up and working hard all semester did well.
i also talked with a student for about a half hour today. i never knew what to make of him in class. he always had this shitty grin on his face and sat in the back, so my impression was that he wasn't taking it very seriously. i was wrong. very wrong. he told me last week that his younger brother died unexpectedly and he was thus behind on things. today, he turned in missing homework and lamented that he only got a 92 out of 100 on his last test (which he took during a stressful time). just goes to show that some students really care and are willing to bust their asses. in fact, i wish more students were like him...rather than giving me some b.s. excuse when the fact of the matter is that they are just slacking, they work through a difficult time. i'm truly proud of that student and hope he is also proud of himself.
so, even though i still have lots of grades to calculate and will inevitably hear some gripes about grades, i can say that this has been a very positive experience. the more i do it, the more i think i'm really cut out to do this. the administrator/teacher/small college path seems to be the right fit for me...just as i've always suspected. perhaps that makes me a quasi-academic...but i don't care. :)
time for bed.
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:)
est. 1976 :) ramblings of a buck wild sociologist
est. 1976 :) ramblings of a buck wild sociologist
:)
About Me
- Kate :)
- I recently graduated with my Ph.D. in Sociology and I'm still trying to get used to the fact that I'm done with school forever. I've been teaching in my first faculty position since August 07, which is going well. Not sure what's next on the horizon, but I know I will figure it out. Currently, I'm living back in Iowa and readjusting to life in the Midwest. In general, I'm pretty laid back, funny, and open minded. Love movies, playing golf, takin' it easy with friends, drinking coffee, writing in my journal, road trips, traveling, beer, wine, and white russians, and monkeys. :) Hmmm...what else? I miss being close to friends who are far away, but it has been nice meeting new people and being closer to family. I think those are the basics. :) Thanks for reading.
2 comments:
Kate,
It makes me laugh a little to realize how opposite we are in our estimations of teaching, and probably our teaching abilities. You teacher, me researcher. Students make you happy, students make me nutty.
Odd considering we're so much alike in other ways.
Glad you had a good semester chick.
Glad to hear you have found something that you like doing. Teaching can be really tough. When I was a TA, it was really hard to tell if I was appreciated at all, but those times that I got positive feedback from students seemed to make the whole thing worth it! Keep up the good work!
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