Two days of oral finals completed and three days to go. Patterns from earlier in the quarter remain consistent. For some reason, students schedule interviews for the last possible minute. The number of interviews increases each day. Thank goodness the growth isn’t exponential. Is it magical thinking or avoidance behavior that motivates their scheduling? DoContinue reading “December 15 Day 282: Magical Thinking or Avoidance Behavior?”
Monthly Archives: December 2020
December 14 Day 281: Ridiculous
What was the most ridiculous thing you heard today? No really, take a minute and think about it. Write it down on a scrap of paper or perhaps even reply to this post (on FB, Twitter, LinkedIn, WordPress—anywhere you read the blog). I’ll wait. * * * * * * * * * * *Continue reading “December 14 Day 281: Ridiculous”
December 13 Day 280: Almost Ready
Not everything got accomplished this weekend that should have been. I just have to let that go. The important things are done. I’ve taken care of my family. I am ready to start final exam interviews tomorrow morning at 9 am. I think that is good enough.
December 12 Day 279: On Being a Good Host
When was the last time you slept in your guest bed? I must admit, it was an eye opening experience. The fold down couch in the office was not particularly comfortable. The dinosaur sheets (left from when the boys were young) were rough. My feet hung out over the edge. Our last visitor to useContinue reading “December 12 Day 279: On Being a Good Host”
December 11 Day 278: Wait is a Four Letter Word
Just when I’m thinking, “It’s Friday of the last teaching week of the quarter. I have finals to go but then there will be a brief reprieve,” everything turned upside down. While working on manuscript edits, my phone rang. It was my husband. I ignored it because my co-authors and I only had sixty minutesContinue reading “December 11 Day 278: Wait is a Four Letter Word”
December 10 Day 277: That Feeling When…
…you have finished another quarter of remote teaching because of a global pandemic and there is still so much to accomplish. Letters of recommendation to graduate schools. Manuscript revisions. Grading. Final exams. Email. More grading. Meeting preparations. Blog post. Dinner. (And not necessarily in that order.) There was no release. No celebration of a milestone.Continue reading “December 10 Day 277: That Feeling When…”
December 9 Day 276: With a Whimper
My last two classes of the Autumn 2020 went out not with a bang, but a whimper. Only about 1/3 of the students attended. I released expectations, procedures, and questions for the oral final interviews to be scheduled throughout exam week (December 14-18). Friday appointments are looking pretty crowded already. I answered questions and thenContinue reading “December 9 Day 276: With a Whimper”
December 8 Day 275: Preparing to be Presidential
Today was the first day of the “Developing Your Leadership 2021 Game Plan” Workshop run by the Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives (CESSE). MAA Executive Director Michael Pearson suggested that we attend together and I am glad that I took him up on the offer. I have written on leadership a couple ofContinue reading “December 8 Day 275: Preparing to be Presidential”
December 7 Day 274: Math Metaphor
Without a doubt, 2020 has been the year of change. Out of necessity, how we work and where we work from are no longer what they were in the past. The struggle to adjust to a new reality has been exhausting—mentally, physically, and emotionally. Moving forward we need to manage this change better. The firstContinue reading “December 7 Day 274: Math Metaphor”
December 6 Day 273: Winning
For the first time in a month, I have caught up on my grading. It feels like a miracle. What made this weekend different from all the others? The fact that this week’s assessment was oral and not online. Yes, I spent a tremendous amount of time interviewing students during the week. But when theContinue reading “December 6 Day 273: Winning”
Math Belongs to All of Us 