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What’s on your mind?
- Thread starter Gutwrench
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When I was due to go back to school there was no stress or excitement. Just depression. I have a similar feeling about work after a few days off.
In my area, the school year has already started! Though I don't go back to college till mid-September.
I was never very excited to go back to school, personally. I knew it'd just be the same horror show again. Thankfully those days are past. I've done that rant before, no need to do it again.
Hahaha, thanks!! I'm sure there will actually be videos up everywhere on the internet.
Decent Brother took a day's leave yesterday, showed up, and we enjoyed a lovely (long, lingering) lunch together in one of my favourite restaurants.
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Just saw an ex-student of mine who is having a full-blown paranoid breakdown. Sad to see. I wish I could have done more to help, but it is like trying to give somebody in a maze directions while you're on the outside and can't see what they are seeing.
Had a nice gig with a bass player tonight. Only compliant was neither of us could hear each other, so it was difficult to keep time on some songs. Otherwise, it was a lot of fun!
How come people say, in a text, "I'm busy right now, but I'll talk to you later." That is wasted time on their part typing it, and on my part reading it. Absolutely NO REASON to say that. It strikes me as kind of rude, honestly.
Oh, I apologize, I didn't see this!!
Yes, he played a double bass - aka an upright bass. I'll be playing with him again next Friday. Hopefully it goes a little bit better--I think I've solved the volume problem. The place's got a nice acoustic piano (yes, a 7-foot Steinway B), and I had the lid open. Clearly that was part of the issue. Admittedly, I could have played a bit lighter on some songs, too. With those two things seemingly being the source of struggle, and are rather easy to solve (close the piano and play lighter), next week should be better. Not that last night was bad, but with us two not hearing each other, the beat did flip more than once.
Guy was the dean of a conservatory for over 20 years in Minneapolis, in fact, and just recently moved to town. I will say, I am extremely lucky to live in cities with a vibrant arts scene (both here and up in Wisconsin where my university is). People move here to my hometown from all over specifically to be a part of the music scene--Boston, LA, the Bay Area, Minneapolis--the list goes on. Netflix has a major outpost, so we do get our filmmakers, too.
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No, not rude at all.
Or, put another way, I beg to differ.
Anyway, I've done that - essentially, it is an explanation (and a vague apology) as to why you are unable to deal with them at that particular moment, not least, because, very often, you actually are pretty busy just then.
Moreover, I have also taken exactly this approach because dealing with a particular you (and your accompanying issues), or, a particular someone and their particular issues, just then will take more time, energy and effort than it is worth, not least because one will have other, more immediately pressing matters to attend to and deal with.
Some people are exhausting (and emotionally draining) to deal with; these people I will put off until absolutely nothing else can call on my attention and time.
School was one thing (who ever looks forward to returning to school), but, for much of my time - not always, but, in the early years at least, quite frequently, as a teacher and student at university, I used to look forward to the start of term and start of the new academic year.
Mind you, that feeling wore off just as soon as the first assigned term paper - dozens and dozens of them - landed on my lap for grading, a process (between grading and returning the essays - along with an accompanying chat/discussion/meeting which took place subsequently with each student individually about their paper) that took days and days and days of one's time (and took away from one's own teaching and research).
Well, that was a bit brutal. I mean today felt like autumn, 19 degrees and grey while a week ago we were 28-32. Rain yesterday and occasional drizzle now. Honestly not too bad and I have left my windows wide open to air out my apartment. Temps will climb up this week and this is the last week of preparation before the start of the semester on the 28th.
I don't see it as rude. If anything, it strikes me as "old school" politeness in acknowledging your contact instead of ignoring you.
Sometimes people respond to texts right away, and sometimes it's hours later, and neither bothers me.
My mom said she hated that about teaching. Grading just took so long. But of course, in order to be an administrator, she had to teach first.
I guess she'd rather see hundreds of students a week complaining about their schedules than grade papers???
On another note, we're getting our new washer and dryer delivered on Wednesday. I'll be the only one home, so hopefully I do everything right when the delivery people come.
I suspect that it is just you......
Or, rather, it is the sort of self-absorbed perspective that fails to recognise that other people have differing (personal and professional) priorities that may not involve an immediate response to your email or text.
I hate to have to break it to you, but, alack and alas, this is not a perfect world.
Yes, but in that instance, you may well be waiting until next week - or, next month - before I respond, or get around to responding.
Exactly.
This is because, usually, the (only) alternatives in this sort of situation are a polite holding text (which says I am aware you contacted me and will respond in due course), or, ignoring you and your text completely, which strikes me as somewhat discourteous.
I am in a somewhat similar situation.
Neither situation bothers me because I am aware that people have - especially as they age and acquire jobs, families and so on - other - often quite pressing - demands on their attention and time.
Grading matters - and it is an excellent way to reach and to teach students.
As a teacher, I used to take it very seriously, not least because I recalled (all too clearly), how, when I was a student, if something of mine had been marked with close attention to the content, commenting on what I did well (one can glow, as a result) and drawing my attention to areas that may have needed attention (with added commentary on just how to address such deficiencies) - this all made a difference to how enthusiastically one approached one's studies; encouragement and the knowledge that the quality of one's work has been recognised - works.
However, doing this properly - and I was in demand for grading exams as well - meant a lot - and, I mean, a lot, an awful lot - of time.
To be quite candid, while I do miss teaching at times, this is one aspect of academic life that I do not miss at all.
Find out if they are supposed to take away the old ones. If they are, make sure they do. If not, see if you get them to move the old one to a convenient location
If delivery includes installation, turn them on to confirm they were installed correctly before they leave
I probably would have liked you as a teacher. And you would have probably hated me. Especially in math.
I hated tests and would race to finish as fast as I could. On top of that, most math was done in my head. So my poor teachers would have to try and decipher what work I actually did put down to be able to see if I had the concept and had just made a simple math error, again in my head.
But most did what they could to give me as much credit for the concept as they could.