One might think that the title of this blog post is a mini-homage to the book I finished last week, Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper. in the last section of her book, all the narratives begin with those words--it's raining. but alas, that assumption would be wrong. it's raining here, and it's making me very sleepy and just generally disinterested in doing anything at all except staring at my eyelids.
for the last five days i was supposed to have been working on my dissertation prospectus. "supposed to" being the key words there, since i haven't gotten much done other than thinking of four general ideas that maybe each chapter could be about and some very superficial thinking on what primary texts i could use in my dissertation. that's it. so i'm thinking that today, i'm going to go home, take a nap, then go for coffee and do some work for a couple of hours, so that when i really sit down to work tomorrow i'll have (hopefully) at least a tiny bit to work with instead of a tabula rasa.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Another Day of Grading & Random Thoughts
random thought #1 - grading is going to go much faster today. mainly because just as i suspected a week after i gave my students their essay prompt, the prompt is just bad. i won't spend much time commenting on them, probably nothing more than how well they built their argument, and then say in class tomorrow that if they are interested in revising this essay for the portfolio to contact me and we can discuss it further. bad me for bad essay prompt!
random thought #2 - it's upsetting that all this week i've been thinking to myself--if i can only get through this week, to noon on monday, then everything will be much better. i kinda thought this mentality was going to go away after i finished my exams, but no. naps have still been riddled with guilt do the very tall stacks of grading that i have been neglecting, and there's still tons of stuff to do. sigh. i can't wait for the thanksgiving holidays!
random thought #2 - it's upsetting that all this week i've been thinking to myself--if i can only get through this week, to noon on monday, then everything will be much better. i kinda thought this mentality was going to go away after i finished my exams, but no. naps have still been riddled with guilt do the very tall stacks of grading that i have been neglecting, and there's still tons of stuff to do. sigh. i can't wait for the thanksgiving holidays!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Random Thoughts While Sitting in the Coffee Shop
so i'm here at my local coffee shop trying to grade student essays. my first random thought--it really really irritates me when people seem to come to the coffee shop for the sole express purpose of talking on their cell phones, probably talking to people they just left at home or the office. this woman sitting beside me has her computer open, but the first thing she did after sitting down was make a phone call, which she's still on, as if the people sitting around her want to hear her conversation. seriously? what are people thinking these days? are people thinking at all?
random thought #2 - it looks like it's snowing outside, even though it's just dust and pollen floating around in the air.
random thought #3 - i'd like to leave the coffee shop now and go home, but i have yet to finish grading the stack of papers i brought with me, and i said i wouldn't let myself leave until that stack was done. ugh.
random thought #4 - piping through the speakers in the coffee house right now--bon jovi's "never say goodbye". jeez, i haven't heard this song in ages!
random thought #5 (which did not occur in the coffee shop but at home while sitting at my desk watching the yankees/angels baseball game that has gone into extra innings) - i have no idea how to comment on this student's paper, who presents a point of view to which i am so completely diametrically opposed it's almost ridiculous.
random thought #2 - it looks like it's snowing outside, even though it's just dust and pollen floating around in the air.
random thought #3 - i'd like to leave the coffee shop now and go home, but i have yet to finish grading the stack of papers i brought with me, and i said i wouldn't let myself leave until that stack was done. ugh.
random thought #4 - piping through the speakers in the coffee house right now--bon jovi's "never say goodbye". jeez, i haven't heard this song in ages!
random thought #5 (which did not occur in the coffee shop but at home while sitting at my desk watching the yankees/angels baseball game that has gone into extra innings) - i have no idea how to comment on this student's paper, who presents a point of view to which i am so completely diametrically opposed it's almost ridiculous.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Doubting Lisa
So yes, it's been an incredibly long time since my last blog post. Lots and lots has happened since September 21st! First of all, I have finished the written part of my ph.d. qualifying exams. Woo-hoo! More on that later.
Apparently, I either am the worst teacher and chooser of contemporary literature ever or ... or my students just don't like what i've chosen. Perhaps it's a bit of both. We just finished reading Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper, and for the most part, all of my students liked it. Why is this not a good thing? Don't get me wrong, it's a great thing. I'm so glad that they liked it because it's been really hard getting them interested in anything. The thing is that i can't take credit for this book selection -- it's the one that was selected and recommended by last year's class. So after this book, which can be a little downer and a little heavy, i thought it would be nice to read something light and funny...enter Tony Hawks' Round Ireland with a Fridge. It's a travel narrative, and it has dry British humor and wit. and it got absolutely no response from my class. one of my students said that they picked it up to avoid having to do real studying and put it back down again. really? i asked one of my other students after class if the book was really that bad, and they said no, that he liked it. here's the thing: it's hard for me not to care if they like the book or not. it's hard for me to not take it personally. it's hard for me to not let this fill me with all kinds of self-doubt about my ability to teach a successful, engaging, and thought-provoking literature class. i know. it's not all me, but seriously. why is this so hard? i'm not saying that i need it to be easy or expect it to be easy, but i also didn't expect it to be a daily struggle.
Apparently, I either am the worst teacher and chooser of contemporary literature ever or ... or my students just don't like what i've chosen. Perhaps it's a bit of both. We just finished reading Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper, and for the most part, all of my students liked it. Why is this not a good thing? Don't get me wrong, it's a great thing. I'm so glad that they liked it because it's been really hard getting them interested in anything. The thing is that i can't take credit for this book selection -- it's the one that was selected and recommended by last year's class. So after this book, which can be a little downer and a little heavy, i thought it would be nice to read something light and funny...enter Tony Hawks' Round Ireland with a Fridge. It's a travel narrative, and it has dry British humor and wit. and it got absolutely no response from my class. one of my students said that they picked it up to avoid having to do real studying and put it back down again. really? i asked one of my other students after class if the book was really that bad, and they said no, that he liked it. here's the thing: it's hard for me not to care if they like the book or not. it's hard for me to not take it personally. it's hard for me to not let this fill me with all kinds of self-doubt about my ability to teach a successful, engaging, and thought-provoking literature class. i know. it's not all me, but seriously. why is this so hard? i'm not saying that i need it to be easy or expect it to be easy, but i also didn't expect it to be a daily struggle.
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