Category Archives: teaching
Martenitsa, Or Re-Awakening
My blog has been in a winter, of sorts… a hibernation, if you will. And that’s because any type of writing I wanted to do for myself just couldn’t be touched, buried as I was under a mountain of assignments … Continue reading
Filed under D.C. & No.Va., teaching, writing
Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Days
I knew Thursday was going to turn into a day only Alexander could relate to when I got up after just 5 hours of sleep and snapped a necklace putting it on. Too late to even pick up the beads, … Continue reading
Filed under D.C. & No.Va., students, teaching
An even draw?
This week: Three students have cried on me — nothing I did, thankfully. It is just “life” problems. All students have them, but at a community college, where you do have students that come back as adults, that have some … Continue reading
Filed under teaching
Ciao, Professore.
I’m grading papers all day today to the sound of opera — not simply because of the fact that I developed a habit after Fulbright-ing with a lovely counter-tenor, but also in honor of a great professor, whose operatic baritone … Continue reading
Academic Triple Play
Because another frustrating Super Long Monday (why did I think “Gee, teaching for 6 and a half hours straight will be fine! ” when I made my schedule last year???) where I had two students suddenly re-appear after month-long absences … Continue reading
Filed under academia, Georgetown, grad schoolin', teaching
“Could we use a more academic word …”: Kids Say the Darnedest Things, #3
As mentioned in the last post, I’ve given my English 112 (second-semester freshmen — i.e. the higher level) class a rather difficult assignment: I’m asking them to do an analysis of any “text” (song, films and art included) that they … Continue reading
Kids Say the Darnedest Things, Round #2
A Ph.D. -seeking friend once claimed the real reason that I decided to teach at the community college level is the stories I come away with (this was after discovering one of my students is a semi-professional cage fighter. Yup. … Continue reading
Yes, show us the money
Randy Cohen, The New York Times “ethicist”, argues in a blog post today that people should not give to Harvard (or, at least, if they do feel compelled to give money to such places, then they should give money to … Continue reading
Kids Say the Darnedest Things
A student in my English 112 (second semester freshman comp.) class e-mailed me with a saying she found on her young brother’s wall. Knowing we were all struggling with the concept of what a good thesis is, she thought I … Continue reading
Filed under teaching
Favorite Second Lady EVER
I never really gave Tipper Gore or Lynne Cheney much thought. But our current VP-wife — Dr. Jill Biden — is one hell of a class act. Literally. Dr. Biden teaches at my person favorite community college, Northern Virginia Community … Continue reading
Filed under D.C. & No.Va., NVCC, teaching
