education
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I Believe in Free Speech, But…
Somehow, it seems fitting that my most significant moments of brazen student absurdity would happen in public speaking classes. The incident in the following paragraphs takes place for fifteen minutes in one class. I dare say that the three incidents… Continue reading
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Extra Credit Workaround
When the end of the semester quickly approaches, one of the biggest certainties is bound to happen: the extra credit request. It never fails. I get requests from people I am pretty sure I never met in class before, or… Continue reading
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Can I Get Some Extra Credit?
This was a fun little bit I created after a couple of interesting conversations over the last few days. Enjoy. Continue reading
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Tales From the (Mental) Institution #2: Military Veterans are Scary People
During my first all-faculty meeting in the school auditorium, there was a presentation about a new program the university was introducing for returning veterans. All told, it meant that there was the possibility that an influx of nontraditional students with… Continue reading
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Tales From the (Mental) Institution #1: The English Bulldog
Dr. Elson Carpenter was a senior member of the English department. The reason is that she probably annoyed everybody else into finding work somewhere else. I never had any direct contact with Carpenter, but her presence in faculty meetings was… Continue reading
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Why Bother Knowing What Classes I Need to Take?
This article will sound like I am waving my cane at the clouds, but I am perplexed by how students seemingly don’t grasp the importance of registration. They come to my office and have no clue about what classes they… Continue reading
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Is it a Break or an Extended Vacation?
Classes resumed after spring break, and I was unpleasantly surprised by the number of empty seats in my classroom. I wasn’t too shocked about this in my early morning class. Most of the time, when students miss this class, I… Continue reading
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I Hate Playing the Game: The Academic Conference
Due to a plague spreading through my household, I decided to provide an excerpt from my novel. It explains why I am not the biggest fan of conferences. Enjoy or don’t. I don’t care. I was always told in graduate… Continue reading
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What Can I Do To Bring My Grade Up?
This line is one of the most popular utterances a professor will encounter in their careers. It is a simple question with several complex layers attached to it that there is no single proper answer. One thing is for certain,… Continue reading
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Mirth in Misery
My current institution recently held its annual “State of the Union” address for the employees. I am learning that this is a necessary evil at some places because they can be pep rallies or funeral wakes. The administration touched on… Continue reading
Failing Upwards 