Here be Rage!
Well, here we are, about half-way through the semester. I’m plugging away on the intro to my diss, meaning that I’m reviewing the literature and deciding what the hell it is that I’m trying to say. I’m also identifying post-docs to apply for and getting materials ready for those apps. And my magical TAship and Semester of Diminished Expectations haven’t panned out the way I planned. But nothing ever does, does it?
This TAship is sucking my will to live in new ways. First, most of my cohorts are lazy. Two of them don’t really take notes, but rather read articles and books for their own work or mess around with their smart phones. I can’t call out the kids around us that are doing the same thing when half of the TAs don’t even pay attention or show respect for the prof or the material. One of them is in the throes of comps and has been one hell of a douche. GRE words and lameness abounds with that one. This person has been a cool person to be around in the past, but currently, I want to punch them.
Second, the prof, my friend, has no balls and has absolutely relinquished the asylum keys to the inmates. He doesn’t demand that they put away computers or phones before a quiz. He doesn’t really expect them to hand in quizzes and tests when time is called. He has tried once or twice to quiet the class down, but it comes out weak-willed and with no forceful authority behind it. As such, the class keeps chattering away. And to add insult to injury, he indulges their whims and requires nothing of them. Johnny and Jane want to make up the pop quizzes (plural!) that they’ve missed? No doctor’s note or excuse required; when can we completely rearrange our schedule to accommodate their make up needs? Same goes for the exam we had a few weeks ago. Bonus: he doesn’t even give the make-ups a different quiz or exam. This basically sends the message that if you aren’t quite ready to do the quizzes or exam, just relax because you can do it whenever AND have the advantage of knowing the questions ahead of time. Boo-yah!
Third, this eGradebook thing is bullshit. It’s an overglorified refrigerator on which they expect us to display their grades. In the case of this course, it is useful, but only in regards to the quizzes. We don’t return those because what’s the point? Therefore we have to put those up on eGradebook. However, beyond this I see no need to use eGradebook. I am absolutely fastidious in keeping track of grades in my Excel spreadsheet (which is backed up multiple times in multiple places) and making sure that the grades I put in blue books and on papers is the grade I have on the spreadsheet. And if the students are picking up their assignments like they should, then there is no mystery as to what their grade is. I have never used eGradebook before and it’s never been an issue. Final grades are reported through a completely different system, so at the end of the semester, I just email my spreadsheet to the prof. Viola! Done, and never an issue.
But here we are, all of the snowflakes can’t stop bitching if they don’t immediately see their grade on that online fridge. I’ve never experienced this before! They all seriously thought that something was amiss when all of them had 0s as their exam grade! And it doesn’t help that the previously mentioned douche neglected to post their grades for the second pop quiz. Now, it sucks about that second quiz grade. That shouldn’t happen and it was due to pure negligence (had nothing to do with comps readings, I suppose). But the exam? Do they really think that we are so negligent in our grade keeping as to have something completely different down than what we wrote in their blue book? How do they know that the online fridge has the right grade? Does the online fridge mean that much more than the packet that I personally touched, held, read, wrote on, and considered for more time than was necessary? Obviously it does and let me tell you a story to illustrate that point.
Today, one of my students approached the prof, who then approached me (why she couldn’t talk to me is a mystery, but...). Prof asks, in a very concerned voice (bah), whether this particular person’s grade was up online. She then starts whining about it being a 0. I told her, your’s and everyone’s grades are up on eGradebook. But but but, she stammered, I checked and it was 0! I said, well you obviously haven’t checked in the past 3 days (I begrudgingly posted scores this weekend). Oh. Ok, she says, and starts to leave. Excuse me! I called. Wouldn’t you like your blue book in order to see exactly what your performance was? Oh, I guess. She takes the blue book and leaves.
Obviously, the number is all that matters, not the true consideration of the performance, and anything that appears online trumps what we ourselves have held in our hands.
*******
In other news, our department has instituted a new policy: no more funding after your 6th year. Wonderful! But you know, for every damn numbnut that you funded before me that produced nothing and served no purpose other than to leech, that money could have been spent on me or Evan or any other number of people who have published significant articles (we’re not talking book reviews), presented at prestigious conferences, and have demonstrated real honest-to-goodness progress. Fuck you, History Department, and your inability to create a cohesive fiscal and academic plan that supports the people doing the right thing! Fuck you, fuck you, FUCK YOU!!
*******
My diss work has been surprising positive. I’m trying to focus on that and keep that fire going. I recently found someone that actually has done significant research on municipal politics and governance in Buenos Aires. This is such a dead zone, research-wise, as no one has really pursued this topic. It’s absolutely wonderful to find this guy because his book clarifies so many things for me, like the structure of the municipal government (when Argentina’s not under the control of an authoritarian regime) and the power it wields. Simple things that are surprisingly mysterious. I’ve decided to make friends with this man. Whee!!!
********
Another historian and I were able to force someone to take charge of the department Halloween party. w00t! It would have been a great dishonor to the Cute Duplex had the legacy not continued. I blame the people to whom the responsibility was passed when we left the CD. They didn’t have the true Halloween Party spirit or respect. Now hopefully this person will do a good job with it. Time to start thinking about a costume...
This TAship is sucking my will to live in new ways. First, most of my cohorts are lazy. Two of them don’t really take notes, but rather read articles and books for their own work or mess around with their smart phones. I can’t call out the kids around us that are doing the same thing when half of the TAs don’t even pay attention or show respect for the prof or the material. One of them is in the throes of comps and has been one hell of a douche. GRE words and lameness abounds with that one. This person has been a cool person to be around in the past, but currently, I want to punch them.
Second, the prof, my friend, has no balls and has absolutely relinquished the asylum keys to the inmates. He doesn’t demand that they put away computers or phones before a quiz. He doesn’t really expect them to hand in quizzes and tests when time is called. He has tried once or twice to quiet the class down, but it comes out weak-willed and with no forceful authority behind it. As such, the class keeps chattering away. And to add insult to injury, he indulges their whims and requires nothing of them. Johnny and Jane want to make up the pop quizzes (plural!) that they’ve missed? No doctor’s note or excuse required; when can we completely rearrange our schedule to accommodate their make up needs? Same goes for the exam we had a few weeks ago. Bonus: he doesn’t even give the make-ups a different quiz or exam. This basically sends the message that if you aren’t quite ready to do the quizzes or exam, just relax because you can do it whenever AND have the advantage of knowing the questions ahead of time. Boo-yah!
Third, this eGradebook thing is bullshit. It’s an overglorified refrigerator on which they expect us to display their grades. In the case of this course, it is useful, but only in regards to the quizzes. We don’t return those because what’s the point? Therefore we have to put those up on eGradebook. However, beyond this I see no need to use eGradebook. I am absolutely fastidious in keeping track of grades in my Excel spreadsheet (which is backed up multiple times in multiple places) and making sure that the grades I put in blue books and on papers is the grade I have on the spreadsheet. And if the students are picking up their assignments like they should, then there is no mystery as to what their grade is. I have never used eGradebook before and it’s never been an issue. Final grades are reported through a completely different system, so at the end of the semester, I just email my spreadsheet to the prof. Viola! Done, and never an issue.
But here we are, all of the snowflakes can’t stop bitching if they don’t immediately see their grade on that online fridge. I’ve never experienced this before! They all seriously thought that something was amiss when all of them had 0s as their exam grade! And it doesn’t help that the previously mentioned douche neglected to post their grades for the second pop quiz. Now, it sucks about that second quiz grade. That shouldn’t happen and it was due to pure negligence (had nothing to do with comps readings, I suppose). But the exam? Do they really think that we are so negligent in our grade keeping as to have something completely different down than what we wrote in their blue book? How do they know that the online fridge has the right grade? Does the online fridge mean that much more than the packet that I personally touched, held, read, wrote on, and considered for more time than was necessary? Obviously it does and let me tell you a story to illustrate that point.
Today, one of my students approached the prof, who then approached me (why she couldn’t talk to me is a mystery, but...). Prof asks, in a very concerned voice (bah), whether this particular person’s grade was up online. She then starts whining about it being a 0. I told her, your’s and everyone’s grades are up on eGradebook. But but but, she stammered, I checked and it was 0! I said, well you obviously haven’t checked in the past 3 days (I begrudgingly posted scores this weekend). Oh. Ok, she says, and starts to leave. Excuse me! I called. Wouldn’t you like your blue book in order to see exactly what your performance was? Oh, I guess. She takes the blue book and leaves.
Obviously, the number is all that matters, not the true consideration of the performance, and anything that appears online trumps what we ourselves have held in our hands.
*******
In other news, our department has instituted a new policy: no more funding after your 6th year. Wonderful! But you know, for every damn numbnut that you funded before me that produced nothing and served no purpose other than to leech, that money could have been spent on me or Evan or any other number of people who have published significant articles (we’re not talking book reviews), presented at prestigious conferences, and have demonstrated real honest-to-goodness progress. Fuck you, History Department, and your inability to create a cohesive fiscal and academic plan that supports the people doing the right thing! Fuck you, fuck you, FUCK YOU!!
*******
My diss work has been surprising positive. I’m trying to focus on that and keep that fire going. I recently found someone that actually has done significant research on municipal politics and governance in Buenos Aires. This is such a dead zone, research-wise, as no one has really pursued this topic. It’s absolutely wonderful to find this guy because his book clarifies so many things for me, like the structure of the municipal government (when Argentina’s not under the control of an authoritarian regime) and the power it wields. Simple things that are surprisingly mysterious. I’ve decided to make friends with this man. Whee!!!
********
Another historian and I were able to force someone to take charge of the department Halloween party. w00t! It would have been a great dishonor to the Cute Duplex had the legacy not continued. I blame the people to whom the responsibility was passed when we left the CD. They didn’t have the true Halloween Party spirit or respect. Now hopefully this person will do a good job with it. Time to start thinking about a costume...