Teaches with Idiots

And this is why I hate the first day-no matter how emphatic, how simple, how repetitive-there's always one person that makes me think "How did you get in here? And I don't mean how were you accepted, I mean how did you figure out how to get into the building?"

This morning they, administration, switched one of my sections. My syllabus was for two Monday, Tuesday, Thursday sections and they switched me to one MTR and one Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Really fine with me. The problem is I didn't have enough time to change my syllabus so I just copied the old one. I spent five minutes explaining the situation. "OK so everytime it says thursday for YOU it means wednesday". I'm not talking quatum physics here. It's not like I Scott Bacula to help teach them how to shift one day. Half an hour later, HALF AN HOUR LATER a student says in the middle of class " Um, excuse me, but are the dates on this syllabus correct?"

Of course she isn't the only one, I have to deal with a whole host of other stupid questions. Jin thinks I should walk in the first day of class and just shoot a random student. I have to say the idea is not without appeal. particularly the student who walked up to me after class and then said "Whoa." I looked at her. I didn't know what I had done to make her re act that way. I know some people are intimidated by me, but I hadn't really done anything except start to pack away my books. "What is it?" I asked. And then I realized what it was, why she wouldn't say. "You didn't expect me to be this short, did you?" She started laughing. "No," she admitted. Yeah, I'll be your teacher, professor Tumbellina.

You know the worst part is that in the Middle Ages I'd be average height. I'd also get a senior citizens discount.

But the real idiocy is reserved for the administration. I have to turn in a detailed syllabus this week, but you want to know when the department gets together to decide all of our core requirements for the fall-minimum amount of papers, length of the research paper and all that other really important info that not only do my students need to know but I do? Monday, yep next monday. Which is fine considering I still haven't been given a copy of my own damn textbook. I have students who have the textbook, but I don't nor did I get it advance when it would be REALLY USEFUL FOR PLANNING. I mean NYU just got an 800 million dollar donation-could I get one textbook in a timely fashion? Please?

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