On Class War

Where I used to work there is permanent class war because professors put professional standards above personal convenience and instructors do the opposite. You cannot have a program in that way, especially when the instructors are the more powerful group and have the most backing. Teaching goal of professors: produce good majors and graduate students. … More On Class War

On Clothes

Sometimes rumors about me get back to me. A current one is that I make all my own clothes. I must be doing so, it is said, because you cannot buy those clothes in local stores and the colors are too right and the fit too good for them to have been store bought at … More On Clothes

Now Working!

Schedule today: 8 AM Remove Vitter posters from building and environs 9 AM Grade, prepare, plan 10AM Teach 11 AM Teach 12 N Teach 1 PM Eat Lunch and Write This Post 1:30 PM Grade, prepare 2 PM Teach 3:30 PM Meeting 4 PM Meeting 5 PM Meeting 6 PM Walk 7 PM Eat Dinner … More Now Working!

Extra Credit

Are we working yet? No. It is 8:59 AM and where is Professor Zero, then? She is in the office, but she has only just made it here. Office hours start at 8:00 but upon arriving on her part of campus Professor Zero, who did not leave the building until 8:45 PM last night, saw … More Extra Credit

Rosie Ledet

We are not working tonight but went instead to a Cajun jam. Now I am looking for music with which to sufficiently impress Tenth Medieval. This is about as psychedelic and as far into the groove as anyone could hope anything might ever be or get. Axé.

Flexible

In case the legislature thinks you are not working and needs to know what lazy professors do all day long, let me tell you about my flexibly scheduled day so far. This is after working 6-1 and 2-9 yesterday, 14 total hours with a one hour lunch break on which I both ate and went … More Flexible

Out of the cradle…

The aria’s meaning, the ears, the soul, swiftly depositing, The strange tears down the cheeks coursing, The colloquy there, the trio, each uttering, The undertone, the savage old mother incessantly crying, To the boy’s soul’s questions sullenly timing, some drown’d secret hissing, To the outsetting bard of love. Demon or bird! (said the boy’s soul,) … More Out of the cradle…

On Preparing Class

For Portuguese next semester or next time, another thing we could do is study the history of Brazilian song. That would be enough content to keep me interested, and enough short reading and audio to help the students develop their language. Teaching foreign languages is terribly tedious but it is not true that the answer … More On Preparing Class

On Christians

Among Christians, the code employed to express strong disapproval is, “Why would you…?” As in, “Why would you want to discuss an ugly thing like slavery in a class at a university?” So my student gave a presentation on the Brazilian narco-slums and police repression and simultaneous collaboration or even leadership in the narco-gangs, which … More On Christians