Semester ends this week, final projects due, and Friday, final exams at 7:45am! That’s an insane schedule. I already have to get up at 5:30am for my 9am class. Of course, I cook breakfast before leaving. The class is 3 hours long.
Personal projects can commence next week after finals are submitted. This is a good thing. It will also give me some time to send out another application I found today for an institution that does independent study, my favorite kind of college work. Self-motivated students that create their own course of study grow beyond their own beliefs. Most of my grad classmates went through grad school totally changed. Two women found themselves reading feminist & gender works (since their art already dealt with those subjects), delved deeper into themselves, graduated, went home, divorced and started new lives! I wish both lived closer, we had a blast in school.
Today was also one of the Cycling World Cup races, Amstel Gold. Lance Armstrong raced it but ended up 8th. He’s not a single day racer but he said he loved that race. He’s planning on racing a couple more one days races then take the entire month of May to train for the Tour de France. Most cyclists race and take some time off to stay sharp but, he wants to go into the history books by winning his 5th Tour AND doing it consecutively. Only Miguel Indurain has done that. Lance thinks he will try for the 6th making him the only cyclist to do it, if he succeeds. His coach and I used to train and race together before he went into coaching.
Glen Gould Piano Works: in my ears. His playing is cool and precise.
Thought it’s only a few months behind me, I already miss the environment of discover that characterized grad skool for me. Today I’m particularly keenly intuned to how intellectually stimulating that time was–and how my current (post-doc) situation isn’t. The research treadmill is what it feels like. I think I wanna get off. It. *ahem*
Your posts–in a broad sense–remind me of my love for Alice Walker and bell hooks. Walker for The Temple of My Familiar one of my live-changing reads. hooks for Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom, not because she showed me new and important ways of viewing the experience of schooling–but because she articulated my own experiences. As do Foucault’s later writings (post-Maoist, 70s and on), and some of Freire’s later works.
Which, upon reading it, seems a bit egoist. But it’s not. Part of the university “game” is using ideas/theories put forth by persons of note. Who are often not the originators of said ideas, merely the persons who published ’em first!
I supposed I’d better work at making my life more intellectually fulfilling; no one else will do it for me
I supposed I’d better work at making my life more intellectually fulfilling; no one else will do it for me.
Well, that’s exactly how I feel. Thanks to you I’m getting stimulated here. Actually, now that I am here, I can’t wait to see what you’ll say next. I’m not leaving bait, so to speak, for you but, I told you long before this blog that I liked the way you wrote things.
If there’s any one area I find frustrating about teaching college is making a course intellectually challenging and then finding students using their intelligence to find ways to weasel out of doing the work. I once told a student who was ‘crying’ about his grad on a paper to stop ‘crying’ and just do the work. I knew he could earn an “A” and he did.
I think one of the reasons miamiartexchange.com doesn’t have the writing it should is because of the fear of the “crucible of aesthetic discourse.” Maybe they’re just lazy and are waiting for somebody else.
Anyway, thanks again for the stimulation (of every kind). *wink*
f there’s any one area I find frustrating about teaching college is making a course intellectually challenging and then finding students using their intelligence to find ways to weasel out of doing the work.
I think the climate is somewhat different in Canada, largely due to the dearth of space in universities for undergrads. Only about 1/3 of high school grads get accepted to university, perhaps another third to community college. For the most part unis are public, and fees are quite low by US standards (my alma mater, UBC, charges about US$5000 a year in tuition to foreign students, half that to Canadians). So while I’ve had a number of half-measure students, there are still many who value their own spot.
I always tell my students life is “pass-fail” and 50 or 65 % competency or effort will earn them a spot at Home Hardware if they’re lucky. I use a mastery approach, and insist they acquire some semblance of social science theory for their assignments. And I make myself available to any student making an effort. My biggest complaint continues to be their language skills–oral and written–particularly grammar.
Blah–I’ve said enough. Sleep perchance to…sleep
J
PS thanks for the kind words!
Well, students at the Univ. are more serious than at community colleges (where I think parents have a lot to do with “forcing” their children into college). But, students taking electives or major courses are more interested than the required course of art appreciation (which I’ve taught a good number of times now).
For art apprec. papers, I have had the library give an orientation so that they know the difference between a web page and a database (article) that has the author and publication info. I hate making outlines but I make them do outlines, prelim. bibliography, 1st drafts, and check every single paper for spelling, punctuation, and grammar well in advance of the final date. I tell them about interlibrary loan; some instructors don’t even know about that. And in art apprec. I tell them constantly to take notes, and they don’t. Many sleep thru the videos on artists, and such. I use the computer projected on the wall for lectures, I give handouts, and I insist on visiting a physical gallery or museum.
I’ve given one of the most interesting topics around: Find in six different cultures, the ancient symbol the swastika, its uses, functions, and origins. A minimum of three different sources must be used and of those three, only one can be a website. A bibliography and citation listing must be provided. Even though it sounds hard, I know that freshmen don’t write that well, and definitely don’t know how to use a library, but I point them in the direction that they’ll need for their entire college education.
I have had some really great students but, it seems, the negative experiences weigh heavily on me. Esp. when they continually undermine my efforts. That’s the problem with being an adjunct, you get tossed the sh*t classes. I do enjoy teaching but I also enjoy students that are motivated.
I guess I’m drawing upon my own experiences in this instance. My parents offered to pay my college education if I chose their college choice. I said no. I chose my college (Calif. College of Arts & Crafts for my undergrad art), my course of study, and I’ve paid my own way. That in itself is saying a lot since I’m the only one in my immediate family with a masters. My niece got her BFA a couple yrs ago on scholarship (major was engineering and she changed to graphic design and kept her scholarship g.p.a. up too!) And, I’ve been doing independent study courses since I was a sophomore which says I have specific goals in my quest for education (because of scheduling conflicts or transportation as in 70 miles one way to school to finish my BFA in FL). Grad school was TOTALLY independent study. Vermont College in Montpelier. Awesome program! Very intense! Worth every damn penny of my money! (which I’m paying for now)
Grad school was TOTALLY independent study. Vermont College in Montpelier. Awesome program! Very intense!
I agree. It was only during my MA that I realized I was the poster child for self-directed learning. Rather ironic that I ended up with degrees in education when schooling generally is not a great way for me to learn!
I still hope we can meet in person… for many reasons.