I find that while I'm grading, my Auditory Areas fire up, too. I get superears and can hear all kinds of terribly distracting things more interesting than my students' work. :P
This was appropriate for me today. I actually had some good final papers (from excellent students) turned in very early, but did everything to avoid reading them. The procrastination took much longer than it should have (and I'm reading CM rather than doing the final one, which I expect is very good).
Just a little while aqo, I even volunteered to bring in the Xmas tree for Lois. That NEVER happens until she directs me to (with a box of Green K in her hands).
As I pointed out on RYS once, I think the idea of a grading season that is reflected in some posts here to be quite cute, a quaint reminder of the ivy covered halls of yesteryear. Back in the day normal profs teaching normal semesters was indeed the norm. We could associate grading with particular times of the years - finals meant that snow just before Christmas or the first t-shirts in May. For today's glorious but harried adjunct army with overlapping terms at various universities, and the regiments of non-trads taking classes all day and night, all year around, there is only one kind of day - grading day - and one season of the year - grading season. There are, accordingly, only two states of mind: the grading mind (alternatively spelled "grating") and the CM mind.
Slave, I doubt it will make you feel any better, given that I have tenure and all, but I also grade constantly. I was just trying to avoid it yesterday, hence my pathetic artwork.
@Harpy- I know, lots of tenured folks teach insane rhythms and even when they/we don't, there is often, throughout the term, some stack of shit somewhere to grade. I just like overstating things. It helps me "vent."
Extreme luxury: Having some portion of the year of at least several weeks where there is nothing to grade.
Extreme opposite: Having to find internet cafes for long online sessions of conferences and grading while on conference trips or while doing research abroad just to be able to pay for the flight home.
Love it!
ReplyDeleteI find that while I'm grading, my Auditory Areas fire up, too. I get superears and can hear all kinds of terribly distracting things more interesting than my students' work. :P
This was appropriate for me today. I actually had some good final papers (from excellent students) turned in very early, but did everything to avoid reading them. The procrastination took much longer than it should have (and I'm reading CM rather than doing the final one, which I expect is very good).
ReplyDeleteJust a little while aqo, I even volunteered to bring in the Xmas tree for Lois. That NEVER happens until she directs me to (with a box of Green K in her hands).
As I pointed out on RYS once, I think the idea of a grading season that is reflected in some posts here to be quite cute, a quaint reminder of the ivy covered halls of yesteryear. Back in the day normal profs teaching normal semesters was indeed the norm. We could associate grading with particular times of the years - finals meant that snow just before Christmas or the first t-shirts in May. For today's glorious but harried adjunct army with overlapping terms at various universities, and the regiments of non-trads taking classes all day and night, all year around, there is only one kind of day - grading day - and one season of the year - grading season. There are, accordingly, only two states of mind: the grading mind (alternatively spelled "grating") and the CM mind.
ReplyDeleteSlave, I doubt it will make you feel any better, given that I have tenure and all, but I also grade constantly. I was just trying to avoid it yesterday, hence my pathetic artwork.
ReplyDelete@Harpy-
ReplyDeleteI know, lots of tenured folks teach insane rhythms and even when they/we don't, there is often, throughout the term, some stack of shit somewhere to grade. I just like overstating things. It helps me "vent."
Extreme luxury: Having some portion of the year of at least several weeks where there is nothing to grade.
Extreme opposite: Having to find internet cafes for long online sessions of conferences and grading while on conference trips or while doing research abroad just to be able to pay for the flight home.
What Adjunct said above. Hell is an internet cafe in Starvistan connected to our shit-box version of "learning software."
ReplyDelete