Moot Thoughts & Musings

Another thing that is different from being the professor rather than being the student:

You know that incomparable, exhilirating feeling of walking out of a final exam you've just taken? The feeling that says, "it's final! I'm done!!"
Well, you don't get that feeling when you're the teacher. Rather it's like "how fast can I get these things graded and out of my hair?"
I just finished graded and tallying up final grades, and thanks to learning how to use a spreadsheet, it went a lot faster. Folks, the grades are posted!!! Now it's final! I'm done!!

I really think they ought to offer "Math for Grading," though, because every semester I spend forever wracking my brain on percentages and averages until I finally figure out the little formula, usually by a series of trials and errors. For instance, if the student's average comes out to 3852, I know I'm wrong. And then I have to go do something stupid like weight things more than others. The spreadsheet has helped a lot.

This semester was the second class I've taught solo. I'm still trying to figure out a good balance between easy and challenging. I want the class to be challenging, but not overwhelming, so how much do I pull back or push? I want them to have a fair chance at a good grade. It is a core class after all, and I remember being annoyed at core classes that pulled my GPA down. Anyway. I think I did better this semester than last, and hopefully as I continue teaching, I'll figure it out more.

I did offer an extra credit assignment at the end, though. Most people who did it didn't need to, but a few were especially helped. A friend of mine passed the assignment on to me, and I thought it was a good idea, but I just couldn't go assigning it out of the blue in the last weeks of classes, so I offered it as extra credit. The assignment was to keep a rough account of all the music around you for about three days--e.g. what's playing in the grocery store, on your car radio, on tv shows or movies, etc.--and then choose a couple of these examples and talk about them--the purpose of its being played, what was the music like (using musical terms learned in class)?, did student's awareness of that context become enhanced by actually paying attention to the background music? I got some interesting responses, including a long analysis of why the car mechanic chose a particular music for the "on-hold" background music. And this one kid is now all into finding Wagnerian leitmotifs in movies--how musical themes develop and explain characters and their developments in actions. If I ever teach Music Appreciation again, I'm definitely going to use this assignment.

Okay, now I have to put on my student cap and finish an essay.