In the spring of 2006, a student came to my office to tell me that she had decided to become a professor and would continue her studies after graduation. I was surprised. This student had been disengaged for most of … Continue reading Mittwoch Matinee
I’ve never thought teaching was easy. It has too many moving parts: me, the students, the content, current events, the schedule. The schedule can be crucial. It’s one thing to teach a seventy-five minute class twice a week to undergraduates, … Continue reading They Love Me, They Love Me Not
In the late 1980s, Jon Lovitz played a character called the “Master Thespian” on Saturday Night Live. He strolled around a Victorian drawing room in a silk smoking jacket, puffed on a meerschaum pipe, and made ridiculous claims about his life and … Continue reading “Teaching!”
The first time it happened, I was in luck. The head of Media Services was walking by, caught me crouched down, trying to adjust the computer system in the classroom podium, and came to my rescue. The second time, a … Continue reading The Saboteur of Room 320
I discovered something not long ago that I find incredible. It’s been on my mind ever since. However, judging from the reaction of most people, they either already know about it, or aren’t as impressed as I am. So, I’ve … Continue reading Teaching Zebras
The funniest line I ever heard was in a scene from The Music Man. Marian Paroo, the winsome librarian who is very mistrustful of men, has just declared her love for Prof. Harold Hill in song on a footbridge overlooking … Continue reading Rudy Frimmel, Where Art Thou?
It’s that time of year again. I gave my last lecture this week before final exams and graduation. One class applauded and many in my other class came up afterward to shake my hand. I am telling you this, because … Continue reading Tough Teaching
