I loathe... (part 10)

I loathe when students are disrespectful.
I loathe when students roll their eyes at me.
I loathe when students slack off.

I loathe... (part 9)

I loathe enforcing my syllabus.
I loathe discussing why learning math is beneficial, especially when the intended audience isn't listening.
I loathe schedule conflicts.

Daba Town News

• School has started - I am currently teaching 8 sections of math split between three schools and four locations... EEK. Most of the time I enjoy the classes but tire of the amount of work. I'd love to blog, create, relax, play, sleep more often, but I am thankful for work.
• David is excited and happy about his schedule this semester so far. He is almost done with the Gen Ed requirements.
• Life living with others has been straining sometimes, but most of the time I feel it is going more smoothly than I expected and we haven't run out of money yet! (Blessed)
• Nephew Owen (Big O, Monkey) is over 5 months old and he is such a chunk! He is rolling, playing, smiling, and starting to eat some baby food.
• Met my 75 (minimum) books read goal last year. I will go ahead and try this again (3rd year).

Student Quotes

"Trinomial times Trinomial! Hold on. Better turn my paper to landscape." 

 

"Monomial? I thought you said Malt-o-Meal." 

"Someone left their fingernail on my keyboard. I'm not going to touch it - it isn't on a key I use much anyway."

Have a merry dead week and a happy finals week, too!

Advice from a College Math Instructor (part 1)

This new idea for a post came from an encounter with a student today. I thought I would advise (rant) about general college behaviors along with math study tips.

Today's Topic: Special Favors

• Don't ask for extra credit or special favors in front of the rest of the class.
• If you ask for extra credit, extensions, answers to a test, or other special favors that make your life easier, then, when you receive a polite no, don't laugh and pretend you were just kidding.
• Don't ask for special favors multiple times per meeting and pretend you are kidding.
• Don't criticize the class or instructor for a mistake you made in regards to special favors, especially in front of other students.
• If you are always asking for special favors, then complain when it appears someone else got one (when they didn't), then you probably won't receive one in the future.

Teacher in the Crosswalk

Hit my teacher with my car.
Goal achieved: she flew quite far.
But of me she got the best-
When a proctor gave her test.

Didn't Get It

So I wanted to write a blog reporting whether or not I got the full time teaching job I'd applied for at one of the schools I am teaching part time. The process has been long, but has taught me a lot about the field.

I didn't get the job, but was told to apply next time there is an opening because they really liked me and my talent/knowledge.

Knowing me (which most of you do) you can expect that I've already come up with a list of "on the bright sides."

BRIGHT SIDES:

• I most likely won't have to teach 5 or more sections of DEVELOPMENTAL math next semester.
• I have the opportunity to get an even better suited position in the future.
• I met some nice people: peers I'd only emailed before this process.
• I re-acquainted myself with a friend.
• Other adjunct math teachers have talked to me more since finding out I'd made it past the first interview.

Logic in Math Class

My students had a quiz this week and there were logic circuits on the quiz. The directions required the student to "write a logical statement using the diagram." Since I didn't emphasize that their answers should be in the form of a *symbolic* statement, one student decided to only write an English statement, which would have been alright if the student had done it correctly.

Here is what the student wrote:
"If it is delicious it is fried or it is not pork, but if it is fried it is pork."




This is funniest while grading at 2 am. The handwriting only makes it funnier.

Updates in Daba Town

I appreciate your patience with my fewer updates. I had good intentions on blogging more frequently but they flew out the window:

• Got two part time teaching jobs: Brown Mackie and ITT Tech.
• My grandmother isn't doing well and is in the hospital.
• Our car was messing up but is now acting fine.
• I got my graduation present! A touch screen laptop so I can easily teach math to my students.

I wanna hear about fun summer plans! I am teaching all summer and David has summer school so I need to live through others' fun times.

Quotes from Class

More quotes from my Abstract Algebra class. Remember the German accent.

"This is an example of a bad proof. The best thing I can say about this proof is that it is probably correct."



"There should be a law: after 1000 times you shouldn't have to write square root of 2 or one half plus two thirds ever again. It would be illegal to write it after that."



"If you're lucky by the end of the course half your students know what you're talking about."



"Anything beyond x = 2/3 is too much."



"We always b**** about the bad students because they are always in your face, but there are many good students. I have to remind myself of this often or I'd shoot myself... but... I also have to consider my dog."

Quotes from Class

"While slavery was in full swing here in the US, Gauss was thinking about UFDs."


He wrote 'Same Natter' on the board and we call laughed. He said "Same Natter. Isn't 'natter' a word? I played scrabble with someone and they used it... it's famous... you can google it."

Sometimes he writes funny things when he is feeling too laid back to write all the details.

The funny part here is the "p divides this" statement.

Quotes from Class

Other Professor: (This professor says some funny things, but not as many as the other one. This professor teaches my Linear Algebra class and these should be read with thick Latino accent.)

(Speaking of America's history) "In this country you have New York. Other than that you don't have cities- you have trains."

"If we squint a little bit, then it looks like the two dimensional complex number space."

"Whenever you have an equivalence you feel compelled to make a collection."

"If you choose carefully, then lots of good things will happen."

"I was young and happy doing homework and watching X-files on Sundays, I remember."

Quotes from Class

I've needed some good laughs lately and so I gathered all the quotes I haven't had time to post. I will post these today and some more (from a different professor) are scheduled for next week while I am on spring break!

Student Quote:

"I have to self intersect... that always makes me uncomfortable."



Professor Quotes: (This is the same professor as previous Quotes from Class posts. He teaches Abstract Algebra and is also my thesis advisor. These should be read with a thick German accent.)

"So Gauss probably took out his ipod and his headphones were tangled for the thousandth time and he got fed up so he developed knot theory."

"Oh that's bad notation but I can't help it because it's in the book."

"We have five more minutes so we might as well go on. On the other hand we might as well quit."

"Here's a cute little theorem for you."

"And all of this is sort of bean counting."

"I'm 90% sure but I could be 10% wrong."

"You caught me on a pretty bad lie."

"...which is what you want, because all we have to do is factor, so we are done. At this point your calc students yell out 'But that's not what it says in the back of the book!' to which I say, 'Oh well!'"

"There's an annoying lemma coming up."

"Plus, I lost one of my contacts so I'm down on one eye."

Written on the board: "45 + 24 = too much"

"It's a good group but way too special."

"Who cares about small numbers? Screw 1, 2, 3, 4, 5."

"If this doesn't smell like free to you, then I don't know what does."

"I'm wearing sweaters with holes in protest of teacher salary cuts."

Quotes from Class

More math class quotes by same professor:


"You can also play with these things quietly in your room."


"I feel like I'm kicking a dead horse now."


(He walks to other part of the chalkboard.) "Let me do this on scratch paper."


"What now? There are probably a bunch of definitions and horrible lemmas I don't even want to prove."

I loathe... (part 6)

I loathe unloading the dishwasher.
I loathe chalk.
I loathe when people text "I have a question" or "I have news" then don't text back until you text "Ok what?"

Quotes from Class

Olympic Edition:

"The Jordan-Holder Theorem deserves a medal. It's just as important, if not more so, than skiing."



"I should get a medal- Fastest Proposition 5.57 Prover. Now let me go on TV and drag bits of my private life out."



"You brush your teeth as a warm up for your math course."



"Let's prove this- I might run out of patience, but then I only get the silver medal."

Quotes from Class

My math professor is hilarious. We all agree he isn't trying to be funny.


"I wouldn't know how to define 'theorem.' Theorems are just statements, like, 'All cats are gray,' except theorems are supposed to be true, and this one isn't- (pause) by counterexample."


"Criminal things always pay off - so that's always an option."



"The devil would have to do a lot of screwing to make this not isomorphic to that."

I love... (part 9)

I love Pink Pearl erasers.
I love the word "abide."
I love the smell of paper.

First Day of Finals

This week is finals week. Always a week of stress and little sleep. Perhaps this is an example:

Today I was walking down the hall toward my office five minutes before the first final. I passed a girl sitting in the hallway. She said, "Good luck." She was very friendly and smiled.

Smiling, I said, "I'm not taking a final. I'm a teacher. But thanks anyway."

She explained why she made the assumption that I am a student. I smiled and said thanks again, then walked into my office.

I found it humorous. I hope she does better on her finals than she did in the hall... that is... assuming she is a student who has finals this week.

I love... (part 7)

I love snowy days spent indoors.
I love getting my requested teaching and tutoring schedule.
I love my HP Mini Netbook.