All my grades were entered yesterday. So far, I have had no complaints from disgruntled slackers.
But here's the best part: I don't have to show up in a classroom for 106 days. That's almost 1/3 of a year. How cool is that?
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
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5 comments:
I enjoy the trimester system myself...I have 5 weeks free at christmas, 5 weeks in spring, and 12 in the summer. Plus, in easter term, there are only three weeks of instruction, then exams and marking for the rest of the term. So in total, there are 19 classroom weeks a year. Not bad at all. They do know how to schedule things in the UK.
I wish I had every day off from my stupid job. so I could do useful things like paint... and not drink coffee.
Ah, but those 106... uh, 105 days aren't "off," they are merely student-free. Over the summer I have three courses I have to develop, 4 papers to write, a workshop to prepare, and one Ph.D. student to get graduated.
OK, thanks. Now I'm stressed and anxious.
Unrelated, but a useful question for me and possibly others. Dear C., and guy (and any others), how weird/inappropriate do you find it when an undergrad you don't know very well (1 or 2 large classes) asks you for a letter of recommendation? I'll be in that position soon. All these prof.'s gave me A's, but I'm pretty incognito in class, and, while I regret it for myriad reasons, I've cultivated approximately zero faculty relationships. I'm just not so good sometimes, face-to-face. (I have a pretty damn distinctive personal appearance, otoh)
So very awkward or only slightly? What's the ettiquete?
Endit - I'm sorry that I didn't see this comment until today. I do have a lot of requests like this, so you don't have to worry that you're doing something uncommon. Some professors refuse to write these letters, but I usually will, because, despite my cold, hard exterior, I am a real pushover.
I do try and get the student to think harder about likely letter writers. I explain quite clearly that I really don't know who s/he is, and that the best I can write for him/her is that s/he attended class regularly and performed well (e.g., "S/he earned 95% of the points in my class, earning him/her an A and ranking him/herself 5th in a class of 42."). I explain also that a letter like this is rather useless, and, depending on the school or position being applied for, may actually do damage.
If you find faculty who are willing to write such letters for you, make sure you do the following:
1) Fill out the cover letters for the letter-writers completely. Put their names in where they are supposed to go, all identifying information (position, address, etc.), and everything else. I will not fill these things out. All I do with the cover forms is scrawl "see attached" across the face and attach the letter. (Also, I refuse to do those little scales that ask me to rate how good you are compared to anyone else I've ever seen. I don't know that many people do, so don't be surprised by that, if perchance you happen to see your application materials later on.)
2) Give the faculty members a copy of your vita or resume and point out anything on it of which you are particularly proud. I will usually add an extra paragraph about your amazing extracurricular activities, and isn't it wonderful that you got such a good grade in my difficult class at the same time you were tutoring underprivileged children or volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. But I can't do this if you don't give me your resume.
3) Address all the envelopes appropriately and stamp them, unless they are to be returned directly to you, in which case put your own name on them.
4) Put all this nearly-completed paperwork in a neat folder with a separate sheet listing all the letters you are requesting so that I can check them off one by one and so that I can track down the ones that go missing. (If I don't have everything together in a folder, several will go missing for sure. Have you seen the disaster that is the top of my desk?)
So there you have it. Go ask for your letters.
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