Ovation
Ovation makes me think of Ovaltine. Wonder if they still make that.
Anyway, walked into calculus tonight. Usually I'm quite a bit early to talk HW problems with classmates beforehand, but I was burnt from yesterday's test and quite cranky.
Lolita says, "I'm using your test." For ... toilet paper? "You got the high score, I'm copying how you do things because I like it better than when he shows." Um, yeah, but I'm not the one grading. Sam shouts from the back, "Good job! High score!" And soon they're clapping and cheering and the whole room starts.
Which is really pathetic, because this ovation-inspiring high score was an 81%.
I talked to Lalo tonight because he's giving me a tour of Cal State San Bernardino soon, and he asked how I was. Verbal shrug. "What's wrong?" Oh, sucky calc test, did badly. "What's that, like a B?" OK, he knows me too well. Or my obsessive overachieving is plain for all to see.
But what bugged is that I knew the information. He threw some hard problems at us - like 4th derivatives that were in the hundreds of thousands and we weren't allowed to use calculators on that section! (He'd made a mistake in the typing up.) It took me a bloody 30 minutes for that stupid effing problem, which freaked me out, and then I made STUPID errors like "8 + 1 = 8" and "36 + 24 = 70." And he took off full credit for those stupid things even though I did the calculus right. Which is his prerogative, and he actually gave me a couple points extra, but it bugs. If I didn't know the material, I would be ticked at myself. But I knew it, and I do blame the test and the surprises he promised he wouldn't do, his mistake problem, etc.
So he screamed at the class (his word). And I feel for him - he was really upset about how many people missed the problems about velocity and acceleration - easy problems we spent time on. Mean score was like a 41%. But the other stuff messed it all up. And I know - an A is excellent, and a B is good, and I would say my mastery of the material is sound and good but I don't know about excellent. But I want excellent and I'm not happy with less. And it annoyed me because he didn't allow time for a couple days to go over homework problems - so we couldn't discuss things that we were tested on. The book sucks, so if I'm not instructed in something I might not be able to figure it out.
Midterm tomorrow and hopefully it goes better. I can do most all the practice test problems pretty easily, but that was the case with the last test too, so that's no promise. Ugh.
I can see he felt bad about it all while also being upset - when I walked in the room I ranted. He was out of the room, but even when I could sense him behind me I ranted a bit more - especially about the HW issue. Apparently he'd already screamed at several people about how they don't do their homework and that's why they were unsuccessful and he was out cooling off. And when I left I made a snide remark about, "Don't you dare say I didn't do my homework." "I didn't." Fine. So we're clear. I even got the hard problems that we hadn't been taught, but not all of them.
And I know he felt bad because he's showing up an hour early tomorrow to help people who need it - he's never done that. He's always early, but less than eager to work through things (he's prepping, we'll do it later, etc.).
Teaching is an imperfect art. Of course I'm ticked because I got a low score, but I see how hard I work and how I get it and enjoy it, and I see how a few others are about the same - and none of us did well? Him shouting about "calculus is hard! If you don't like it just leave right now!" doesn't wash here. We know that, and we're working to that. Some of us. Others maybe not so much. Maybe he's overcompensating because of bonus questions leading to high scores on the last test - I did have over 105% before this test. But that's about where I think I should be.
And it matters now more than just fun because I'm thinking of economics study ... UCR's economics undergrad secretary is driving me up an effing wall. She refuses to talk to me because she doesn't understand what to do about postbaccalaureate study. So, I went to appointments and spent a day walking around campus to different offices of people who couldn't help me - and now I've done all that and she STILL doesn't want to talk to me. Says she won't until I've been admitted. So I (not very patiently) pointed out that I won't be admitted because I won't apply unless I talk to her and she tells me what I need to know. She called my situation "a big problem" because I'm a PhD student? That's all stupid and she's working herself up about nothing. So, I sent her back an email dropping names of her bosses and where all I went and the official processes.
But I'm fried on it. So I'm looking at other schools - such as Cal State San Bernardino. It's a lot cheaper (as is living there) and seems to have all that I want and at the frequency I want to finish and get out in a year. Plus, they seem to understand better (according to their website) about postbaccalaureate studies and maybe they won't all get worked up into conniption fits. Well, I emailed their secretary and I'll see (and I used the phrase "conniption fits"). If it would allow me access to a prestigious graduate program, it might be the right compromise - near Riverside, but not in Riverside. Coming back to a place I like, but not going backwards. Well, I'll see how I feel about it later. Still think I'll apply to RAND for PhD in Policy and Georgetown for JD and maybe UC Davis for JD. Need to get on that stuff. I think my chances at RAND and Georgetown are both limited, so important to have back-up plan (or two, or three, or ...).
Several calculus classmates say they just want my brain for awhile, but it's a scary place in there. Too many synapses simultaneously, too many thoughts, ideas, and strange tangents. Too many damn plans.
Anyway, walked into calculus tonight. Usually I'm quite a bit early to talk HW problems with classmates beforehand, but I was burnt from yesterday's test and quite cranky.
Lolita says, "I'm using your test." For ... toilet paper? "You got the high score, I'm copying how you do things because I like it better than when he shows." Um, yeah, but I'm not the one grading. Sam shouts from the back, "Good job! High score!" And soon they're clapping and cheering and the whole room starts.
Which is really pathetic, because this ovation-inspiring high score was an 81%.
I talked to Lalo tonight because he's giving me a tour of Cal State San Bernardino soon, and he asked how I was. Verbal shrug. "What's wrong?" Oh, sucky calc test, did badly. "What's that, like a B?" OK, he knows me too well. Or my obsessive overachieving is plain for all to see.
But what bugged is that I knew the information. He threw some hard problems at us - like 4th derivatives that were in the hundreds of thousands and we weren't allowed to use calculators on that section! (He'd made a mistake in the typing up.) It took me a bloody 30 minutes for that stupid effing problem, which freaked me out, and then I made STUPID errors like "8 + 1 = 8" and "36 + 24 = 70." And he took off full credit for those stupid things even though I did the calculus right. Which is his prerogative, and he actually gave me a couple points extra, but it bugs. If I didn't know the material, I would be ticked at myself. But I knew it, and I do blame the test and the surprises he promised he wouldn't do, his mistake problem, etc.
So he screamed at the class (his word). And I feel for him - he was really upset about how many people missed the problems about velocity and acceleration - easy problems we spent time on. Mean score was like a 41%. But the other stuff messed it all up. And I know - an A is excellent, and a B is good, and I would say my mastery of the material is sound and good but I don't know about excellent. But I want excellent and I'm not happy with less. And it annoyed me because he didn't allow time for a couple days to go over homework problems - so we couldn't discuss things that we were tested on. The book sucks, so if I'm not instructed in something I might not be able to figure it out.
Midterm tomorrow and hopefully it goes better. I can do most all the practice test problems pretty easily, but that was the case with the last test too, so that's no promise. Ugh.
I can see he felt bad about it all while also being upset - when I walked in the room I ranted. He was out of the room, but even when I could sense him behind me I ranted a bit more - especially about the HW issue. Apparently he'd already screamed at several people about how they don't do their homework and that's why they were unsuccessful and he was out cooling off. And when I left I made a snide remark about, "Don't you dare say I didn't do my homework." "I didn't." Fine. So we're clear. I even got the hard problems that we hadn't been taught, but not all of them.
And I know he felt bad because he's showing up an hour early tomorrow to help people who need it - he's never done that. He's always early, but less than eager to work through things (he's prepping, we'll do it later, etc.).
Teaching is an imperfect art. Of course I'm ticked because I got a low score, but I see how hard I work and how I get it and enjoy it, and I see how a few others are about the same - and none of us did well? Him shouting about "calculus is hard! If you don't like it just leave right now!" doesn't wash here. We know that, and we're working to that. Some of us. Others maybe not so much. Maybe he's overcompensating because of bonus questions leading to high scores on the last test - I did have over 105% before this test. But that's about where I think I should be.
And it matters now more than just fun because I'm thinking of economics study ... UCR's economics undergrad secretary is driving me up an effing wall. She refuses to talk to me because she doesn't understand what to do about postbaccalaureate study. So, I went to appointments and spent a day walking around campus to different offices of people who couldn't help me - and now I've done all that and she STILL doesn't want to talk to me. Says she won't until I've been admitted. So I (not very patiently) pointed out that I won't be admitted because I won't apply unless I talk to her and she tells me what I need to know. She called my situation "a big problem" because I'm a PhD student? That's all stupid and she's working herself up about nothing. So, I sent her back an email dropping names of her bosses and where all I went and the official processes.
But I'm fried on it. So I'm looking at other schools - such as Cal State San Bernardino. It's a lot cheaper (as is living there) and seems to have all that I want and at the frequency I want to finish and get out in a year. Plus, they seem to understand better (according to their website) about postbaccalaureate studies and maybe they won't all get worked up into conniption fits. Well, I emailed their secretary and I'll see (and I used the phrase "conniption fits"). If it would allow me access to a prestigious graduate program, it might be the right compromise - near Riverside, but not in Riverside. Coming back to a place I like, but not going backwards. Well, I'll see how I feel about it later. Still think I'll apply to RAND for PhD in Policy and Georgetown for JD and maybe UC Davis for JD. Need to get on that stuff. I think my chances at RAND and Georgetown are both limited, so important to have back-up plan (or two, or three, or ...).
Several calculus classmates say they just want my brain for awhile, but it's a scary place in there. Too many synapses simultaneously, too many thoughts, ideas, and strange tangents. Too many damn plans.
posted by NOLA at 12:01 AM
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