Cheshire_Cat

The question is, are those coming from actual Trump supporters or not. There have been quite a few hate crime hoaxes in the past few years. I'm not saying they aren't equally as scary, but they aren't actual hate crimes. But, I haven't heard of any harassment from my students or gotten any emails about it happening here. Furthermore, none of my black or more liberal friends have posted about it happening in this area, although some have reposted about it happening elsewhere. My point is, several people seem to think the south is brimming with hate crime and racism, but so far it seems to me that it is happening more in the more "enlightened" areas such as California, and we are just sitting here looking at eachother funny. I'm not saying we don't have our own set of problems with race, but so far they have been more subdued.

IDK where y'all are, but I haven't heard of any substantiated stories of people doing any of these things, and I live in the south, where you would assume they would be more prevalent. There is, however, more of a fear of people who are different than you then I have ever seen before. Blacks look at whites with more suspicion, and whites look at blacks with more suspicion. But this has been growing for about the past year or two, it isn't new. And for most of us it just means being extra careful and kind to people who are different, just so that they will know that we don't intend them any harm.

Eh, Americans find Irish accents sexy. You should be fine. I do fear for my Muslim friends a little. However, the majority of people I know who voted for Trump did so for other reasons, and would be the first to stand against abuse. The media wants to give it this one cohesive "Half of Americans are xenophobic racists" explanation, but there are so many issues that they failed to address which left Americans wanting something different than the establishment. I also think people give the president too much credit for the quality of life in America. The decisions made at the city and state level are a lot more likely to effect your actual life than the president it.

It isn't about platform. It never is. It is always about who is more charismatic and sells themselves better. I did NOT vote for the guy and never will. But I have a good amount of friends on FB and in person who did. For the less educated voter, he sold benefits instead of features. Any sales person knows that people don't care about features, they want to know what benefits they get from the features. What does that mean? He told America that a vote for him was a vote to make America great again. Hillary told America that a vote for her was a vote for... ovaries in the white house? Now, I know that she had more plans than that, but if we just look at their campaign slogans. Trump sold "America great again."- benefit. Hillary sold "I'm with her."- feature. For those who don't care about a "Her" being elected, "America being great again" is a big selling point. The reason I can see for the more rational educated people I know who voted for him is because of judicial activism. Democrats have used the Supreme Court (and the Circuit Courts) to create laws they could not effectively get through the legislative process. In this election, that came back to bite them. Most of the people I know held their noses and voted for Trump over fear of losing all control of the political process to a dictatorship of nine. As far as his policies go, I read his 100 day plan, and I think his healthcare plan is a start. (I worked in the industry for a few years, so its the only think I know a little about) It needs work, but healthcare savings accounts would help most people with the small everyday things that they struggle with health-wise and reduce economic shocks there. It needs to be coupled with a good catastrophic insurance plan to cover the big things, but it's a start. I am for universal healthcare, but the ACA was a very poor implementation of it. He's also pro alternative education, which I like. And cutting taxes on the middle class and business is a good thing. (The effects of taxes is another thing I know a little about) I know this seems like a very pro-Trump post, so let me say again that I did NOT vote for him and never will. But I am trying to look at the bright side. Also, I don't think he will be as bad for the LGBT community as people think he will. He has Pence as his running mate to satisfy the Religious right, but if he doesn't veto legislation the RR try to put forth, I will be extremely surprised. He is probably the least socially conservative person in this election. (I think Hilary is a closet prude, but tows the party line) I am very afraid of his foreign and immigration policies though. And I am worried imposing term limits on congress will have unintended consequences.

Thanks! This is some great advice!

I distributed a student evaluation form last class period. There were likert questions, which I averaged about a 4 out of 7. (7 being best) I think the two things that stuck out was that I lack confidence, and I need to move slower and prepare more. I think moving slower may help with everything else, because sometimes I feel like I am moving too fast for my brain to recall what I need to, and thus I don't seem prepared, but I do it anyways. So I am figuring out how I can slow down some.

The students are afraid I can't teach.

The material (PP slides/homework/exercises/tests) is given to us by the department and I can't deviate without getting in trouble. I can't even have them put away their laptops during class if I wanted to, because the other classes have them out. They are very strict in that regard. I mentioned that the average scores for all of the sections were the same, but it was mentioned more in passing. I think I should make it a point to tell the students that the material is difficult and all of the sections did poorly, and that if they are not satisfied with their grade, they need to utilize the resources available more. I do think there is a confidence thing going on here. I don't know how to fix that other than time. My second class actually did have slightly lower scores, but a normal distribution, and they were nicer in my evals. That class is a lot smaller and I am more comfortable being myself, and I think it shows. The thing is, in every public speaking course I have taken or presentation that I have had to make, I have been rated very highly. I think there might be a disconnect between presenter and teacher that I am having a hard time picking up on.

For the record, my younger brother got a marketing degree, but then taught himself to code and is now making like 80k a year doing that. No Ph.D, or even masters required. Just developing a skill on his off hours which proved very fruitful.

So, I taught during the summer, and my class average, in an intro accounting class, was an 80. (Generally the average in this class is about a 72-76) This semester, they didn't do so hot on their first exam, and made a 74 average, as did the rest of the intro classes that are taught by an experienced professor (technically a 64, but the test writer curved it because everyone in all classes did bad.) However, unlike her sections, my students basically were split between A's and B's and D's and F's. Very few C's. So, now my students are complaining, and one went so far as to complain to the department head. I wouldn't be as worried, but this is the second time someone has complained to the department head (one last semester), and my evals were terrible last semester. I did a midsemester eval this semester, and it is highly correlated to the grade distribution. How can I get students to trust that I know what I am saying? I am pretty much copying verbatim from the author's lectures that he posts on the website, but explaining a little more where needed. They know I am smart and like the topic, but for some reason they are concerned that I can't teach. And maybe I can't. Half the class failed. I don't know what to do or to say to my department head, and now I am having to meet with him and the Ph.D coordinator and the head instructor for this course. And I am very frustrated and worried now.

You can't just decide you want to get your doctorate in anything just because it sounds cool to have one. You need to have passion for whatever you are doing, not just doing it because it gets you out of waiting tables. A ED pointed out, you can wait tables just as easily with a doctorate degree. You need to build marketable skills. School is only one way of doing that, and if you don't do school right, you won't build them there. That being said, you should check out some business programs. Finance, risk management, and accounting all rely heavily on Economics for their theory.

This is a good discussion. I started teaching in the summer, and it was an unmitigated disaster. I HATED it!!!! And it showed. My student evals weren't pleasant, even though my students did really well, grades wise. But I hated getting up in front of people, and it was exhausting, and I didn't know how to handle it. I thought I would like it. I like tutoring, and my dad is a phenomenal teacher, and I have a habit of wanting to be just like him. But I didn't like it, so I had a crisis of conscious there. Luckily, although they did call me on the carpet for my poor SOIs, my department head and adviser were both encouraging and understanding. The did threaten to me with having to teach more if I didn't get my evals up, but I probably needed that. This semester I feel much better about my teaching, and I like my students more. I am also learning how to project more confidence, and I've noticed my students have become more respectful because of it. Hopefully my student evals will show improvement, haha.

I went to grab lunch and came home and my brother had made MORE FUCKING POTATO CHIPS!!! I am about to kill him right now. It isn't that bad in itself, but it is literally the only consistent pet peave I have.

First of all, my sister left her dog with me for a week so that she could go sign an apartment in a different city. It has now been two weeks, and I can't do it anymore. ( I didn't want to do it for the first week, but she had been living on the couch for so long that I figured this would be the fastest way to get rid of her) I live in a tiny apartment, and I have a dog and cat of my own. Her dog is a lab, and mine is a boxer lab mix. Having two big dogs in an apartment is a disaster. Her dog is 1 & 1/2 years old and destroys anything left out if he's home for a while by himself. And he isn't house trained well enough to not have accidents in the house if I leave him for too long. Which is pretty hard since I live 30-45 minuites from school. Also, taking two dogs out to go potty is a lot harder than taking one. Either I take each out individually, which takes twice as long, or I take them both out together, in which case I have two huge dogs on a leash, and I can't control them. It is twice as much poo to clean up, and I already hate cleaning up poo. Today, my dog didn't even get a chance to go poo because my sister's dog got off leash and went missing. So I'm constantly cleaning up dog crap and cleaning up things her dog has destroyed, and hiding the trash can so he can't get in it. And I live in a tiny apartment. Oh, and I room with my brother, but he doesn't do anything to help. He cooks food and doesn't clean up after himself unless I yell at him repeatedly to do so, and then he does a crappy job of it. He doesn't pay his rent on time, and does stupid stuff that I have to rescue him from all the time. And one of my pet peaves is cooking smelly food. I come home last night, and the house smells like someone just fried something and it burnt really bad. Why? Because he wanted to make FUCKING POTATO CHIPS!! You heard me right. He caused a huge stink for something you could literally buy at the store for less than a dollar. And my apartment still smells burnt. I am tired of taking care of other people's shit. I can barely take care of myself, and I feel like everyone else relies on me without even being grateful I am there. My sis at least says thanks, but before she left to find an apartment, she had been living on my couch for almost a year. She should be grateful!! My brother acts like it is my job to clean up after his messes and if I even ask him to help or scold him for doing something wrong then I'm being the fucking unreasonable one. All this, and I have to teach two classes while I am taking 4/5 of my own. I don't have time to take care of myself, much less anyone else. I need someone to take care of me, not the other way around. Oh, and kicking my brother out isn't an option, because I don't want to cause family drama and need the money. He is leaving in a few months, but I'm ready for everyone to be gone now and stop putting their problems on me.

When considering an appropriate response to individuals who disagree with you, you have to think about how you would want somebody to address your own disagreeable ideas. Do we really want to live in a world where the loudest and most annoying protesters win? I have grown up with the idea that universities should be safe spaces. But not safe spaces for ones own beliefs to be coddled and confirmed, but rather a safe space for everyone, regardless of their beliefs, to share and learn from others without fear of judgement and retaliation. And I think you have to have it one way or the other, not both. Either the university can be a safe space for intellectual discourse and learning, or it can be a safe space for people who may be traumatized by having their ideas questioned. That isn't to say we shouldn't be sensitive to people's background and history. But not bringing something up because it might be painful or offensive is not doing anyone any good.

I dislike grading. My dad used to get super grumpy when he had to grade, and I didn't understand why. Now I do. I'd rather everyone make 100's all the time.

That'a fine. As a general rule I actually like my undergrad students more than I thought I would, but everyone has those days.

I'm venting about my students. They are whiny, specifically when they think they can come to half a class and get credit for being there the entire time, in a class where each day covers a week's worth of material. The irony of whining about whining is not lost on me though.

Undergrads are so whiny!! You are adults. You are in charge of you. And part of that is being at class when you should be, and staying the whole time. If you can't do that, you are responsible for the consequences. Get over it.

They are trying to make all of the class sections of the class I am teaching exactly the same. Material wise, that makes sense, because so many people go through it. I hate the given powerpoints, but it is easier to use them, so I will. However, they also want us to have the same class policies and stuff like that. And that is ridiculous!! There are a few problems with that. First of all, what works for a 300 person class is not the same as what works for a 20 person class, and vice versa. Secondly, some teachers have different styles of teaching, and personality, which interacts with the policies, and makes the classes different. One of the biggest differences is the teacher. My first language is English, the other GA's are not native speakers. This will change things! Time of day will change things. You will not have the same class, and trying to just interferes with student outcomes. This is not a battle I am going to fight with the class administrator as a Ph.D student. I am going to nod my head and roll my eyes. But it is ridiculous!

Teaching is exhausting and my voice is shot!! Next class period they are just going to have to work all the problems themselves and then I will tell them if they are right and explain it. And I have another class today, which ends at 10:15 tonight. Lovely.

Here is a book written by a professor on how to manage your time. I took his class on time management in undergrad and there were a couple of the concepts in it which totally changed my paradigm on how to manage my time. https://www.amazon.com/Time-Basics-Jim-Muncy-ebook/dp/B00QSLCPM6

Yeah, and the thing that gets me is that I am already professionally and academically qualified enough to be hired to teach in this field without being a grad student, I just wouldn't be paid as much as someone with a Ph.D.

You need to drill down on why you are anxious about continuing your education. If you do not want to be in school anymore, then don't do it! Grad school is not like undergrad. You have to be very self-motivated to complete it, and if you're not, then it is hell. However, if you are just nervous about the application process, then that is very common. Gather more information on what you want to do and go for it. You do not know how well you will do until you try. Michael Jordan once said "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

The school is going to pay me to teach this summer. However, they are also charging me $500 in fees for the privilege.