02/25: Jerky Intellects

So, it's after the funeral and I'm chatting with some of my husband's cousins. One is a really nice guy who got his PhD and now teaches out west somewhere in a tenure-track position. It's a big deal for him. The other is this beady-eyed only child moron intellect who could not communicate his way out of a paper bag unless it had the instructions based upon the Rosetta Stone code scribbled on the inside. I never really liked this guy because I suspect he's a fraud. A big fat fraud that isn't as smart as he thinks he is.

The nice cousin and I were talking about classes and teaching. Really nice guy. The other one...well, he just talks to hear himself and forget what YOU have to say.

As they are leaving, my husband makes a comment to nice guy, "Great see you, buddy or should we say, Professor?"

I proudldy chimed in "He has a PhD! It should be Doctor!"

Social moron guy mumbles, "Well, actually, in academia, a professor is more impressive than a doctorate."

I looked at this guy as if he had three heads. What the hell is he talking about? I'm a f'ing professor and I don't have my doctorate. I once got lashed out at by the Vice President b/c someone teasingly called me Dr. Blahblahblah (and I had nothing to do with it).

What pisses me off is that the moron cousin obviously is so stupid that he doesn't even realize that he's stupid. But he also thinks that I'M stupid just because I exist. He doesn't even bother to find out what I do or don't know.

Later on, we all sat around the table b.s.ing and my two sister-in-laws were commenting how smart this guy is and how he's on a different plain. My husband (bless him!) made a few comments back that he's not really that smart just because he specializes in one niche and he doesn't know how to communicate with people unless it's about that niche. APPLAUSE APPLAUSE! I really wanted to slap those people who allowed this jerky "intellect" into bullying them into feeling stupid. I was proud of my husband for actually saying that to my one sister-in-law. Of course, he was half drunk and when I tried to talk to him later about it, he passed out so I didn't get to have an in-depth discussion.

Why do people who think they are so smart get off by trying to make other people feel stupid? That bothers me. I consider myself fairly intelligent (hell, I graduated college when I was 20 and had my masters by 22!). But I don't glory in dumb-ifying other people. In fact, I'm intrigued more by with other people have to say than what I think I know. Maybe I'm onto something. Maybe I'm smarter because I don't want to talk but to listen. It's the talkers who only care about spreading their own knowledge without acquiring more since they think they know everything. In fact, I get mad when my husband pushes me into debates on topics that I know a lot about (such as religion or politics in Middle East...personal knowledge pursuits of mine). My mother does this, too, when I'm with her best friend's husband drinks too much and starts spewing off ridiculous Scripture. I'll play a little bit if he's being really obnoxious because I'm fairly well-versed on both Old and New Testament. But I actually try to keep that a secret. No one else cares. They have their own opinions, and about topics like religion and politics, they usually don't want to hear mine.

Long rant...sorry. But that guy ticked me off. Give the PhD the credit and accoldates. That's hard work. And to pretend that being called "professor" is better than being called "doctor"? COME ON! That was a ridiculously stupid thing for this supposedly 'genius' to say.

[Of course, I now risk exposing my own ignorance when twenty people comment that I'm wrong but, if so, I will apologize to Chip the Dip Cousin. ]

02/24: Funerals and Classes

So my father-in-law passed away last week and we are currently attending the funeral. It's amazing because two weeks prior to that, my best friend's mother decided to kill herself in a very dramatically choreographed "event" in New York City (no further details out of respect to my friend). I have become the student that I hate...the one who has a gazillion people die during the semester. Oh yes, and toss in a blizzard. So I basically have missed a month of teaching. I am the "blow off" instructor this semester.

I did return to the classroom last week and it was surreal. There is one student in my first class who reminds me of my childhood "Nellie Olson". This chick could be her twin. I hated this girl. I remember getting into a kicking match in 4th grade on the playground. I delighted when she was sent home for being too "dirty" to attend class (which is weird b/c her parents were rather prominent). She disappeared for a while and returned a few years later only to steal my boyfriend in high school. He was a druggie loser but hey, at the time, he was cool. Now I have her twin sitting in my class staring at me with big brown eyes. And she has become my "academic role reversal" nemesis. She actually is helping me because I'm so distracted with death and trauma and heart-sick friends and family. It sucks. I feel like such a loser. I forgot to post assignments on Blackboard. I wrote the wrong dates for something else. This chick is reminding me and guiding me through the process. It makes me feel like crap.

But the good news is that my shitty online market research class has finally taken a turn for the better. We're down to five solid students and I have a rhythm going. I feel much better about it. Lets see how Monday goes when my kooky buddy steps up to the plate to run my classes for me.

02/13: ARGH...my kids!

They are driving me nuts! We're snowed in and, while I normally wouldn't mind, I've had a rough few weeks. My best friend's mother committed suicide last week, my husband has been traveling like a lunatic, and the latest tragedy is his father being rushed to the ER and it's not looking good. Add 20+ inches of snow and being trapped with two rammy kids and I become rather cranky.

Now, I recognize that this seems to be a theme in my life/blog but I'm really a nice person. Usually nice, anyway. Just not during January/February/March. I hate the cold, hate the kids being stuck indoors, hate the constant noise of computer games or the telvision and I despretely miss my gardens.

I've given up the battle with my kids over the Game Cube, computer games, and television. I'm going to chalk these months up as complete lost causes with little to no contribution to spatial brain development for the three year old and similar intelligent design over the 7 year old. I'm a loser mother right now and I just have to suck it up because my work load and lack of physical presence by their dad is hindering me from being Ma Ingalls to these kids right now. I suppose they'll turn out OK...

Of course, we're trapped today and my husband is battling the airports to get to his dad and I have the munchkins plus I seem to be acquiring more throughout the day. I just wrote this long post for the blog and the doorbell ringt where I lose one munchkin but gained another. As I answer the door and turn back to the computer, my son is gleefully sitting there with his buddy. WHAT???!!! They erased my entire posting AND the new kid is hungry b/c his mom didn't feed him lunch. ARGGGH! I just shut the damn kitchen and cleaned up. I'm not a short order cook.

All I want to do is get caught up on grading papers and class prep and paint the family room. Is that too much to ask? I cannot even get to the paint store to buy the paint.

02/08: Corrupt Faculty Member

I'm really ticked off today. I just found out that one of the "pet" faculty members at my school has been sending bills to the college for tutoring his own students. This really angers me and I cannot believe that the dean is not terminating this guy. Can you imagine? That's your JOB to teach these students...you don't get paid extra because you are doing such a crappy job in the classroom that the students need a tutor! If I don't explain something properly or if my student needs help, I help that student. I spend the time to help the student understand the concepts or assignments. Can you imagine charging the school $20/hour for this? It's not like he received permission or referred the students to the tutoring center. He just did it on his own.

What a crock of crap! It makes me so angry because I go above and beyond the call of duty for my students (at least those that make an attempt). I keep hearing about budgets and money then I hear this???? I'm really angry...

02/02: Going Crazy Already

I'm overwhelmed already! One of my classes is going EXCEPTIONAL, one is so-so, and one stinks. It's my fault this time around and I take the blame. I have too much going on. I never should have accepted the third course (stinky one) but the instructor was deployed to Iraq. I felt it was my patriotic duty to step up to the plate and cover for him. Now I'm going bananas trying to get caught up and organized. Of course, two children under the age of 8 make that impossible. HELP!!!!