Friday, October 14, 2005

Wincing Now

Here, from Buddha Stew, is a student's eye view of a class session --

Here's a timeline of events for our regular class session:
8:02 am- Professor enters classroom, offers up some awkward statements on our homework assignment, hands it back.
8:07 - Anthologies are opened to the piece under discussion, oddly phrased and intentionally confusing question is asked of class regarding the general form/location of main themes/importance of c# to romantic endeavors/best way to pick nose.
8:08 - I retrieve my planner from my backpack and beginning entering in useless information in order to keep myself awake.
8:10- Boredom continues unabated. Same two people attempt to answer vague questions and are repeatedly shot down with polite (yet somehow strangely harsh) German manner.
8:13- I begin to compose a rough draft of an analysis graph only to realize I have no idea what is going on because we've never heard the piece of music in question.
8:15- Back to planner. Draw amusing picture of ghost holding a mug of beer on the date of our proposed Halloween party.
8:20- Watch surreptitiously glanced at.
8:21- Contemplate death and the sharpness of pencil lead.
8:24- After realizing that the class is completely clueless, Professor attempts to further engage our attention by scribbling something illegible on the chalkboard.
8:25- I fall asleep for 30 seconds only to be awakened by an explosive "JAH! And vat do you think about the in-tervel in messure nigh-n?"
8:30- Draw amusing picture of pumpkin imbibing in mixed drink.
8:31- Mentally compose blog entry.
8:35- Begin to be slightly nervous about impending trombone lesson with Jan.
8:36- Mentally practice Martin Ballade, get distracted by poor piano playing emanating from professor's attempt to give us a real aural idea of what the hell Haydn was thinking.
8:40- Time stops.

http://www.salamandastron.blogspot.com/

This is why being a professor occasionally makes me want to hang myself -- the dread that I am, possibly, inflicting this on my students.

Eck.

On the other hand -- death and the sharpness of pencil lead: what a great line. Surely that line is worth any number of dreadfully boring class sessions?

1 comment:

zelda1 said...

I have been in classes where I do everything from wonder how they got the wood completely hollowed out so that the lead would, in fact, slide inside and work to who was the guy that finally did invent pencils and then I have been in classes where I was afraid to look at the paper to write the notes, afraid I would miss something and I think you fit the one where the student can't take his or her eyes off of you because what you say is so interesting and important and useful.