July 7, 2008

Transitions

So, this is probably a new parent thing, an insight that most experienced parents have already had.

But over the past few weeks, I've realized that my babies are much happier when I actively create transitions for them.

After a meal of solid foods, they used to fuss and cry, even if I could tell from their cues they weren't hungry anymore. And they would continue to freak out while I tried to wipe their faces, trays, put away the food, etc. I think they must have been thinking, however babies think, "Why is this good thing being taken away from me?" (even though I as an adult could tell that they were no longer hungry).

Now, as soon as they're done, I hand them each a clean spoon to play with. No more tears for them, and a chance for me to clean things (and them!) up before the gook has a chance to dry. Then they get down and play.

The flow-chart (not to totally geek out here) for this would be (a) eat (b) transition=spoons (c) get down and play.

I suppose that's what we've been doing for awhile with sleep-times/naptimes, but hadn't thought about the wider applications of transition times.

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March 5, 2008

Professor McFarland

We dedicate this blog post to our favorite professor - Austina

She shoots....she scores!!

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October 26, 2006

I feel cool!

I just used video clips of performances by Jimi Hendrix to help my music appreciation kids understand the virtuosity and wild, almost supernatural persona of Paganini and Liszt. And the continuing "Romantic" elements in music today.

I think they made the connection. I love it when I can cross a boundary in teaching.

I feel really with it!

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October 18, 2006

musicology humor

An answer from a midterm,

The chant "In Paradigm" was sung when people decreased.

I hope people sing about paradigms when I am decreased!

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October 14, 2006

Caught redhanded and I'm feeling blue

Our students had their midterm on Wednesday.

As we were grading, one of the TAs had been suspicious that one of the students from one of my recitations was cheating. Her first page looked iffy, but the second page was unmistakeable.

The guy next to her was really excited about his answer, and at the end wrote (words changed for the protection of the innocent) "I'm da bomb." At the end of her very odd and incorrect essay, she wrote "I'm da bomb" as her concluding sentence.

I didn't confront her in recitation on Thursday, not knowing yet how the professor will handle it. My first reaction--other than laughing at the absurdity of it--was to get angry. In this copy-and-paste generation, some kids have little qualms about breaking the clearly stated rules of academic integrity. We could easily fail her in the whole class, leaving a mark on her academic record. I wanted to at least give her a zero in the exam.

This morning, I saw her working in the library, perhaps even full-time. And she's an international student, English is definitely not her first language, though she does speak well.

And my heartstrings are being plucked. I have a soft part for international students, their guts in working in a language and country not their own. And I also have a soft spot for kids who work their way through school, instead of having it handed to them on a silver platter.

Justice or mercy?

Sigh.

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