FIRST DAY OF CLASSES!

It's always too soon. We've still got another five weeks before the students return. Time for five more lottery draws.

Pretend to be sick. Tell them you have something funky, like explosive diarrhea, and to stay away. They won't want you to be at the front of the class if they think you're fighting a minute to minute battle to prevent yourself from dropping a big runny load in your pants.

Unless they're evil bastards, which they might be.

PZ,

I fully agree. I have class today, too (I'm a grad student at U of I - Chambana). Whoever invented 9am classes ought to meet me in a closed session with the business end of a two-by-four.

Best,
Steve

Oh, I know. A few of us were talking in the mailroom this morning - "You know, in December, January 16 seems so far away, and then all of a sudden..."

Sigh. To have only 30 lectures. I'll grant you that your lab load and content level is significantly higher than mine, not to mention your own research - but I'll do 30 classes in the first two weeks of the new semester. I feel a sore throat coming on.

Try not to harsh my buzz too much, though. Exam break just started - I've got two weeks left.

What are you'all talking about!?!? I'm chaffing at the bit. Can't wait to get started!

Hummm, and I have to start applying for faculty positions next year.......

Can we have a couple more weeks of vacation, please?

What? You haven't had enough break already? It's the second week of classes here at my college.

Now that you mention it, it's 2nd week of classes at all the schools here, too. That includes elementary school kids.

I wouldn't mind a couple of extra weeks off. I need them to recover from the week of "vacation" that I already had. Stupid germy nephews making everybody sick.

Bah. 45 lab sections? I've got 96. Of course, I've also got two weeks of vacation left to go, and I don't have to maintain a research program ... but we'll ignore that :)

Steve,

Try being a TA in an 8:00 AM Friday discussion section. Trying to get the students to talk was like pulling teeth!

I'm so not ready to start the semester, candidacy exams are looming in May...That seemed like a long way off in September.:(

Ack! I'm not ready to go back to classes. I've been too busy preparing my paper for publication and watching "Robot Chicken" episodes on YouTube. I'm going to be on a major caffeine buzz in immunology lab today...

I got a four-day weekend at Xmas. Yay floating holiday!

Glad to see you all have such a positive feeling about teaching.
Tax dollars at work (or not at work as the case might be)

Let an old experienced teacher give you'all some hard earned advice. If you need to prepare so much, you are doing it wrong. The students get very little out of you reading back what you learned hours before.

If what you know best is "Robot Chicken" given them "Robot Chicken." They will really learn "Robot Chicken" and they will never forget it.

Glad to see you all have such a positive feeling about teaching.
Tax dollars at work (or not at work as the case might be)

Actually, teaching is one of those professions that people do because they love it. Certainly not for the money.

Those who can't teach ... get real jobs.

Glad to see you all have such a positive feeling about teaching.
Tax dollars at work (or not at work as the case might be)

What? Is there a law now that everyone has to really, really, really love their job? It's not enough to do the work to the required level (and often beyond)?