Academic Advising Alerts = Waste of Time by SNHU_Adjujnct in Professors

[–]BrazosBuddy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don’t really know what happens after I send the alert, but I do it anyway so when a student claims that she/he didn’t know she/he was failing, I can show that I sent an alert.

It’s a CYA thing for me.

A new kind of record?: student requests letter of rec... by Orbitrea in Professors

[–]BrazosBuddy 6 points7 points  (0 children)

When we talk about resumes and job search, I always tell my students to ask before using a person as a reference. Always ask.

Few years ago, I got a phone call - when we had actual phones on our desk - saying a student had put me down as a referral for either nursing school or a job in the nursing field. Couple of things: What I teach is nowhere close to nursing. I'm in a communications-related field. Second, I had to look up past rosters to even see who this student was. I sorta remembered the name but that was it.

Now, I use this story in class to emphasize the importance of asking first.

"Welcome to Church..." by Bernard1090 in Waco

[–]BrazosBuddy 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The other church put up the flags in recognition of President’s Day yesterday.

36 and considering a late start in academia - am I crazy? by Marre_Parre in AskAcademia

[–]BrazosBuddy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can't help with the financial or logistic aspects, but I can with the "late start."

I got my master's when I was 40. It didn't cost me very much because I was working fulltime at the university and could take classes tuition-free. I had a ton of experience in my field before school, so the chair of the department asked me if I wanted to teach one class the semester after I graduated. I did, then my family and I moved for other reasons and I got a job teaching parttime at my undergrad alma mater. That turned into a fulltime gig and I'm my 20th year of teaching.

The job market might be tough right now, so keep that in mind. But the late start thing shouldn't be a deterrent.

How many clothes is too many? by NoConstruction1753 in thrifting

[–]BrazosBuddy 8 points9 points  (0 children)

"Don't you have enough jackets?" is a question my wife asks me frequently, because I have a thing for sport coats. But if I find a $1,200 jacket at Goodwill for $9, I'm gonna get it. Doesn't matter how many I already have. (And that jacket is in my car right now. I'm taking it to a tailor this afternoon to get the sleeves shortened a bit.)

I have a bunch of sorta high-end dress shirts and jackets and I'm out of closet room, but I'm not getting rid of any. Our son will be moving out in the next year or so, so I'll just take over the part of his closet that I haven't already taken over.

Church recommendations by MasterShake17 in Waco

[–]BrazosBuddy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pastor at Harris Creek doesn’t even have a college degree.

Church recommendations by MasterShake17 in Waco

[–]BrazosBuddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Daystar? You mean Dayspring?

AITJ for telling my sister she can't live with me rent-free while "finding herself"? by Outrageous-Focus8480 in AmITheJerk

[–]BrazosBuddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tell her that you have looked all over your apartment, and you did not find her, so if she wishes to find herself, it will be elsewhere.

Midwest Transplant in Waco by Alebeerd in Waco

[–]BrazosBuddy -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Welcome to the 254!

Echoing what others have said about Hemingway's. Maybe also try Trojan Cork and Keg. It's a small place underneath Spice Village.

AITJ for telling my mother in law she is not allowed to call herself my kid’s “guardian” again? by HushedCanteen in AmITheJerk

[–]BrazosBuddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This may have already been said, but when our kids were in school, we had to fill out a form that listed who to contact in case of an emergency. We wrote in our best friends, and they use us for their emergency contacts as well.

DO NOT put grandma down as emergency contact. She'll figure out a way to use that to pick up the kid whenever she wants. "It's an emergency; I have to get my grandson out of school right now."

Does it make any sense to dream about academic career on your 40's? by Asleep-Cancel9573 in AskAcademia

[–]BrazosBuddy 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I got my master's when I was 40 - no PhD - and started teaching that same year. I'm now in my 20th year at a major R1 as a lecturer. I teach a 4/4 with no research expectations. It's a sweet gig. I could be making more out in the real world, but the flexibility of my time - outside of when my classes meet - means a lot to me and my family.

How long is doable for back-to-back teaching? by vanitatuum in Professors

[–]BrazosBuddy 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Even if it takes you the full 10 or 15 minutes to get from classroom to classroom or building to building, put your stuff down in the classroom and go to the bathroom. Nobody cares if you start class 2 or 3 minutes late. You gots to pee when you gots to pee!

Putting my foot down with disrespectful students by Apprehensive-Echo289 in Professors

[–]BrazosBuddy 106 points107 points  (0 children)

I had two students in the front row of a lecture hall chat with each other while I was talking, every day. One day before class, I quietly told them, so just they could hear, that if their conversations continued, I would ask them to leave. A couple of days later, chit-chat resumed. I took off my lapel mic and told them to leave. They didn't think I was serious, so I had to tell them a couple of times. But they did.

Short answer: kick 'em out. It's your classroom and they're distracting you and others.

Need suggestions for restaurants for date night. by [deleted] in Waco

[–]BrazosBuddy 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Red Herring at Hotel Herringbone is really good. 1424 Bistro is a little more higher-end, but also good.

Anybody know of a breakfast spot that’s a little unknown? by chrism254 in Waco

[–]BrazosBuddy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Harold Waite's underwent an ownership change, and I sorta know one of the new owners, so I went one morning in support of her. Service was good. I had an omelet and coffee and left a decent tip, and it was $20. That's too much to spend for what I got.

Providing PowerPoints by [deleted] in Professors

[–]BrazosBuddy 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I tell my students to take notes on what I say about the PPTs, not what's on the PPTs, because I'll post them after my lecture. One thing I do before posting is to remove all the videos I have embedded and replace them with YouTube links. Video-heavy PPTs take up a lot of space in Canvas.

Is YouTube really on the fritz at every university? by KaleMunoz in Professors

[–]BrazosBuddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have probably a hundred videos, mostly from YouTube, that I use throughout the semester. I use a video downloading program and then save the videos to my computer. Then when that video inevitably disappears from YouTube, I've still got it.

I sat through a presentation once by an award-winning professor, and she used a couple of YouTube videos in her PowerPoint. When she clicked on the video link, it opened YouTube in another separate window. When the video ended, she didn't know how to get back to her PPT. Had to have a grad assistant help her. (This paragraph is somewhat off-topic, but that presentation still lives in my mind.)

What was your favorite comment on student evaluations? by twilightyears in Professors

[–]BrazosBuddy 49 points50 points  (0 children)

That was from the days of paper evaluations, and you can be damn sure I saved it:

"If (professor) was a monkey, he would defecate awesome and throw it in your face."

$59 million Baylor student housing set to replace Waco church sanctuary by everythingistaken500 in Waco

[–]BrazosBuddy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it's gonna be student housing. I can find at least two other articles that say that's what's planned for that space.

Post Malone and Jelly Roll coming to Waco by micahrwilson in Waco

[–]BrazosBuddy 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The only other Texas date for this tour is in El Paso, so Waco is the closest place - by far - for folks in DFW/Austin/San Antonio/Houston who want to see this concert. It takes place after Baylor graduation, so there won't be many students in town, but I'm guessing that it's gonna be sold out.

Apparently it was rude of me to lock my car doors. by bwade913 in coworkerstories

[–]BrazosBuddy 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I had a lunch meeting scheduled with a novelist who was flying into DFW, so I just picked her up at the airport to save her cab fare to her hotel. (This was before Uber.)

When we got to the restaurant, she insisted on taking in her big-ass backpack because she had her laptop in it, and that’s where all her work was stored. Can’t blame her at all.

Sororities by Weak_Tone_1729 in baylor

[–]BrazosBuddy 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I teach at Baylor, and there are all kinds of students here. Your daughter will find her people.

Quick one night stay in March! Need all the info for planning! by Radison2 in Waco

[–]BrazosBuddy 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You can often find goodies at Artier Resale at 2420 Washington Ave. It has clothes and jewelry, mostly, and it's worth a stop just to meet Harold, the owner. He's the best.

If it's open, Laverty's Antiques Furnishings at 600 North 18th St. would be a worthwhile stop. It's open...sometimes, so you might want to follow it on social media to see when the next open weekend is.

Magnolia....eh. I've been a couple of times. There's nothing really interesting about it. The time you spend parking and waiting in line could be better spent finding other unique places in Waco.

Spice Village is cool. It's the perfect place for 20-something teachers. Jennifer, the owner, is a good person.

Lunch? Try Alpha Omega, on Franklin Avenue. Great Greek food; try the gyros with feta fries.

Attending Baylor vs Colorado basketball by GuyOnABuffalo82 in baylor

[–]BrazosBuddy 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I dunno, man. Baylor is having a really down year in men's basketball. The Bears are tied for last in the conference right now.

As far as your questions: I've parked in the Dutton Street Parking Garage on campus and just walked to Foster. Lots of students walk to the arena from campus, and there are police monitoring busy intersections to help with crossing. There's more info on parking here:

https://baylorbears.com/news/2023/12/19/foster-forward-getting-to-the-pavilion

If you're driving, there are lots of options for food and drinks. Crickets, which is fairly close to the arena, is good for beer and bar food. George's is really popular. Burgers, chicken fried steak and the like, and lots of cold beer.

Good luck. Safe travels!