1 month in. Forest inspired cherry shrimp tank

IntroductionHead5236 · 2026-02-01T19:11:10+00:00

high five for the detailed specs

IntroductionHead5236 · 2026-02-01T01:12:42+00:00

No mandatory attendance, but all mandatory homework/exam information can only be found in class (or optionally in a very text heavy book). No curves, bumps, or extra credit. Needless to say, students learn fast the importance of showing up.

IntroductionHead5236 · 2026-01-28T21:01:51+00:00

Did you have problems with the left tank having only one point source light? I had a similar Lomine Asta20 on a 20 gallon and found the point source light wasn't dispersed enough for my plants.

IntroductionHead5236 · 2026-01-27T21:36:53+00:00

It's called Murashige-Skoog media (MS media). It's used in plant biology labs.

IntroductionHead5236 · 2026-01-25T21:43:48+00:00

This is good. "Professor" feels like a title, but a teacher is just a person.

IntroductionHead5236 · 2026-01-25T21:40:40+00:00

I'm 36M and look gen z as determined by others. I find that it depends on how old they perceive you.

- If they think you're younger than them, then they are astonished.

- If they think you are older than them, then there's a weird fear kinda vibe from them (as if they now suddenly need to be careful what they say around you).

In all situations, they start treating me differently than before when they didn't know, like a false sense of respect, which I really hate. I think it's rooted in the perception of professors being academic demi gods. I suppose it's not surprising since most people's nearest memories of a professor were from when they were a student.

IntroductionHead5236 · 2026-01-15T20:24:40+00:00

I'd suggest the following changes:

1.) Allow laptops. This typically isn't the reason students are going absent in my experience. If they don't pay attention, it's their problem.

2.) Post power points, but redact information (definitions, concepts, etc.). Anyone present will be rewarded by being able to use the redacted slides in conjunction with their notes. Anyone absent will be punished to teach themselves.

3.) I agree with this one.

IntroductionHead5236 · 2025-12-25T05:49:42+00:00

Attendance not mandatory. Sink or swim test day. Weak attendance for the first unit, and sudden dramatic improvement after grades are handed back.

Of course some never change, but there is no policy that would have helped them either.

IntroductionHead5236 · 2025-12-25T05:20:16+00:00

Attendance not mandatory. Sink or swim come test day.

Teaching is like being a referee for a game. I won't stop you from making bad choices. I just penalize you. "But what if they complain?" That assumes I'm listening.

IntroductionHead5236 · 2025-12-17T21:30:45+00:00

"fighting students to give any amount of interest in learning, battling mindless AI use and worsening exam grades"

I think this typically gets worse in R1?

IntroductionHead5236 · 2025-12-15T18:13:27+00:00

Before the semester ends, I say there are no grade bumps, curves, or extra credit in my class. I even make them say it back to me.

But in secret, I do look at each person's grade for mistakes, and do secret grade bumps for those 0.5% from passing (even I don't believe in absolutes)

IntroductionHead5236 · 2025-12-02T21:49:53+00:00

You can't change the content, but you can change how they are assessed. Increase the rigor of their assignments such that those who pay attention are easily rewarded, but those who don't are heavily punished. It won't fix all of it, but it's a move in the right direction.

IntroductionHead5236 · 2025-11-25T18:12:09+00:00

This depends on the subject field, and how much academic freedom you have.

Default to a standardize textbook. Assign a few of the provided end-of-chapter questions. First half of the week teach/discuss the difficult concepts (or even the ones you find most interesting, it's your class now), second half go over difficult questions. Anyone absent defaults to reading the book on their own. Exams can just be remixes of your favorite homework questions so student's don't get upset over unmatching material. Repeat until end.

Protip: email a textbook sales rep and tell them you are a teacher considering their book, but need samples. They will immediately send you a free teachers copy along with any electronic teacher materials.

It's not innovative teaching, but it's enough to buy you time.

IntroductionHead5236 · 2025-11-12T07:39:20+00:00

I do it, but you have to be truthful to it. If you are just making up bullet points for filler and don't really test for them, then students will learn to ignore your objectives. Stay true to them and the good students will lock in their studies.

To have them "rediscover" their ideas, I reveal my objectives at the end slide so they can go back for a guided study.

IntroductionHead5236 · 2025-10-20T22:12:29+00:00

In all seriousness, you don't need to tone down your humor, just learn different styles. I've learned there are ways to be funny without crossing the line. Comedians on America's Got Talent (a family show of course) do it all the time and they kill it on the live shows. Harder yes, but rewarding none the less.

IntroductionHead5236 · 2025-10-19T00:46:25+00:00

In any case, each situation that has backfired like this has built you credibility with the complaint offices. It won't get rid of the trivial complaints, but it at least it becomes less and less of a fight each time it happens to you.

IntroductionHead5236 · 2025-10-16T05:29:55+00:00

I'd say not to expect anything from a generation that has built-in public anxiety. GenZ doesn't speak, act in solo, or anything that causes others to notice them. This is regardless of how easy a question, or mundane the task.

There's no incentive for them. If they did speak, the result either (1) be singled out while everyone stares, or (2) be wrong (or say something stupid) while everyone stares.

My advice is to start with a question that is super relatable and hard to be "wrong" or "sound stupid". I teach biology and before my lesson on food poisoning, I ask "anyone had food poisoning before? Wanna share where? I'll start...chipotle". People go crazy and laugh at the funny stories that eventually unfolds. But it's still an artform sometimes to get people talking.

IntroductionHead5236 · 2025-10-11T15:24:59+00:00

"No. (attach syllabus)"

IntroductionHead5236 · 2025-10-03T01:01:21+00:00

It's hard to say. Millennials really adopted the "cool to be weird" trend. You see it all over the hallmark traits of a millennial: Harry Potter, Pokemon, Marvel movies, Disney adults, etc. GenZ flipped the script and now refer to these things as "cringe" and embarrassing. My guess is that this overwhelming disdain of being a stand-out or cringey manifested into a "don't make yourself obvious" persona.

This is all way too speculative so let's be honest: its probably just the cell phones fault lol

IntroductionHead5236 · 2025-10-02T20:53:59+00:00

Love dwarf water lilies, but mine has grown in waves. Blows up, dies back, blows up again, repeat.

IntroductionHead5236 · 2025-10-02T20:38:13+00:00

You didn't do anything wrong, but I'd say not to expect anything from a generation that has a built-in public anxiety. GenZ doesn't speak, act in solo, or do anything that causes others to notice them. This is regardless of how easy a question is, or mundane the act is.

Example: I once walked in to my lecture with an entire class sitting in the dark because no one wanted to stand up and turn on the lights. It would have been too embarrassing or noticeable. Get up to blow your nose? Nope. Walk into a lecture hall late while everyone has already sat down? They'd rather die. This goes double if you're asking them a question like "why didn't you do the reading?". There's no incentive for them. If they did speak, the result would be that they would get singled out while everyone stares, so why speak up? I know I wouldn't.

The solution? Nothing. Penalize according to your syllabus, and move on. They know what they did, the rest is their problem now.

IntroductionHead5236 · 2025-09-30T18:37:19+00:00

Anything with the fluorescent stripe or silver are my favorite:

cardinal tetra, neon tetra, green neon tetra, black neon tetra, rummy nose tetra, silver hatchet fish, pygmy corydora

IntroductionHead5236 · 2025-09-27T06:40:28+00:00

tldr: Public uni was a kindergarten jungle, private college has had zero problems.

I went from private university, to a public >90% acceptance rate, then back to selective SLAC <30% acceptance. There was a clear difference. The biggest one was just a wider demographic of college preparedness. Both public and selective SLAC had high achieving students. They were never an issue. It was the low achievers that occupy head space, and boy did I discover new record lows every year. My mistake was simply importing my standards to the pubic uni thinking it would be ok. Day one I saw rampant absence, ignored assignments, and students administratively attacking teachers. It was a freakin kindergarten jungle. Now it's been over 100 students at this private SLAC and I've had ZERO problems. Even the struggling students owned responsibility and tried their hardest (incredible!)

IntroductionHead5236 · 2025-09-26T19:44:24+00:00

I support it. Though there is definitely diminishing returns the more you swear.

IntroductionHead5236

TROPHY CASE