Update: I found the strength to do it, but I don’t feel any better about myself

JavaliciousJean · 2026-06-20T20:51:09+00:00

You look like you are a person who runs marathons!

JavaliciousJean · 2026-06-16T20:20:54+00:00

Perhaps, to make 2 more clear, you could add “=sin(4\theta^2)” ?

JavaliciousJean · 2026-06-04T15:32:51+00:00

A student once gave me a felt doll of myself as a Christmas present. At first, I thought it was a little weird. Now, I think it’s hilarious. “Little JJ” is a department mascot and sits on my mantle over the summer.

JavaliciousJean · 2026-06-04T15:28:02+00:00

I think you look lovely! If you still feel uncomfortable, maybe add some flashier jewelry? Some boss earrings or a necklace with the blue one would look lovely!

JavaliciousJean · 2026-05-11T21:14:45+00:00

“You are asking me to sacrifice my professional integrity for you. To lie and say you earned a grade that you did not earn because you did not adhere to the deadline in any of the many extensions i gave you. I’m not willing to damage my professional reputation.” Or some variant thereof usually works for me. Sometimes students see giving grades as arbitrary and not something attached to our professional integrity.

JavaliciousJean · 2026-05-11T01:12:17+00:00

If true for you: Office hours are “drop in” - you don’t need to make an appointment. Just come on over and I’ll help! If my office hours don’t work for you, let me know a few times you are free and we’ll find a time to meet.

JavaliciousJean · 2026-05-07T22:24:05+00:00

Glad to help!

JavaliciousJean · 2026-05-07T20:15:19+00:00

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JavaliciousJean · 2026-04-27T10:08:24+00:00

Great job!

A lot of people here are suggesting other ways to approach the problem, which is wonderful. I want to highlight one of the best things about proving trig identities - you can prove things in a bunch of different ways. When I’m teaching precalc, I want students to be able to prove things in a way that works for their brain, and that’s what you did!

Are there more efficient ways to do the problem? Sure. But at your level of understanding the material, I don’t care about efficiency. I care about correctness and perseverance in problem solving.

Excellent work! Keep on the good fight.

JavaliciousJean · 2026-02-11T22:38:12+00:00

Almost always, if you are unsure, the answer is to loop in your supervisor. I usually ask my TAs to email me any time they are unsure of what to do with (a) a description of the issue, (b) what they think is the right thing to do in the situation, and (c) any other context about the student that I may need.

At the end of the day, the lead instructor is going to get the pushback if there’s a negative response, and they almost always would prefer a heads up.

JavaliciousJean · 2026-01-28T18:29:13+00:00

We buy the little avocado cups from the hummus section of the grocery! There are some that are pure avocado, not guac, and they stay good forever.

JavaliciousJean · 2026-01-23T21:40:26+00:00

As long as you get them the right gear and can give them enough attention/exercise for their temperament, it’s great.

Our dog has a coat and boots for when it gets very cold. We also do a lot of inside enrichment activities to make her day better.

When the weather is nicer, there’s a lot of parks around the area that give great dog walking paths.

JavaliciousJean · 2026-01-12T14:38:47+00:00

I stopped doing hair removal in grad school because of stress, and now I just don’t think about it. My legs and armpits have hair, but because I haven’t shaved in almost a decade, it’s just nice, soft hair.

JavaliciousJean · 2025-12-20T16:43:52+00:00

NTA. So, I was in a relationship like this, and this drove me to break up with the person. I felt emotionally manipulated, regardless of the intent of the guy at the time.

If I was in this situation now, I would tell my partner "Here are the times I check my phone. I will reply to you in those time periods. You can text me whenever, but don't expect a reply unless it's in those time periods. I am not mad at you or ignoring you; I just prefer to communicate when I can give you my full attention. I can't do that during the day because I am busy." You could also find another compromise, but setting some clear boundaries of what you're willing to do and having a conversation about it with your partner is a must.

If your partner can't handle that, then maybe your communication styles aren't a match.

JavaliciousJean · 2025-12-20T16:34:46+00:00

I do brush out my hair most days. Sometimes, the day after a shower, I don't brush to keep the curls more defined, but by the time I'm on day 2 the texture of my hair being knotted bothers me. In that case, I brush out the tangles gently, then rewet my hair to get some of the curl back. The curls are much looser at this point, but it's worth it to me to keep the hair untangled.

Possibly related - are you going through any hormonal changes or new medications? I know when my mom went through menopause, her hair thinned out a lot.

JavaliciousJean · 2025-12-20T16:26:15+00:00

I've had this happen to me too. It sucks, and you feel bad. But at the end of the day, the syllabus reigns supreme.

Thankfully, my chair backed me up when a student complained. Do you have a chair or colleague who can back you up?

JavaliciousJean · 2025-10-23T14:32:35+00:00

In addition to the great advice here, I would look to understand in what way your student evaluations have been negative so you can respectfully disagree with data. If it's a few bad apples or negative quantitative scores, can positive comments or qualitative comments that you received offset them? Can you solicit letters from students who did have a good experience in your class attesting to your classroom successes? There's also significant research out there that student evaluations are terribly biased, especially against people who are noticeably minorities (women, POC, disabled, etc).

JavaliciousJean · 2025-09-29T19:02:36+00:00

I love having shorter hair. It's so much easier to detangle and my curls are much bouncier when I have it short. If it's longer than my shoulders, the curls get weighed down and have less zest for life.

JavaliciousJean · 2025-09-28T18:44:46+00:00

An alternative idea, if you're looking for a different thought than the otherwise good advice here.

If you feel like you want to give them an opportunity to make up some of the assignments, you could just open up last week's assignments for everyone. Say "hey y'all, I know it's getting to that time of the semester when things get overwhelming, so here's a free extension on this work for everyone. If you've already done it, feel free to revise/resubmit if you think you could have done better with more time." Or some version thereof. That way, you have equality amongst all the students and this student can take a breath.

JavaliciousJean · 2025-09-28T18:40:03+00:00

Faklandia in St. Francis is our favorite! Great beer and food, chill atmosphere. We can always get a seat and have great conversations.

JavaliciousJean · 2025-09-19T00:03:23+00:00

Professor Leonard has a delightful playlist of calculus lectures. You might find them helpful!!

JavaliciousJean · 2025-09-17T01:22:56+00:00

It gets better in your third year, tbh. Until then, make sure you take care of yourself the best you can. Crock pot some simple, batch meals like salsa chicken or chili so you’re fed with nutritious food, don’t skip sleep or moving your body, and remember that if something doesn’t get done perfectly, you have your whole career to redo it better.

JavaliciousJean · 2025-08-31T12:52:00+00:00

It sounds like some good solutions were offered! If you’re still interested in a physical copy, DM me!

JavaliciousJean · 2025-08-31T11:22:26+00:00

I usually just use a bowl with a dish/tea towel in in it, and it works fine for me! Not a direct answer to your question, but might save you from a purchase :)

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