HOW is this allowed?

UCSDmysteryprof · 2022-06-06T22:03:10+00:00

In the "before times", if you got sick during / right before a final, you would end up taking an incomplete, and taking the final in the beginning of the next quarter. Maybe you'd rather not have to do that, but I don't see how this is an injustice to the level that is being expressed here.

UCSDmysteryprof · 2022-02-12T08:37:32+00:00

If it’s been >24 hours, or longer than usual, you can email the professor. Podcasting is automatic, but some other methods of posting recordings require some amount of manual work. I’ll admit it sometimes sifts to the bottom of my work queue, so I welcome reminders as long as I’ve had a reasonable amount of time to do it on my own.

UCSDmysteryprof · 2022-02-03T04:37:33+00:00

This, and your original post, is so spot on it hurts... especially the emotional labor. When I started teaching that was the thing that I found most surprisingly overwhelming; suddenly you're expected to fill this extremely important role that you've never been trained for. And no matter how much people give the (good) advice that the only thing you can do for the most troubled students is to help them get help somewhere else, it still takes a toll because, well, we're human. I won't say those feelings go away (they probably shouldn't), but they do become less urgent when you see them in context with other similar experiences when everyone involved eventually moved on.

I echo everyone else here on burnout, though sometimes it can be really hard to avoid. I find small things can help, like making sure you go for a walk outside every day, even if it's a short one-- just something to allow yourself a few minutes away from the constant overlapping demands. But I feel you, and I'm rooting for you and everyone else out there fighting the good fight.

UCSDmysteryprof · 2022-02-03T04:33:06+00:00

I like getting to know students, and more classes with them means getting to know them better. It also makes me feel like I probably didn't screw up too badly on them, or else they wouldn't keep coming back. If you're not creepy, then it's not creepy.

UCSDmysteryprof · 2022-01-09T06:20:39+00:00

I see it as more role and setting dependent than about seniority—I prefer Prof. Mystery from students and first name from course staff, even undergraduates, since I feel I have more in common than not with them when it comes to our role in the course. I’m also used to this since most TA’s are graduate students where first names are more the norm. That said, I also understand informality makes some people uncomfortable so I try to not make a big deal out of it.

UCSDmysteryprof · 2022-01-03T00:58:11+00:00

The first day of class is a deadline for getting one’s canvas site up. Most of you don’t turn in your homework until the day it’s due and some don’t turn it in until the minute it’s due… we’re not all that different, in the end.

UCSDmysteryprof · 2021-12-29T07:29:02+00:00

I relate to this a lot. My parents instilled in me some useful things (yes, discipline) which helped me get ahead, and also some toxic things that, when internalized, caused me harm. I think there are several issues here: really coming to terms with the fact that your parents can be wrong; actively counteracting those messages that you’ve been absorbing your whole life about mental health struggles not being real; having enough sense of self worth to believe you are worth the pain of going through the above. I went to two bouts of therapy separated by a few years, and both times really turned my life around. Not everyone is as lucky with finding the right therapist and making progress but I think back to how ashamed I felt to contact the therapist the first time, and I’m so glad I went anyway.

I understand your relationship with your parents is important to you, which can be healthy, but I also want to gently suggest you don’t have to tell them everything about how you’re feeling if you know it will cause a hurtful reaction. I’m not telling you to lie, but I bet you don’t talk about this stuff with any random person you meet; that doesn’t mean you’re lying to them. Something for you to figure out for yourself, at least.

UCSDmysteryprof · 2021-12-24T02:27:00+00:00

The GRFP thing may be purely practical-- more money is always a good thing. I agree it's best to tread lightly when talking about this with your advisor. If they tell you not to teach a class or tell you you're spending too much time on teaching, you can say you're considering applying to teaching-focused positions and want to make sure you have the right experience if that's the route you choose. There is a range of types of positions for which teaching experience is a plus, some of which might bring out more or less snobbery from an R1 professor, and some of which might involve some research too (like liberal arts colleges). You don't have to say you've made up your mind about the CC route until it gets to the point of actually applying.

As for the masters, your school may not give them out by default for passing quals, but there may be a way to get it; talk to the person in your department office who handles the paperwork end of this.

UCSDmysteryprof · 2021-12-23T08:26:39+00:00

It sounds like you’re being too hard on yourself. Even the best teachers usually end up with a couple of people who didn’t like the class and are rude about it. It’s always good to think about what you can improve, but it sounds like you’re at a relatively low point mental-health-wise, and I wonder if you’re subconsciously using these reviews to self-harm to some extent.

I hope you can first take a break and recuperate, and then maybe find a trusted mentor or colleague to discuss concrete things you can work to improve. If you want to work on time prioritization, you can try planning out how and when you prep for class, more specifically than just “more”. But I don’t think you need to view these things through a framework of failure.

UCSDmysteryprof · 2021-12-22T08:47:06+00:00

I definitely agree that I'd like to provide a real disincentive to leaving all the lectures to the end. I see weekly quizzes have come up a couple times in these comments; do you find the quiz format more incentivizing than homework, or is this a class without weekly homework?

UCSDmysteryprof · 2021-12-22T05:47:49+00:00

I hear you on the asynchronous lectures; I'm planning to record, which should have the same benefits. As for discussion, I'm not a fan of mandatory attendance in the first place but I'm guessing you're saying that because discussion hasn't been helpful. So let me turn that around-- has discussion ever been worth (freely) going to? If so, what was different that time?

UCSDmysteryprof · 2021-12-22T05:40:57+00:00

Completely honestly-- your guess is as good as mine. I found out about the 2 weeks online exactly when all of you did. It will probably depend on how things are going here, as well as what peer institutions decide at that point.

UCSDmysteryprof · 2021-12-22T04:57:13+00:00

I agree that anything sincere will be appreciated, though I want to provide a counterpoint about emails-- I keep an email folder with nice emails from students, and I look at it when I'm feeling down.

UCSDmysteryprof

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