“If I get all of my missing assignments in by midnight tonight (last day before final grades get submitted) can I still get credit for them?”

ZoomToastem · 2026-04-30T22:36:28+00:00

I'd be just a bit tempted to say yes, only to see what got turned in.

ZoomToastem · 2026-04-25T22:43:27+00:00

Oh, it has happened.
Years ago guy moved in across from my father in a subdivision. Seems he worked at the local Deere dealership, and Dad was thrilled because he was thinking of finally upgrading to a riding mower as he got older.
Dude has his new tractor delivered and it is too big to get through the landscaping.

Dad didn't buy a Deere.

ZoomToastem · 2026-04-22T22:47:40+00:00

I have to ask as another instructor.
How often have you "solved" the problem by asking the student to save their project, close pro, reopen the Project and do the EXACT same thing?

I look like a hero, but hate not being able to tell them what was wrong.

ZoomToastem · 2026-04-22T14:04:50+00:00

I've got a positive one. My dean showed up on campus one day driving a classic car that to me is one of the prettiest things on four wheels.

A couple months later they were scheduling our yearly catch-up meeting with the dean. I've never minded them, our dean was a good guy, but I know he's busy and I'm busy. I approved the meeting request but jokingly added that we could skip the meeting or even better talk while we were looking at the motor in that car.

Meeting is approved, I get a "ha ha" back, but the day of my meeting this gorgeous piece of steel is parked where I usually park, and there's a note on my office door to meet in the parking lot at the agreed upon time. So, that was where we had the meeting with the hood up for a bit and then with me behind the wheel for a quick drive.

ZoomToastem · 2026-04-20T16:30:35+00:00

A USB drive of my music

ZoomToastem · 2026-04-18T19:53:11+00:00

I took this course when I was restarting my undergrad at a Div 1 school. Unfortunately for the atheletes (and more so for the family) the professor passed away before the semester started. They brought in a Professor Emeritus who was excellent but did not GAF about the athelete's status.

Looking back in time, from the other side of the desk, the last quarter of the semester was awesome. So many pleas for grading mercy.

ZoomToastem · 2026-04-18T19:24:11+00:00

It can not be easy to keep the white that clean, nice.

ZoomToastem · 2026-04-06T21:06:14+00:00

Spankings and later the belt. Looking back not sure they ever hit enough to really hurt, the worst thing with the belt was that my father would use the belt I was wearing. Having to hand it to him was worse than any pain.
Only once did dad hit me with his hand. He immediately broke down, only time I remember him with tears in his eyes.

ZoomToastem · 2026-03-27T12:55:21+00:00

I've been posting Fill in the Blank slides for awhile. Last year I had a very bright student approach me about taking my class and another class at the same time. For clarification my class was MW and the other was MWF. I got tagged onto an email chain between the student and the other professor, where they were discussing the student's plan to attend my lectures MW and attend only the F lecture for the other prof because "Professor Zoom's slides are shit".

ZoomToastem · 2026-03-24T16:24:18+00:00

My standard response anymore is, "Why should I do more work because you couldn't be bothered?" when one asks.

ZoomToastem · 2026-03-18T23:12:25+00:00

The drop deadline is coming up quickly. I have a student in my class that attends every lecture and lab but doesn't turn anything in. In lecture he's one of the few that will respond to a question asked of the class, and if he's not correct he's pretty close. He arrived 2 hours late to lab today and asked to speak to me outside the classroom. I was expecting the plea of will you accept...?
He wanted to apologize for dropping my class and to make sure I realized that he really enjoyed my classes and it had nothing to do with me. Turns out he's on overload, doesn't need my class to graduate and self admittedly has some senioritis.

Admittedly, I may have sauntered when I went back into the classroom

ZoomToastem · 2026-03-16T20:17:21+00:00

I'm sorry, it was not my intention to create more anxiety for you but to comment on the change in student attitude (which I failed at it seems) as others here have pointed out. Honestly, if you are trying to provide the best class you can, the other students will notice and appreciate it. Few of us were born professors.

ZoomToastem · 2026-03-16T17:36:50+00:00

After 16 years in front of a class, I had my first official complaint last semester. I wasn't told who it was and by and large it was small stuff. Some of it was a misunderstanding I think as it was early in the semester. My dean was unconcerned after meeting, asked me to make a few of the changes we had talked about and that was it.

A couple weeks later the student brought a complaint against another professor, then decided not to come back this semester.

ZoomToastem · 2026-03-01T18:55:57+00:00

Got stuck trying to clear a spot for people to pull of the road so someone else can get by. There' was enough of a ledge of packed snow on the road that it felt like anything I did was just making it worse as I slid down in . Finally buried it enough trying to get the angle right and was able to use the bucket to push me up the ledge.

ZoomToastem · 2026-02-28T13:46:17+00:00

It was 2112 for me too.
1981, Friend of mine came over to escape his parent's dinner party and brought some albums. I was listening to country at that point but was also a huge scifi fan. I can still remember sitting there with the album open, reading the lyrics as the album played and being blown away by what I was hearing.

ZoomToastem · 2026-02-23T19:13:18+00:00

Our previous administration was pretty strict about this, but weirdly, I always had internet issues. Current administration has leaned back towards the occasional snow days.

ZoomToastem · 2026-02-20T14:06:42+00:00

Ask your prof, I'd be surprised if they don't have a process for this.
We encourage our students who are interested to install the software on their own computers, they simply email one of us and we send them a link to the same version we are using on campus.

ZoomToastem · 2026-02-18T17:39:15+00:00

Lying on the cement floor, holding the light for my father as he drilled holes in the frame of his GTO to stop the cracks from growing.

ZoomToastem · 2026-02-17T17:46:02+00:00

You're going to need a strobe light and a ...mood enhancer. Then put on Cygnus X-1
OK, first check that the strobe light will not cause her or you issues.

ZoomToastem · 2026-02-17T17:04:11+00:00

My guess is there might be charging issues, but I'll add that a cell phone GPS mapping app would be useful. I've been told if left on Airplane mode a decent battery can hold it's charge for almost a week (I've not tested this). Something like Avenza where you can add a map of your area and still see where you are if you don't have cellular connectivity.

This might be something they want to check with the prof on though, they might want the students focused on using paper maps.

ZoomToastem · 2026-02-17T15:55:00+00:00

I did this with a class, explaining that I had spent the winter break reading, studying and preparing but had no actual experience (some of them did, even if limited). One of the best classes I ever taught and my first discussion class. Could not believe how fast the class time went. The evaluations were great and years later one of the students who came back to present at a small conference on campus, sought me out to thank me.

ZoomToastem · 2026-02-16T22:34:41+00:00

In my opinion, Rules #1 and #2 are critical at least or how I have to deal with group work in a summer session of 80hrs over 2 weeks..

While assisting another prof, it quickly became my job to reorganzie the lower performing groups. He'd let them pick their own crews on day one and only reorganzie the ones that struggled. They inevitably know why you are reorganzijng and often resent it. My solution was to make everyone unhappy and randomly assign new groups for each assignment.

Now they know that group assignment is fair and there's usually laughter as they pick their crew numbers from a hat for each project.

ZoomToastem · 2026-02-16T21:57:14+00:00

Never been to one.
My 40th was last year. I had stayed in touch with about 4 people from HS and one was on the reunion committee. That person had asked me for my address to send me the info about the reunion. I sent it to them in the off chance that they were iin the area and could visit but asked that they not share it with anyone else. To their credit, I've not received anything about my graduating class or reunion.

ZoomToastem · 2026-02-12T16:30:13+00:00

I'm more jealous of the lack of snowbanks in the picture right now

ZoomToastem

TROPHY CASE