Confessions of a Young Professor

I know this is late, but I hope your class went we...

2009-05-04T21:00:00.000-04:00

I know this is late, but I hope your class went well. :)

I'm in the process of starting a social experiment...

2009-04-14T20:18:00.000-04:00

I'm in the process of starting a social experiment via the web, and am in need of someone that can write really well. The details of the project is laid out on my website at www.accreation.org. I'm looking for someone that can edit the content in a more easily understandable format. Please visit the site, and contact me if you or someone you know might be interested in participating in the project. Thank you.

PS. This is NOT a paid position; I'm looking for like minded individuals who are interested in making this prjoect become a success. Thank you.

LOLMy friend took this test, was deemed an INFP, r...

2009-03-02T17:30:00.000-05:00

LOL

My friend took this test, was deemed an INFP, read the INFP description from the page you referred to, and copied the whole thing into an email he sent to me.

I, much like you, thought it was hilariously negative, yet surprisingly on the money.

I searched for the description and found your blog.

You are not the only one who gets frustrated with ...

2009-02-04T21:57:00.000-05:00

You are not the only one who gets frustrated with students not being there and not contributing. I think we all do.

And thank goodness for the students who are talkative when you are trying to get a discussion going.

I thought of an article I read this last week when I was reading your post. It was in College English, January 2004. It's called, "Who Killed Annabel Lee?" And it's about a class where the teacher let the students decide on an assignment (though he did put this one in the list) and they couldn't come up with anything to write about, talk about, argue about. They just sat in their group and stared at each other.

And he hadn't thought of anything to ask them, so he was getting frustrated. And he asked them, "Who killed Annabel Lee?" Suddenly they were chatting like magpies. Sometimes it happens...

I think it is hilarious that you also thought they...

2009-02-04T21:46:00.000-05:00

I think it is hilarious that you also thought they were exaggerating and have found that it is not so.

I also think you did a good job explaining all the kinds of paper you need around you to work... and why my living room is such a disaster.

I just wanted to leave a comment to say thanks for...

2009-01-19T01:32:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to leave a comment to say thanks for writing this blog and putting it out there. I'm 23 and after a year and a half at an office job, I have decided to return to school to work toward my MA in English Literature. I was trying to find blogs written by English grad students and I stumbled upon yours. Since being a professor is something I would like to do in the future, I found many of your posts helped me see more of what it's like to be on the other end of the classroom. - Joe

Hi Young Professor of English,I'm an Older Profess...

2008-11-23T21:35:00.000-05:00

Hi Young Professor of English,

I'm an Older Professor of English and stumbled across your blog only recently. I'm enjoying it immensely and have added it to my blogroll! Thank you for writing. As a newbie in the blog world, I take inspiration from those who can write so clearly and with wit about the teaching life.

More another day: dinner is boiling.

I've found that showing anger/disappointment to a ...

2008-11-07T02:40:00.000-05:00

I've found that showing anger/disappointment to a class can be effective. As a beginner prof 5 years ago I resisted this tactic (and never had to consider it in my previous TA position at an elite university). I try to leaven it with humor though. I say some variation of "I know you'd rather be watching Conan than reading this, but I give out Cs without batting an eye." I've also learned the power of short pop quizzes on the reading, something I announce and stress on the first day to circumvent absence.

That your dept. head chose this book for first-years reveals a troubling disconnect. You're right to bemoan this. It seems the only criteria being used here is that R.R. is "recent" "American" and "socially relevant." This strikes me as navel-gazing -- or a person who has decided that "what I find interesting" ought to be forced upon young people with questionable reading skills. We have to think about reaching students where they are with texts that "offer-up" questions.

Better a strange book or stories with existential themes -- Camus, Walker Percy, Flannery O'Connor, etc. I've found that the Millenials have little experience thinking existentially (at least in an abstract way), but when they engage it you can generate discussion.

But you didn't choose the hand. Nor did you choose the students, and believe me, their air of zombification is rampant everywhere.

Keep up your writing here -- you have an engaging voice.

Anytime that you move someone enough to say thank ...

2008-10-31T11:18:00.000-04:00

Anytime that you move someone enough to say thank you, you are on the right track. What a privilege, to have a job that moves someone else enough to feel grateful that you are doing it.

Nice work.