Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now, not with everything that's been going on.

Again my astronomy classes are on different tracks today, although I already have a set goal as to what point they're supposed to have all taken up the same topics.

I told my 920am class today that their next exam is on July 25, Friday, with the coverage being the constellations from Grus to Carina, and the Celestial Coordinate Systems, which is our next topic.

For the class itself, I had them make their personal constellations from their names. This is an activity I actually got from one of my co-teachers also teaching astronomy, because my previous alternatives were for having their seatmate randomize stars on a piece of paper and swapping, and using an actual part of the night sky (from the internet, never tried it out).

This is where I found out that the student who always sleeps (or puts his head down on his desk) during my lectures, has brought a guitar to practice in class, and now had his earphones on the entire period is not a freshman, but actually a third year student who is already 21 years old.

I'm in the computer lab for my programming class' exercise, and now I realize that next meeting I have to caution them about endless loops (and saving their programs before execution so they won't have to type it all again if they have to end that task) as well as loops that may not execute at all. It's ironic that for once I didn't have to rush to print out their exercise before my 920am class. I printed them out yesterday, but there is much I forgot even with all that preparation time.

The chairman also approached me today about another special class, in astronomy this time. She is a student who was waiting for the chairman yesterday because she needed a science elective and she's graduating this term. She says her mom credited her subjects for her when she transferred from another university, and it was only now that she realized her science elective requirement was not credited. The Registrar's Office and the Vice Dean of her college have both agreed to let her start a special class now, even though it is the sixth week of classes. She only got to talk to the Chairman on the phone yesterday. He talked to me in the hall today, and I said I heard her situation from her side of their conversation yesterday, and I agreed to the special class. I'm just waiting for the special class form she will fill up and have me sign.

My other special class, advanced programming for majors, also approached me yesterday asking for an extension to his second program assignment because he says he got sick and his grandfather died. He suggested submitting it next Monday and I also agreed.

There was also a note on my desk when I got to the department, again from the chairman, saying that if my thesis advisee does not give his paper by Thursday, it will have to me rescheduled. I'm okay with that, too.

Wow, day’s only half over and all these things have already happened. That means I’ll have to post whatever happens in the afternoon tomorrow.