writerveggieastroprof

He Must Think We're All Stupid Around Him

Tue, 14 Oct 08 12:46:00 UT

Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

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

Wow, Mr. Most Important Research isn't someone an impatient person can hang around with for two weeks straight.

And in the case of someone who is supposed to be his best friend in their teaching department, who he spent several years in a foreign country with together, it was last Sunday.

But for me it started in the evening before, when we were finalizing our own trip to Taipei the day after the bus tour.

He was railing on the phone that I should ask our graduate about the train trip we had to take, because for what he saw on the website, there were two possible trains to take, and he wanted to be sure we didn't get on the wrong one.

Well, it's still one track, really, so is it possible to end up anywhere else?

My former student just laughed off the paranoia when I told her about it in IM.

Sadly, during that time we were also trying out if we could contact each other through our mobile phones, ours of which was set to international roaming, and we couldn't connect.

But she said calling Mr. MIR's phone it was ringing, which had a different starting number (0927) from ours (0915) even if supposedly they were part of one network providing roaming.

So when we were waiting for her already outside the train station the next day, he would not answer his phone because he was worried about how much it would cost him, and he just went around the station walking looking for her holding his ringing phone.

When apparently she was calling because she would be late, so what was the use of what he just did. And when she finally texted that, while I was sitting outside the station, everytime a female would come out of the station, since I was checking my map, he'd ask me, "Hey, is that her? Is that her?"

After happening three times I finally stood up and waited inside the station.

Session 2401 just repeats mentally that all this sacrifice is for better career opportunities. Class dismissed.

Everybody Has To Be A Little Bit Judgmental Sometimes

Thu, 9 Oct 08 12:51:00 UT

Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

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

Continuing the personal kick that I started today in the student accessible version.

"Best friends forever" happen, but maybe not to all persons.

There was a time that I thought, because I had hung around some extremely negative people before I found out exactly how draining that was, I thught we were going to be whittling down our group one by one since they always loved talking about the supposedly bad qualities of a person, and it had to be a person we hung around with, not already "cast off".

I may be beyond that stage already, but it always colors my sentiments whenever I get to the point where I have to decide whether I should stop hanging around with someone or not.

From "Sex and the City" I learned about a dealbreaker, this one habit or characteristic a person has that makes someone stop liking them.

For me that rarely happens, because (being a Libra, as someone would point out) I'd balance a person's good and bad qualities then decide if it's not worth it to continue meeting them.

That is, I have to rationalize whether one already outweighs the other.

What I find surprising is that there's always two extremes: people who do not know when they're already starting to make people avoid them, or others who always overanalyze the reactions of the ones around them, and overreact to that themselves.

In other words, what's very rare is to find someone who's sensitive in just the right amount, not too much, and not too little.

Session 2399 is at that cusp of "friendship" again. Class dismissed.

"If We Suffered, Everyone After Us Should Also Suffer"

Wed, 8 Oct 08 13:23:00 UT

Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

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

To coincide with yesterday's topic in multiply, which went back to something that happened before my trip - well, out of country trip, I mean, not the local flights, I'll talk about the recent finishers (who will "graduate" in April) and their dilemma.

They have this project subject, unlike the other courses (except for the School of Computing, who, according to the director in her freshman orientation talk, now have a thesis - probably due to the questionability of at least one their graduates) which only have the OJT that they have to defend.

The problem with this three unit enrolled course is that there is no proposal defense where a "contract" between the faculty panel and the students are ironed out. Everything is literally the dictates of the school director.

He was the one who told them what they should do, which was modify the robots used in the combat competition and intermediary robotics classes.

Recently, they were told by the director that their efforts were not enough to pass, and that they have only weeks - or at least one week before their presentation - to make it satisfactory.

If this had been settled at the start of the term, there would be no hitches.

So I'm telling the students to take their case up to the vice dean, regardless of whether they may receive flak (which is what slacker co-teacher stupidly told them they would get if they don't wait until after the graduation ceremony to complain).

But by then, there would be at least two more batches which would have fallen under the same tyranny, and maybe experience worse.

Session 2397 realizes it's just like yesterday's topic, excpet the selfishness is now on the side of the students, not the teachers. Class dismissed.

"Let Everyone Go to Hell When We're Gone After Securing Our Retirement"

Tue, 7 Oct 08 21:19:00 UT

Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

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

We were still at the airport when one of the other delegates from another school in the district that I went here with complained about the people in position at their office.

It seems that they have some laboratory equipment bought, five sets of it, which some of the members of the department are supposed to use to train those in the industry.

But so far, it's just been gathering dust, since they have too much on their plates.

And those selfish sons of pride won't let anyone else use them who have the time, because they want the glory and the revenues that will come if and when they do offer to train outsiders.

She was complaining about their department chair, who, despite the supposed unwritten rule, is in the same position after more than three years, being both narrow-minded and short-sighted.

Talk about tunnel vision, this one let's his position make him think he can do no wrong, when in fact everyone declines the position because of how much flak it will get them making the wrong decision.

And with someone like that at the helm, and no one else around to think about the future of the department but only their own personal stake in retirement, is it no wonder they don't see that they are ringing the death knell for future generations of those who may want to teach there?

This is the same guy who throws his weight around just because he can, saying he will throw out a former employee's carefully collected scratch papers that everyone else can use just because he wants to see them jump when he says how high - or something like that. I may mix metaphors when I'm a little frazzled with the subject.

Session 2395 just threw in that last part to relieve the tension. Class dismissed.

Blustering Can Only Get You So Far with People Within Earshot

Mon, 6 Oct 08 20:02:00 UT

Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

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

I just realized why slacker co-teacher would not flourish in environs like this one.

Itâs because he has no way of escape from the sessions, unlike when heâs on home turf.

Just like Iâve seen him do three times before, if he finds a conference or convention heâs been invited to boring, he skips out and goes home or doesnât return.

He canât do that here, because he canât very well just stay in his room, and if heâs missed, thatâs worse bad reflection to his home school and home country.

Anyway, I doubt if he has the qualifications to be accepted in these places.

Thatâs also the reason why he wonât rise above his current rank anymore, because he needs research (both the drive for and accomplished works) to be able to pull it off.

And all he has is collected is drinking table stories about cars, none of which is original, as well as other work saving recommendations he talks about in class when heâs out of material to teach that he could glean and actually present believably without having to study too hard from the textbook.

I just canât see him getting excited about the possibility of predicting typhoon paths from radio readings thru the ionosphere, and trying to explain thickness anomalies that occur at certain latitudes and certain times of the day.

I donât care how much of a geek that makes me, at least Iâm in good company, including German and Russian geeks with pull, for goodness sake.

Itâs possible that theyâll recognize that same drive in me (as well as the computer programming and mathematical skills I have) and take me with them to more experimental friendly altitudes. Thatâs part of the reason Iâm here.

Another possibility is allowing them to include our campus in their researches, even if it means staying here, at least the bridge of contact is intact.

I better stop here before I break out into a song of a better tomorrow like an animated Disney protagonist.

Session 2393 likes the doors that can potentially open than sitting in a perceived comfort zone. Class dismissed.

I Don't Mind The People I Work For, It's The People I Work WITH

Sat, 4 Oct 08 05:09:00 UT

Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

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

Got emails late yesterday from Mr. Most Important Research wanting to be the one who knows everything about the upcoming trip.

He warned about the cold weather, needing an exact terminal fee and converting to dollars.

Well it won't do to tell him I already know all those stuff, so just let it be.

@@ One thing I've been forgetting to mention here is that the administration is planning to go back to the faculty attendance checker.

It seems that when most of the people voted in favor of it during that faculty meeting when the then executive vice president gave the decision to the faculty (something the others don't seem ot understand was just a grant and not a right) it seems that the reason for that was that so that they could slack off unnoticed.

There have been several reports now from the students about teachers being late or not attending their classes regularly.

And, some of the teachers have the nerve to complain about being given 8am classes.

They believe that if the administration knows where they are coming from and there are others who live nearer, that they should be given classes that are scheduled later in the day.

They don't see that those who just accept classes at any period without complaining and don't make every effort to change the times of their classes to suit their convenience are the ones who are more favored by the administration, not the whining nellies.

And if they don't like being given such early classes, why don't they threaten to quit so that they see just how much they are worth to the administration. Given how this president said that the last guidance counselor's actions were tantamount to "stealing from the school" I don't think he'll look to kindly on people who want more benefits without putting much effort into their jobs beyond the bare minimum.

Session 2391 won't miss them if they leave. Class dismissed.

This Batch of OJT Presentors Only Slightly Better Than Last Year's

Fri, 3 Oct 08 15:26:00 UT

Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

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

The graduating students of the school of engineering presented their OJT report today, which is still better than what the other schools have to go through, a panel, and not just a five minute presentation here in front of the next batch in their field.

Not surprisingly, slacker co teacher wasn't here again to watch.

Of course his day off for him is more important than supporting the students.

Sadly there was no format again for their reporting. It wasn't per student, it was per place of deployment, so the first two ladies, who were in separate companies, presented first.

Then the seven students who were all in one company shared one slide presentation.

The problem with this was after a while, the students watching and the director himself, who was grading them, were getting bored.

They were, after all, talking about technical processes for which only words and flowcharts were in their slides, since they were not allowed to take pictures inside the laboratories.

Next time I will suggest that at the very least, they should provide sketches of their work, just like the previous batch did.

@@ As for the issue with the dance organization, the last note from brother president (who is off campus) is that they may be allowed for this last competition (that shoe sponsored competition) but even for their next event, which may be the finals of this competition, they really will have to answer the brother's questions first before they are allowed that next activity. I told them to present in their report videos of their previous dances for marketing use.

And that they may present their fundraising plans as well as asking the school for a fixed budget to use in competitions per term.

Session 2389 didn't realize this kind of hand holding was part of the student activities job description. Class dismissed.

A Student Organization Not Serving The Students

Thu, 2 Oct 08 18:41:00 UT

Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

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

Great: tomorrow I have to explain to the student organization primarily concerned with dancing why they can't join a dancing competition this Sunday that is sponsored by a shoe manufacturer. First of all, they have to buy shoes to join.

Talk about a poor marketing strategy; how many pairs do they think they'll sell with this contest: hundreds or a hundred?

This is the third contest these students are joining this school year.

The other two so far, they haven't won. And they say they are only getting invitations now because they won third runner up or something in the only contest they joined last school year.

And when I said if they're getting so many invitations, they have to pick and choose now, and not join all they find out about.

They said yes, they already turned down one that was too last minute.

Wow, that's not enough of a reason to approve joining this one now.

Besides, it also reflects on how well they did in the last two fetes, which is that they didn't place at all. And so far, from what I know, they're the only organization who has now requested for up to 5 figures in budget requests, with no discernable return of investment, even in the marketing angle.

The secretary of student affairs tried to take their side (this argument, by the way, was all on text) by saying since it's this Sunday, it would be devastating to be let down this late.

My point is: I've told them already that they needed some fund raising for their own expenses. How about a show or something?

They've so gotten used to getting the money they want from the school that our money conscious president is feeling the pinch already.

What's funny is that they initially asked me to tell them what the brother president responded about their proposal for shouldered expenses.

And when I said what he told me, they're trying to give me counterarguments.

Like I can change the brother's decision for them right there and then, by text.

Session 2387 will have to tell the students about a disapproved activity for the first time. Class dismissed.

One Employee Doing All the Work, and Another Not

Tue, 30 Sep 08 13:22:00 UT

Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

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

It's the second day of the second week that the technician in the lab is absent again.

According to the others in the engineering faculty he gave his notice for a week's absence last week, so what's the excuse now?

I don't know what the deal was with the director for taking him back, but it looks like not being absent again wasn't one of the conditions.

@@ The secretary of the office of student affairs approached me with a tale of woe, well, after the human resources officer scheduled a meeting with me, actually, on the same matter.

This is related to the mention I had before about the college secretary's new rank.

Apparently she (of the student affairs office) has not had a salary increase in three years, despite having a high recommendation from her first boss, my religion co-teacher at the time.

And last year her boss was the former executive vice president and dean, who, through an oversight never gave her an evaluation.

Her question was: was she supposed to be the one to follow up on an evaluation/recommendation from him after he has left?

According to her, the HR office said they'd get one for her, and that never happened.

Now the suggestion I got from the HR office was that she should be given an honorarium for her work with the parents of college students organization, which instead of being just handed to her (something they said she was averse to) would just be incorporated in her paycheck. But will that be enough?

Other sources say that she has in fact been deloaded of work, from organizing the folders of the enrolling students to the registrars.

Also, the NSTP consultations and camp has been passed on to the mission office.

Session 2385 wonders if loyalty and longevity enters into the picture. Class dismissed.

Students Who Ask the Obvious, And How I Deal with One of Them

Mon, 29 Sep 08 10:59:00 UT

Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

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

I've noticed the evolving predominant mood of this journal over the years.

I somehow get into the habit of writing about something like "teachers' secrets to requirements they don't want the students to know" and I reach the point where when I sit down to write, that's the angle I'm looking at to put down here, instead of anything else that could come up that's borderline appropriate.

Are there any things otherwise that I avoid writing about here?

Well, there's routine, and other normal everyday stuff that I otherwise can't come up with an interesting spin to. Plus, of course, things that I think would be better in the student-accessible version.

So it's only after being in front of the keyboard for five minutes that I get an idea of what I might put here for today.

Back to a certain student: the day before their exam, when he said he'd pick up his exercise notebook at 2pm but he didn't show up, he goes to my class instead, which is from 240pm to 410pm.

He actually opens the door in front, but I'm prepared for him (thank the glass window installed) so I tell him what I shouldn't be telling him before he could speak up, which is that I'm still in class.

He waits outside the classroom for me, sitting down beside the door.

And he questions my correction to his exercise compared to his notes.

That's where I tell him his notes are wrong (which he even checks in front of me with a calculator) before he believes me.

And he waits for me again after the exam, just to ask if the exam would have been easier (like the exercises, he said) if it was closed notes.

Session 2383 hates people who don't go with their intuition - unless he really doesn't have any. Class dismissed.

Subconsciously I Think He Knows He's Bugging The Teacher

Sat, 27 Sep 08 10:34:00 UT

Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

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

A certain student had his first exam under me in five terms yesterday.

When I asked the class beforehand whether they wanted an open-notes or closed-notes exam, he was one of those who led the charged for the exam to be open notes. Oh, did I make him regret that.

There were only three questions in our assembly language exam.

First was given the code, come up with the flowchart and the purpose of the program.

Second was given a flowchart (very short) come up with the code and the purpose.

Third was given a task, come up with the flowchart and the code.

Even though in the instructions I wrote that if something is unclear they should state their assumptions, that didn't prevent him from approaching me more than a handful of times with questions.

First was, about the "no answers in pencils will be graded", if he could just write in pen the final answers. My repy: "Well your score would be all or nothing then, because I won't grade the process for partial points if it's in pencil."

Next, referring to the flowchart I gave, he asked if he could follow it when recreating his own flowchart. I'm just thankful this guy will be working in his laboratory at home if he graduates, because I can already see several bosses firing him just for having no initiative and asking all instructions.

Best one: he was questioning whether what he copied in his notes was correct (nice "loophole", he thinks). My answer to the class: "That's what I don't like about open note exams; people don't open their notes before the exams to review, and want to verify their notes when it's too late and the teacher is already grading every implied admission of ignorance."

Session 2381 will enjoy this Pavlovian game very much till the end of the term. Class dismissed.

"I'll Put Everyone Around Me Down Until They Promote Me to Top Dog"

Fri, 26 Sep 08 15:54:00 UT

Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

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

There was a talk given by the action consultant today that I wasn't able to go to because of a conflicting class simultaneous.

Slacker co-teacher went though, complaining all the way because somehow, he was able to keep his Friday free, but had to go for that session, or, that is, he couldn't give a good excuse to pass it up.

When he got back, he was all blustering about it. The consultant said something about a new framework for evaluation that the faculty could use, and all they (most likely someone else, not him) had to say was that it had to be agreed upon, because otherwise, all the faculty does is accept these suggestions.

And to that, he said, the consultant had no reply, and supposedly bowed his head.

There was also this retort they allegedly had that it was always the faculty being evaluated, why not the administration?

The consultant, in S.C.T.'s version of things, was speechless again.

Wow, if you had employees that forward about demanding benefits and not wanting to be reviewed for their performance, wouldn't you try to rein them in firmly as well?

He's also focusing on the fact that the consultant is only here for two terms.

Yes, because after that, he will be DEAN and will be FULLTIME.

Anyway, I'm taking everything he says with a grain of salt. In the movie in his mind, he's the coolest person there is.

Session 2379 is not giving someone more than the minimal attention he deserves. Class dismissed.

A Prank Gone Horribly Wrong Part II

Thu, 25 Sep 08 13:45:00 UT

Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

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

Ok, just clarified the situation of that evening class from a trusted student leader who was there. There was no cursing from that guy when the lights went out; that came later.

Anyway, so there was laughter that erupted amongst the screams when the lights were turned off. After about a minute though (my witness' estimate) the lights were turned back on and that was when the teacher walked out, followed by the candidate.

The candidate returned without the teacher though, and that was when he and his girlfriend (who also ran, which - I think - is why they didn't win) started berating the class about their behavior.

When the girl started cursing, that was when the guy used profanity too.

At the very least, their behavior made them very unpopular with their classmates.

When the teacher returned, he had his class list with him, and started calling people's attention one by one asking if they preferred to just drop the course if they weren't going to take it seriously.

He especially mentioned one girl who, in his recollection, had been distracting the class with her loud laughter with her friends since their last class with that teacher last term.

It was after that that the discipline officer took over (called by one of the students?) and had to talk to the teacher at the faculty room because the candidate was muscling in.

Unfortunately, by that time the four miscreants had their "story" straight that it was an accident, which at least the other students saw in its evolution from their first statements while the teacher was out starting from "I was told to turn off the lights".

Need for formal statements from everyone? We'll see if this escalates.

Session 2377 knows relatively how Commissioner Gordon must have felt. Class dismissed.

Questionable Proceedings

Wed, 24 Sep 08 18:02:00 UT

Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

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

A certain student takes the spotlight again in today's entry.

He was in contact with a professor in Russia about one of the topics he's interested in.

Since he also thought that he could request the associate dean to allow him to enroll in the engineering seminars course, where one of the requirements in giving a talk in any related topic in front of the class, he thought to invite this guy here.

Of course the director of the school of engineering shot him down.

Even if the issue wasn't about the visitor's plane fare and accomodations, and that he'd pay for his own way, there's still the suspicion of what his other agenda might be in agreeing to come into this country; terrorist paranoia increasing.

But the student isn't mindful of that; he just goes forward with all of these ideas in the name of pure scientific pursuit.

There are no thoughts of consideration to practicality or what others might find offensive or selfish in what he's proposing.

But that's just a broken record I've been intoning for several terms now.

@@ About the book fair that's ongoing in campus. The registrar's office let it slip to some of the faculty that there is apparently a rewards program in place with the sellers.

That for a certain number of books sold to the students, there is an amount that can be returned for the school to use to buy more books from them. How ethical is this? I'm not sure.

@@ Another case that the discipline officer told me about: of students turning off the lights during their 6-730pm class.

According to the "suspects" they were only trying to adjust the lights so that they could see the projection on the screen better, that is, turn off the front lights and turn on the ones at the back of the room. But all the lights in the room were turned off.

There were screams from the female students, and one male student, who ran for student council president last year, didn't help matters by standing in the middle of the room cursing loudly.

Session 2375 will continue relating this chaotic Joker like event tomorrow. Class dismissed.

Looping The Holes Around Official Policies

Tue, 23 Sep 08 10:09:00 UT

Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

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

Minor news day today, just to get all of these out of the way.

@@ There will be a Eucharistic celebration at noon today in the school chapel for the student who passed away last month.

What I'm curious about is whether the priest was told about the cause of death and he accepted, or if it was suppressed to get him to agree.

Next thing I will look for if I do attend is who else will be there, and who among the students will still be using their "grief" to make it all about them, just as they did online.

@@ Some of the college faculty have recently started using online downloadable forms from a sister school as a subtle dig to the administration that their forms are relatively more inadequate.

Trust that when the administration sees this plot for what it is, what they did was that the next teacher who used that form was told to use the school's form, which was just made and printed out AFTER the teacher had already passed his application.

As a concession though, it seems the administrative assistant to the college (more on that later) has agreed to get the signatures of the directors for the form, so that the teacher doesn't have to ask for the signatures again herself.

@@ The college secretary is no longer called such, since she was given a pay raise recently from a recommendation letter from her superiors.

The title change was so that the other secretaries who did not merit an increase will not complain, as it is a "re-ranking".

After all, she has three big bosses now: the associate dean, the action consultant and the brother president acting dean.

Session 2373 has a part wishing for simpler times. Class dismissed.