[academicsecret] 12/02/2006 02:59:44 PM

I thought of that, too, TS. I don't think that my nameplate is very salient in the whole office door scheme of things, particularly when the door is open.

He never calls me by my name, only the girl from Timbuktoo. So I assume he thinks since he knows about me, my childhood, and my hometown, he gets to forget my name. I disagree.

So while I'm not positive, I'm pretty sure.

Salmon: I hate it when students don't know the names of professors or TAs. Your advisor's idea is great.

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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 12/02/2006 02:59:44 PM

[academicsecret] 12/02/2006 04:31:27 AM

The professor for whom I TA gives pop quizzes in class. He makes students put the name of their lab instructor at the top of their quizzes, and if they don't know, they get a max of 80%. I told all my students they better remember my name for that reason alone, ha.

I'm seriously bad with names, and I was actually pretty stressed about the idea of teaching because I was worried about not being able to learn all the students' names (and on top of that, I have this problem that once I get it in my head that someone 'looks' like a certain name, I continue to call the person that name even if that isn't said person's name). But I can seriously not imagine not knowing a faculty member's name--ESPECIALLY if I were faculty myself!! That is ridiculous.

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Posted by Salmon Ella to academicsecret at 12/02/2006 04:31:27 AM

[academicsecret] 12/01/2006 04:07:03 PM

My God, Strawberries! How big is your department?

Earlier this year I had an experience similar to anonymous. It was a few months into the semester and there was a reception of sorts for grad students and faculty and I was standing talking to two senior males from my department when a third senior male walked up to the conversation and started it by asking if it was my first, or my second, year of grad school. Luckily I didn't have to say a word because the other two stepped in.

What makes it so sad is that these "little" interactions actually speak volumes, yet they're so often overlooked or thought of as unimportant.

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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 12/01/2006 04:07:03 PM

[academicsecret] 12/01/2006 01:18:00 PM

wow. i was preparing a post in my head about this same thing.

and the person is in the same position as me. though he is a he, so that may have something to do it it.

and he asked for my name in a situation where he was introducing me to someone. he also called me girl.

i called him a few things as well, in my head though.

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Posted by strawberries to academicsecret at 12/01/2006 01:18:00 PM

[academicsecret] 12/01/2006 12:40:42 AM

I don't understand how people can't have even the curiosity to learn who the new folks are. Much harder when you're new and trying to learn many old guard names and faces.

It was half-way through my second year that a senior faculty member asked me, in front of one of the secretaries, who my major professor is. The secretary laughed and laughed, pointing out that "Dr. Youngun is faculty." Ugh! All that time he assumed I was just a grad student who hangs around a lot.

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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 12/01/2006 12:40:42 AM

[academicsecret] 11/28/2006 12:00:20 AM

Wisteria is taken now, so it might be a little redundant to have a Wisteria monocytogenes. Too bad! Salmon needs a little pal.

Orange Ina--I don't know if I registered before or after you, either, but I also like Orangina and considered that name, too! Great minds... :)

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Posted by Salmon Ella to academicsecret at 11/28/2006 12:00:20 AM

[academicsecret] 11/27/2006 04:26:36 PM

I wonder if he or she knows. I think back to all the lame things I did as I was going through the professionalization process and it's really, really scary.

Can you tell if the author is a new or seasoned grad student? Is it themselves that they're referring to as professor, or is that just how they write instead of saying "Fraud asserts...," they're saying, "Professor Fraud asserts..."? Myabe the author didn't do enough homework to realize the author of the work he or she is citing is still a grad student?

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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 11/27/2006 04:26:36 PM

[academicsecret] 11/27/2006 10:54:57 AM

is the person from outside the US? because in different systems/countries the titles assigned to ppl based on education are often different than ours.

that is the only possible reason i can think of. and yah, that is pretty dumb.

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Posted by strawberries to academicsecret at 11/27/2006 10:54:57 AM

[academicsecret] 11/26/2006 02:43:54 AM

Sorry to post now on such a recent (and end-of-semester) entry, but I had an amusing experience that might give you some perspective.

I had a similar group of back-of-the-room gigglers. Beyond the giggling, I liked these students, and I was fairly certain that they were enjoying the class and learning from it. Several times I evil-eyed them, and several times I stopped the class to ask them if they wanted to share. None of these tricks stopped the giggles.

A month after class ended, I had a beer with one of the students (not too professional, maybe, but wtf). She told me that the source of the giggles was the regular appearance of the ass crack of a student who sat in front of them (brutally unprofessional, I know). The giggles were half amusement (apparently there were a plethora of text messages that went back and forth on the topic of the crack) and half anxiety ("Should we tell her about it? It's not exactly the same as tucking in her the tag that's hanging out of the back of her shirt..."). Nothing to do with me. Rude, yes, but very human, I think.

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Posted by Lucid Peacock to academicsecret at 11/26/2006 02:43:54 AM

[academicsecret] 11/25/2006 07:42:07 PM

Strawberries makes a very interesting point. We are probably wrong in assuming that every student is aiming for an A. (Or is it really patronizing to suggest that not every student is aiming for an A??)

If the student is otherwise preoccupied and simply wants to get by, and who knows, maybe enjoys your style of teaching and/or the topic then why not take another class? Again, without knowing more about what he does that is annoying, it's hard to say whether these could be the reasons. But perhaps compared to all other possible courses/profs, you are still by far among the preferred lot.

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Posted by Navy Blue Blob to academicsecret at 11/25/2006 07:42:07 PM

[academicsecret] 11/25/2006 07:31:37 PM

thanks for sharing, everyone! your stories are very interesting :o)

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Posted by strawberries to academicsecret at 11/25/2006 07:31:37 PM

[academicsecret] 11/25/2006 07:30:37 PM

ooh, sorry about annoying kid coming back. i think there are some students who are ok with doing bad. or are at least used to it. doesn't make it easier though...

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Posted by strawberries to academicsecret at 11/25/2006 07:30:37 PM

[academicsecret] 11/25/2006 06:38:44 AM

My name is a bit like Salmon Ella's. It makes sense when read together, but also makes sense separately. I can't remember if I registered before Salmon or after. If I registered after then perhaps her name inspired my name. Otherwise, I'm just not sure anymore. Oh, and I happen to like the drink.:)

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Posted by Orange Ina to academicsecret at 11/25/2006 06:38:44 AM

[academicsecret] 11/25/2006 06:35:28 AM

Any chance of asking him directly what he is hoping to get out of another course with you? Or would that be problematic? (I really don't know. I've never been faced with such a situation, but if I were to be in this situation, I'd want to know.)

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Posted by Orange Ina to academicsecret at 11/25/2006 06:35:28 AM

[academicsecret] 11/23/2006 08:48:11 PM

I think it's really not so much this student, but what he symbolizes. I wanted a fresh start, particularly from this class that he's currently enrolled in and I'm bummed that I won't have that fresh start.

I'm getting used to the idea, though, and hope I'm just pleasantly surprised and that I'm still able to really enjoy this coming semester so much more than this past one.

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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 11/23/2006 08:48:11 PM

[academicsecret] 11/23/2006 08:43:29 AM

Gosh, sorry to hear about this! I can see why this would be an issue generally speaking, but I don't fully follow the level of negativety in your comment. Does he disrupt class? Is he disrespectful? In what way does his mere presence constitute a problem? I'm not questioning your negative reaction, I'm just wondering what exactly underlies it.

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Posted by Navy Blue Blob to academicsecret at 11/23/2006 08:43:29 AM

[academicsecret] 11/23/2006 08:40:21 AM

Could you shorten it to Wysteria Monocyt?

As for me, I just like blue so I picked it. I also like the word blob, although I really can't explain why. I'm also not sure why I didn't simply go with Blue Blob and why I had to specify that it's Navy Blue Blob. Perhaps because I didn't want to be mistaken for another type of blue, like powder blue or some such thing. Plus I suspect this was on the Crayola list. (Wait, is there such a thing as powder blue? I meant the light version.)

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Posted by Navy Blue Blob to academicsecret at 11/23/2006 08:40:21 AM

[academicsecret] 11/23/2006 08:36:38 AM

Dr. Kirk, yes, I think there are definitely some fields that have yielded more blogs than others. I don't know how it looks from field-to-field, but my impression is that there are a ton of law prof blogs. You are commenting about a b-school blog. I wonder if professional schools see more of a link/relevance.

It would be interesting to know what fields are represented here on a.secret, but it's unlikely people will post that given the already high levels of paranoia about being found out.

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Posted by Navy Blue Blob to academicsecret at 11/23/2006 08:36:38 AM

[academicsecret] 11/23/2006 05:21:59 AM

Wisteria monocytogenes is an awesome name! It is a pity it's so long, or I'd be tempted to steal it :)

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Posted by Dandelion to academicsecret at 11/23/2006 05:21:59 AM

[academicsecret] 11/22/2006 10:17:29 PM

There is no deep explanation for my name. I wanted something that reflects my academic interests (kind of, anyway) and I also wanted something that was a play on words. Salmon Ella was one of the first things I thought of. I figured Wisteria monocytogenes was too long, ha ha.

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Posted by Salmon Ella to academicsecret at 11/22/2006 10:17:29 PM