is the word 'diary' better than the word 'blog'? probably not.

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it is my kettle.

Wow. Apparently I am a Professor at a large urban public university. It is not anything like a small private liberal arts college, I tell you. I already knew that from my experience with bureaucracy this summer (and from the more-than-a-decade I spent at UC Berkeley). But actually being in the classroom and teaching classes makes it more real, and different.

(By the way, still no reimbursement check for my move... the move that happened on JUNE FOURTH... though the story right now is that at least the check is "being processed.")

An older male student in one course of mine got up and stormed out of the class the minute he realized I was the teacher. Sure, it might have had nothing to do with me. There's a lot going on in any one person's life. But perhaps he thought I was too much of a tender-aged tomato to be teaching such a class? It wouldn't be the first time someone made assumptions.

It wasn't the only time today I encountered skepticism about my qualifications. Though I also encountered lots of glee, especially amongst female students, that there were new female professors.

About the skepticism: it is possible to despair at the world because of such things. But it is also possible to realize that such misunderestimation works in my favor as much as it works against me. That's our way of using the half-full black kettle instead of losing it. The kettle is mine, my friends.

11:23 p.m. - August 28, 2007
Claverack Weekender - 2007-08-30 21:40:49
Congratulations on the first day of your new life! Don't mind the wacko, I've had people storm out on me too here in the non-academic world.
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