Today is the start of finals week. I have my students do a comprehensive terms test where they match 75 terms (randomly selected from a pool of close to 500) with 75 definitions. I only make it work 5% of their grade so it isn't too scary. The format allows me to give a comprehensive test for a final that is low-stakes. There are plenty of others this week for students to worry about.
I've decided that for the Fall I will put in my syllabus that I will refer a student to a success coach if they are doing poorly the first few weeks. Early intervention may help. I had one success story this semester of a D student transforming into a B student after engaging in Quizlet.
I also had a non-traditional student tell me she wished her Microbiology class was structured like my BIO 201. She was frustrated and felt like she retained very little of the material they covered in class. That made me feel better and that I am on the right track. I still have so long to go. I suggested that she write the division chair and voice her concerns about her Microbiology class.
The other day during a specimen review session, I watched some students struggle with the names of parts of the respiratory system. I forget that not everyone is familiar with words like pharynx or larynx. It was eye-opening.
My BIO 202 class has a few suspicious students in it that may have a cheating problem. Things are kind of fishy when their solo quiz grade is an 86 while their group quiz grade is a 74. Did they guess different? A lot of wandering eyes out there during quizzes.
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Weak students, Foot-forward, and Cell phones
Last week I had a very enlightening and depressing visit with our new success coach. We have a new system called AVISO that allows us to flag students who are at-risk for failure. Unfortunately I waited too long to pull the trigger this semester, so many of them are too far gone to do anything except withdraw from the course. Natalie was very candid about the students she sees. The majority of them don't seem interested at all about putting in the effort to practice outside of class. It doesn't take long for Natalie to surmise who is serious and who is not. After they blow off an appointment or two, she gets the message, and puts them on the back burner.
I found a great word from Shakespeare for describing intrusive advising; "foot-forward." Rusty, a former chemistry instructor we had years ago, used to teach at Troy University. He told me of a colleague of his who would tell students who bombed the first test that they would not be allowed back in the class until they got some tutoring from him. That is what I envision foot-forward being.
Wednesday, I watched one of my weak students during the group quiz. One problem with her group is that two male students take over. One is a very academically strong student and he runs the show. She sits across the bench from them and one good female student and watches them take the group quiz. The part that gets me is when I hand the quiz back, she watches them go through the quiz to see what they missed but she never bothers to check herself. She never even touches the quiz. No feedback whatsoever.
I have a serious phone addict who sits in the front of the class. Every semester I have a few students who just can't seem to stay off their phone. She's looking at it during lectures. She takes it to the lab bench with her. I had to take her solo quiz away from her Wednesday because she had her phone on hidden between her legs. During the quiz, I kept seeing her looking down at her seat. I have no idea that she was cheating or not, but she knows that cell phone use is verboten during quizzes. I let her take the group quiz.
Wednesday is quiz day during lab in my A&P II course. The problem is that I often see a sea of phones out during lecture. They are cramming for the quiz. It is a problem I have faced for years. The only solution I have is a testing center where they can take their assessments outside of class. That would require campus space and since we have none and our budget keeps getting slashed by Republicans, a testing center will never become a reality.
I did have a few successes this week though. Against probability, I had two weak students improve their performance on a quiz (20-30 points above normal). This almost never happens. I was so proud of them. I got goosebumps seeing their scores and their faces. I hope they can keep it up.
I found a great word from Shakespeare for describing intrusive advising; "foot-forward." Rusty, a former chemistry instructor we had years ago, used to teach at Troy University. He told me of a colleague of his who would tell students who bombed the first test that they would not be allowed back in the class until they got some tutoring from him. That is what I envision foot-forward being.
Wednesday, I watched one of my weak students during the group quiz. One problem with her group is that two male students take over. One is a very academically strong student and he runs the show. She sits across the bench from them and one good female student and watches them take the group quiz. The part that gets me is when I hand the quiz back, she watches them go through the quiz to see what they missed but she never bothers to check herself. She never even touches the quiz. No feedback whatsoever.
I have a serious phone addict who sits in the front of the class. Every semester I have a few students who just can't seem to stay off their phone. She's looking at it during lectures. She takes it to the lab bench with her. I had to take her solo quiz away from her Wednesday because she had her phone on hidden between her legs. During the quiz, I kept seeing her looking down at her seat. I have no idea that she was cheating or not, but she knows that cell phone use is verboten during quizzes. I let her take the group quiz.
Wednesday is quiz day during lab in my A&P II course. The problem is that I often see a sea of phones out during lecture. They are cramming for the quiz. It is a problem I have faced for years. The only solution I have is a testing center where they can take their assessments outside of class. That would require campus space and since we have none and our budget keeps getting slashed by Republicans, a testing center will never become a reality.
I did have a few successes this week though. Against probability, I had two weak students improve their performance on a quiz (20-30 points above normal). This almost never happens. I was so proud of them. I got goosebumps seeing their scores and their faces. I hope they can keep it up.
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Student Learning Outcomes
A couple of years ago, we were surprised by an accreditation requirement handed down from the administration called student learning outcomes (SLO). The idea was that we had to come up with a plan that would demonstrate improvement in student learning. The problem was that we really didn't know what we were expected to do and the administration didn't really know either. So we slapped a bunch of lame assessments together that were inconsistent, a major time suck, and didn't tell us much at all. The problem is we ended up having to keep doing them for a few years until the accreditation review was over. The agony frustrated all of us and we promised we would replace it with something better and, more important, useful.
Well the time has come to replace the SLO's. We are having our first division meeting today to discuss it. For a long time we have considered that to make something useful, we need to find out how well our students do when they transfer to a four-year school or an allied health program. If we knew that, then we would know if are students are leaving LBWCC prepared. If not, then we can pinpoint the areas of weakness and beef them up.
Unfortunately, the data are not readily available. So we are stuck, we have no idea whether our graduates are succeeding elsewhere. The slippery slope leads to standardized testing that would tell us how we compare nationally. No one is thrilled with that prospect. One obstacle is that we would have to pack in more material during the semester just to cover what is on the exam. I don't know how other schools do it.
Another idea for creating SLOs is to identify the fundamental skills students need to master for success in future courses and programs. For example, can they use a microscope? That may work for lab-heavy courses like chemistry and physics, but for us biology folks, the list is very limited. My chemistry colleague has suggested we focus on basic content that would embarrass us as teachers if students didn't know when they advance. For example, a biology major who couldn't explain what a gene is.
So far, most of our SLOs are just a series of quiz questions on basic content. An intriguing idea being floated is that, instead of 5 different quizzes assessing the basics, we make one quiz, that focuses on the links between concepts. Since information builds on itself. You have to know such and such to understand thus and so. We could identify at what point did the learning fail. Did they fail because they didn't master the beginning material or was it midway or near the end? For example, calculating yield limits in chemistry. You have to know nomenclature first, then using that, you can master balancing equations, and, once you have mastered that, then you can do stoichiometry, that ability then leads to successfully calculating yield.
My biggest problem with all of this is collecting new data. We already have assessments that measure all of this; quizzes and exams. We already know where learning is weak and what topics are tricky. We assess learning all through a semester. The problem we have with SLO development is matching. To be scientific, the assessments must be similar, identical is best. My quiz on enzymes might be tougher than that my colleagues use. Their 80% average may not mean the same as my 80% average. We need something else. Some sort of metric, independent of assessment differences, that would be useful but wouldn't require extra standardized assessments.
So this is my idea. For years I have noticed that student's test scores rarely vary from exam to exam or quiz to quiz. It is amazing to see. You may have one student, who in quiz after quiz, scores within 5-10 points of the same grade. In fact, most teachers can predict after the first few assessments, who will likely pass the class and who won't. The scores are so consistent, you start to wonder, what makes a student who gets B's on every quiz different from a student who gets D's on every quiz? What is going on? Why is there so little fluctuation?
We have a very strong push from the top down to get as many students as possible successfully through our program. Sadly, one easy way to accomplish this is to reduce the rigor of the courses. Classes that are easy As are popular, packed, and ignored by administrators. Ego, purpose, and the big picture prevent me from following that path. The result is that I am constantly working on the problem, what can I do to help my students learn? How do I help the D students become C students?
_________________________________________
Well, we had our division meeting yesterday on the SLOs and sadly we are back to what we did three years ago. We spent the hour talking about what basic knowledge would embarrass us as teachers if students moved on to future courses without learning. The lists look very similar. I had a bit of a breakdown, but thankfully, Brian explained how grades were not enough to answer the question. How do we know that a C student mastered X,Y, and Z?
I am tired. The stress of creating a hybrid course from scratch, teaching a brand-new orientation class, building canvas sites for newly web-enhanced courses, keeping weekly track of attendance and grades on two new platforms, and trying to improve my classes have done me in. I spent yesterday afternoon and evening painfully processing everything. I was overwhelmed. Thankfully, a long walk at the lake with Mr. B ameliorated a lot of the agony. Two weeks to Spring Break and two more months until the end of the semester, I think I can make it.
Well the time has come to replace the SLO's. We are having our first division meeting today to discuss it. For a long time we have considered that to make something useful, we need to find out how well our students do when they transfer to a four-year school or an allied health program. If we knew that, then we would know if are students are leaving LBWCC prepared. If not, then we can pinpoint the areas of weakness and beef them up.
Unfortunately, the data are not readily available. So we are stuck, we have no idea whether our graduates are succeeding elsewhere. The slippery slope leads to standardized testing that would tell us how we compare nationally. No one is thrilled with that prospect. One obstacle is that we would have to pack in more material during the semester just to cover what is on the exam. I don't know how other schools do it.
Another idea for creating SLOs is to identify the fundamental skills students need to master for success in future courses and programs. For example, can they use a microscope? That may work for lab-heavy courses like chemistry and physics, but for us biology folks, the list is very limited. My chemistry colleague has suggested we focus on basic content that would embarrass us as teachers if students didn't know when they advance. For example, a biology major who couldn't explain what a gene is.
So far, most of our SLOs are just a series of quiz questions on basic content. An intriguing idea being floated is that, instead of 5 different quizzes assessing the basics, we make one quiz, that focuses on the links between concepts. Since information builds on itself. You have to know such and such to understand thus and so. We could identify at what point did the learning fail. Did they fail because they didn't master the beginning material or was it midway or near the end? For example, calculating yield limits in chemistry. You have to know nomenclature first, then using that, you can master balancing equations, and, once you have mastered that, then you can do stoichiometry, that ability then leads to successfully calculating yield.
My biggest problem with all of this is collecting new data. We already have assessments that measure all of this; quizzes and exams. We already know where learning is weak and what topics are tricky. We assess learning all through a semester. The problem we have with SLO development is matching. To be scientific, the assessments must be similar, identical is best. My quiz on enzymes might be tougher than that my colleagues use. Their 80% average may not mean the same as my 80% average. We need something else. Some sort of metric, independent of assessment differences, that would be useful but wouldn't require extra standardized assessments.
So this is my idea. For years I have noticed that student's test scores rarely vary from exam to exam or quiz to quiz. It is amazing to see. You may have one student, who in quiz after quiz, scores within 5-10 points of the same grade. In fact, most teachers can predict after the first few assessments, who will likely pass the class and who won't. The scores are so consistent, you start to wonder, what makes a student who gets B's on every quiz different from a student who gets D's on every quiz? What is going on? Why is there so little fluctuation?
We have a very strong push from the top down to get as many students as possible successfully through our program. Sadly, one easy way to accomplish this is to reduce the rigor of the courses. Classes that are easy As are popular, packed, and ignored by administrators. Ego, purpose, and the big picture prevent me from following that path. The result is that I am constantly working on the problem, what can I do to help my students learn? How do I help the D students become C students?
_________________________________________
Well, we had our division meeting yesterday on the SLOs and sadly we are back to what we did three years ago. We spent the hour talking about what basic knowledge would embarrass us as teachers if students moved on to future courses without learning. The lists look very similar. I had a bit of a breakdown, but thankfully, Brian explained how grades were not enough to answer the question. How do we know that a C student mastered X,Y, and Z?
I am tired. The stress of creating a hybrid course from scratch, teaching a brand-new orientation class, building canvas sites for newly web-enhanced courses, keeping weekly track of attendance and grades on two new platforms, and trying to improve my classes have done me in. I spent yesterday afternoon and evening painfully processing everything. I was overwhelmed. Thankfully, a long walk at the lake with Mr. B ameliorated a lot of the agony. Two weeks to Spring Break and two more months until the end of the semester, I think I can make it.
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Midterm Blues
Midterm was Thursday. I posted lots of failing grades. I have had more tension headaches this past few weeks than in the last three months. Now that I am the sole A&P instructor on campus, all eyes are on me. Several weeks ago, I was visited by my Academic Dean who worried that I was failing way too many students. I showed her my results from Fall, a shimmer of success, and told her that I was doing my best to help them succeed: fewer practicals, lots of quizlet, more practice activities in lab.
She told me to be more intrusive in aiding weak students. We have success coaches now and a new app called AVISO. I waited too long to pull the trigger this semester. I think it is too late now to get them up to speed. What do you do with the absentees? Flu and colds knocked out weeks of attendance in February. They don't catch up.
I have known for a long time that the best way to learn is the study how you are tested. Practice by answering questions. So for years I have given them recall-level assignments on material we covered just an hour before during lecture. They work in groups but I am amazed how few of them remember anything. It is like all of them never picked up the same things. That strongly indicates that I failed in lecture or they were not paying attention. Practice time then becomes frustrating for both of us. I start giving them hints (e.g. the word starts with an "A"). My reading assures me that the frustration is helpful in memory consolidation. I tell them that the struggle is good.
Today I thought about scaffolding my practice sessions. I have been throwing them into the deep end of the pool right off the bat. I am thinking of starting with recognition-level practice and then later move into recall. However, some of my frustration arises from practice assignments on material from the previous week. Stuff that they ought to know. Material that should already be at recall-level but often it is not. I realize they haven't studied it. That is when I get punitive. "Didn't bother to study, well maybe after sitting with a blank sheet in front of you for 20 minutes might make you study next time." It may feel like justice, but it rarely works, and gets old fast.
Lab time is a tricky balance. I have to have enough practice planned so they stay the entire time. Students rarely take the time to review the practical specimens. If I give them time, they waste it, or leave early. This semester I have eliminated it completely. They have the lecture and the practical review set on Quizlet. In addition, I started having a 16 question practice practical at the start of every lab. They have been doing it with their groups. I guess it has been helpful, but there are always the weak students trailing their group and not engaging during the activity. I don't know what to do about them. Riding coattails has always been a problem in my classes. It won't help them pass though.
There has been grade inflation for so long that students getting a C is a tragedy. Unfortunately, really important things like, program entry, and scholarships, are tied to grades in classes. For STEM classes, I think C's shouldn't be look down upon. STEM is tough and A's are very hard to earn. Our programs must be more realistic about mastery and academic ability. But I am disheartened when programs like Ultrasound rely so heavily on high grades. They must consider the course and who taught it. Regretfully, a C student in my class my be given an A by a different instructor. Unfair.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Xmas Vacation Ensues
I learned a new word today from the New York Times: bildungsroman. A German word literally translated as "education novel". A great word to describe a coming-of-age story. Now if I could only pronounce it correctly.
Lately I have been looking up unfamiliar words on Google during my NYT perusals and then posting them on twitter. Now I have a record and I and my two followers can use these words whenever possible. I wish I had the same while reading Ulysses by James Joyce. The other day I thought I was close to the end because Leopold Bloom finally made it home. He undressed and climbed into bed and kissed his wife's butt. Now the novel is in her voice. She doesn't like punctuation or periods but she is great at explaining her side of things.
I have officially been on vacation for three days. Grades were due on Friday. I posted most of them on Thursday and then the final class Friday. I made an error an gave a D to a student instead of a C. Thank goodness she caught the mistake and emailed me. So Monday I had to make a trip to the Registrar and sign a form to correct my flub. Today is the first day I don't feel bad about failing a few students. I go through such agony during finals week. This semester I had so many borderline students. I had some athletes that I really wanted to fail. They had low D's and their group grades would have sent them over the edge but I put that "injustice" caveat in my syllabus. What is odd is that I always go back to my own days as a student and consider those classes where I got much higher marks than I deserved: insect physiology, evolution, genetics, aquatic vascular plants, environmental law, paleobotany, biostatistics.
Yesterday I was leafing through a BYU alumni magazine and came across some astounding statistics. The average ACT scores for incoming freshman -- 28, the average High School GPA for incoming freshman -- 3.8. Wow! The average BYU freshman has the same credentials as an LBW honors student. I'm wondering now if I would have been accepted to BYU today. Those are some smart kids.
Lately I have been looking up unfamiliar words on Google during my NYT perusals and then posting them on twitter. Now I have a record and I and my two followers can use these words whenever possible. I wish I had the same while reading Ulysses by James Joyce. The other day I thought I was close to the end because Leopold Bloom finally made it home. He undressed and climbed into bed and kissed his wife's butt. Now the novel is in her voice. She doesn't like punctuation or periods but she is great at explaining her side of things.
I have officially been on vacation for three days. Grades were due on Friday. I posted most of them on Thursday and then the final class Friday. I made an error an gave a D to a student instead of a C. Thank goodness she caught the mistake and emailed me. So Monday I had to make a trip to the Registrar and sign a form to correct my flub. Today is the first day I don't feel bad about failing a few students. I go through such agony during finals week. This semester I had so many borderline students. I had some athletes that I really wanted to fail. They had low D's and their group grades would have sent them over the edge but I put that "injustice" caveat in my syllabus. What is odd is that I always go back to my own days as a student and consider those classes where I got much higher marks than I deserved: insect physiology, evolution, genetics, aquatic vascular plants, environmental law, paleobotany, biostatistics.
Yesterday I was leafing through a BYU alumni magazine and came across some astounding statistics. The average ACT scores for incoming freshman -- 28, the average High School GPA for incoming freshman -- 3.8. Wow! The average BYU freshman has the same credentials as an LBW honors student. I'm wondering now if I would have been accepted to BYU today. Those are some smart kids.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Last Day of Withdrawal
I got back from Dallas on Sunday afternoon. Thank goodness for the end of daylight savings time, I needed the extra hour of sleep. I covered the nuts and bolts of meiosis in bio. It was kind of a rush job since they would be tested on it the next class meeting. I had to use a lab from the past since my chromosome beads had disappeared. Of course I found them a few days later inside a milk crate under a cart.
At first sight, my third exam looked super easy. But after seeing their group scores I was a little shocked on how poorly they did. It was shorter than normal so I could lecture a bit on genetics afterward. I had a whole hour for my Monday class but I have one very thorough student in Tuesday's. So I only had thirty minutes in there. I never seem to have enough days in the semester to cover everything. I would really like to jettison the water and pH sections and jump right into organics.
I was very proud of myself in physical science. I wrote up a quick activity on glaciers. I started Tuesday's class finishing the Alabama geo activity I invented the previous week. One problem with that class is they like to visit, text, check facebook, and not work. It took the whole lecture period to finish and even then I had to start a countdown and make them turn it in before their 9:15 break. They sort of cruised through it with ten minutes left in the period so we played jeopardy with questions on glaciers.
There is a funny scene in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, where a teacher dies at his desk halfway through the school day and no one notices. He had his students do worksheets all period. He had no interaction with them at all. They came in, picked up their work, sat down in their desks, which were pointed away from the teacher's desk and then dropped off their work on the way out. So here is this teacher, dead at his desk and class after class comes and goes without ever noticing he is deceased.
I would like to sort of imitate the dead teacher for the rest of my PHS 111 class and not lecture but just do activities. For the glacier activity, I went through my lecture and wrote questions based on the slides. I threw in a few figures and facts along the way so they wouldn't be completely lost. It worked out great! I am going to try to repeat it for the next five classes.
Today I got my teeth cleaned. They have a new fluoride treatment where instead of rinsing for a minute they paint on a varnish. Mine was caramel-flavored. And I didn't have to wait an hour to eat or drink again.
Brian told me that he sleptwalk last night. In the middle of the night, he got up, unlocked and front door, walked across the front porch and fell off. His wife found him in the front yard staring off into the night. She asked him what he was doing. He turned around and said he fell off the porch. She got him back to bed. This morning he had no memory of it. He thinks it is a side effect of his cholesterol statins. He used to sleepwalk as a kid and then a few times in graduate school. He said his neck and back are sore due to his face plant. He said he woke up with dirty palms and knees. Poor guy.
At first sight, my third exam looked super easy. But after seeing their group scores I was a little shocked on how poorly they did. It was shorter than normal so I could lecture a bit on genetics afterward. I had a whole hour for my Monday class but I have one very thorough student in Tuesday's. So I only had thirty minutes in there. I never seem to have enough days in the semester to cover everything. I would really like to jettison the water and pH sections and jump right into organics.
I was very proud of myself in physical science. I wrote up a quick activity on glaciers. I started Tuesday's class finishing the Alabama geo activity I invented the previous week. One problem with that class is they like to visit, text, check facebook, and not work. It took the whole lecture period to finish and even then I had to start a countdown and make them turn it in before their 9:15 break. They sort of cruised through it with ten minutes left in the period so we played jeopardy with questions on glaciers.
There is a funny scene in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, where a teacher dies at his desk halfway through the school day and no one notices. He had his students do worksheets all period. He had no interaction with them at all. They came in, picked up their work, sat down in their desks, which were pointed away from the teacher's desk and then dropped off their work on the way out. So here is this teacher, dead at his desk and class after class comes and goes without ever noticing he is deceased.
I would like to sort of imitate the dead teacher for the rest of my PHS 111 class and not lecture but just do activities. For the glacier activity, I went through my lecture and wrote questions based on the slides. I threw in a few figures and facts along the way so they wouldn't be completely lost. It worked out great! I am going to try to repeat it for the next five classes.
Today I got my teeth cleaned. They have a new fluoride treatment where instead of rinsing for a minute they paint on a varnish. Mine was caramel-flavored. And I didn't have to wait an hour to eat or drink again.
Brian told me that he sleptwalk last night. In the middle of the night, he got up, unlocked and front door, walked across the front porch and fell off. His wife found him in the front yard staring off into the night. She asked him what he was doing. He turned around and said he fell off the porch. She got him back to bed. This morning he had no memory of it. He thinks it is a side effect of his cholesterol statins. He used to sleepwalk as a kid and then a few times in graduate school. He said his neck and back are sore due to his face plant. He said he woke up with dirty palms and knees. Poor guy.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Prepping for Dallas
On Wednesday, Susan and I are heading to Dallas, Texas for this year's NABT meeting. I skipped last year since it was in Anaheim, California. Ten minutes from where I grew up. I wasn't in the mood to see the old stomping grounds. So we are to spend four nights in the Hyatt. The weather forecast is looking beautiful. Susan is planning on a long visit to the botanical gardens where they are having a Dale Chihuly blown glass exhibit. Saturday we are going to visit the Art Museum and Sculpture garden. I've spent the last few days perusing the schedule of presentations at the meeting and planning my schedule. This is the first year I have gotten an advanced look. Usually I get the program that day of and scramble to pick some meeting to go to. Unfortunately there are always 3 or 4 good talks going on at the same time so picking one to see is a minor league Sophie's choice.
Last week was a tragic time for a few people we know. My buddy John Carpenter lost his wife on Sunday. I had just seen them together the night before at the Covington County fair. Her funeral was yesterday. I don't know how to face him this week. Our neighbor, Tammy Puckett, lost her mom too. Her mom lived just on the corner. They had moved her here from Opelika a few months ago. We took care of Lucy for them while they were away.
My PHS 111 class had their second exam last week. Most of them did terrible as I expected. For weeks I had wondered why my grading program had their current grades so high. I found the error. I had miscategorized a group exam. Once I fixed that, the grades fell out to where they needed to be. I spent Friday morning printing out progress reports on the athletes for the coaches. They have two more exams at the end of the semester worth about a quarter of their total grade. I hope they are ready.
Weekends are such difficult times to do class prep. Today I was going to work on my geology assignment for Tuesday but it didn't happen. I did prep bio on Saturday though. I need to get back to leaving work at work and savoring my evenings and weekends.
The weather has turned chilly. Yesterday was the first day I wore a jacket out to walk the pups. Four months of this on the horizon. I know how happy I get in the Spring when I can finally put my coat away. I am rethinking my meds. I seem a little more stressed out and irritable. I'm also feeling lonelier.
Last week was a tragic time for a few people we know. My buddy John Carpenter lost his wife on Sunday. I had just seen them together the night before at the Covington County fair. Her funeral was yesterday. I don't know how to face him this week. Our neighbor, Tammy Puckett, lost her mom too. Her mom lived just on the corner. They had moved her here from Opelika a few months ago. We took care of Lucy for them while they were away.
My PHS 111 class had their second exam last week. Most of them did terrible as I expected. For weeks I had wondered why my grading program had their current grades so high. I found the error. I had miscategorized a group exam. Once I fixed that, the grades fell out to where they needed to be. I spent Friday morning printing out progress reports on the athletes for the coaches. They have two more exams at the end of the semester worth about a quarter of their total grade. I hope they are ready.
Weekends are such difficult times to do class prep. Today I was going to work on my geology assignment for Tuesday but it didn't happen. I did prep bio on Saturday though. I need to get back to leaving work at work and savoring my evenings and weekends.
The weather has turned chilly. Yesterday was the first day I wore a jacket out to walk the pups. Four months of this on the horizon. I know how happy I get in the Spring when I can finally put my coat away. I am rethinking my meds. I seem a little more stressed out and irritable. I'm also feeling lonelier.
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