*Out of Office Response* Re: quick question?
Dear [STUDENT], Thank you for writing me with your question about [COURSE]. I am currently out of the office because I am contingent faculty and do not have an office. This automated response email is intended to help you find the answer to your question on your own, as my …
Top Ten Ways Academia and Stand-Up Comedy are Secretly the Same Job
10. You basically have to take any paid gig you can get (beggars can’t be choosers!) 9. Unusually high rates of anxiety and depression among your peers 8. Constant pressure to write new material 7. Sometimes you take a long trip just to end up talking to an empty room 6. Audiences are …
Pop Quiz: Of Ferret Pee and Snake Hisses
No corny Valentines Day Stories for Pop Quiz. I only recognize the true holiday of my birthday today!!! In celebration of this wondrous day I give you a corny teaching story instead. Years and years ago I taught a physics lab class at a farm town University. Normally, I would start my …
Pop Quiz: Comedy
Let’s face it: lectures are really not an ideal way to transmit large amounts of information to a crowd of disinterested (or sleepy) students, but thanks to the way academia is currently structured, we frequently find ourselves tasked with doing precisely that. Assuming that keeping students more interested in the …