Well, it’s the end of the weekend, and I really don’t know if I can say I’ve accomplished too much.
Right now, I’m tired as hell, sitting at the keyboard, and listening to Club 977 on my home theater while I ponder what to pack for my trip tomorrow. My plans have had to change somewhat, as I wasn’t able to get lodging in Houma; so, what I plan to do is get my rental car first thing in the morning, and then make my way to Jennings. Once I complete my task in Jennings, I’ll go to Lafayette where the main IT offices for the company are located. After dropping off equipment there, I’ll stay overnight there. Then, I’ll head for Houma bright and early Tuesday morning. Once done there, I’ll come back to Lafayette and spend Tuesday night there. From there, I’ll go back to Houston Wednesday and meet with the CIO (who will also be coming in from Lafayette that day). I think that’ll all work out for the best; if not, I’ll have a bit of leeway in which to work with.
I really need to do something about straightening this bedroom, as it’s a disaster area. Unfortunately, as much as I might want my living and work areas to be clean, they quickly devolve into a right mess. It’s a fact of life: I have a rather chaotic nature. It irks my parents and bosses to no end, but there’s nothing I can really do about it. It’s actually funny… I’ve had more than one boss give me warnings about it before finally giving up, realizing I still do the work and know where everything is. There’s a reason Mom put a little knit patch on my bedroom door with Mr. Messy on it…
You know, it’s funny some of the things you think of. I was reading something on FARK this morning involving schools, teachers, education, and the like… and it reminded me of something that happened when I was in college. My final semester of Music Theory was taught by a professor who followed the humiliation method of teaching. If she was to ask one of us a question and the person got the answer wrong, she would make some remark or comment that would just make the student look absolutely stupid and (to me) horribly embarrassed him/her. It got to the point where I dreaded going to that class and being asked to answer a question. Well, one day near the end of the semester, I was in the Band Annex talking to a couple of fellow band members, and I mentioned how much I hated how this professor used the humiliation method. One of them, who happened to be a music education major, looked at me and said, “I agree with the humiliation method.”
I wonder if I was able to keep a horrified expression off my face.
I’m sorry, but I take the attitude that if you have to humiliate a student to get him to learn, then you’ve failed as a teacher. The best teachers, in my experience, were ones who cared and nurtured about the students, made the subject matter interesting, and went the extra mile to not talk down to the students. They made me want to learn more. They made me want to come to class. All teachers like my music theory professor did was make me hate coming to class and only learn enough to keep from looking stupid. I wasn’t inspired to learn or take an interest in the subject matter.
… I wonder how that former classmate’s career is going. *shrug*
Anyway, time for me to get a bottle of water and start packing, and then maybe I can start thinking of bed. I might post some from the road. If not… I’ll post again late Wednesday or so.