The first day of a new term. Before noon I had five visitors to my office. I am not teaching on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which means that I'm going to have to be very deliberate about hiding myself when I don't really need to be available.
Weighing the value of giving my upper level students The Speech tomorrow--the one wherein I say that it's no longer true that getting a degree is enough. The one wherein I say that the habit of doing the bare minimum and relying on the kindness and indulgence of those to whom they are responsible is a dangerous one and will not serve them well now or afterward. The one wherein I say that if they want to benefit from this time, they are going to have to read more, write more, focus more, expend more energy than their peers, provide more than is required in every case.
If it doesn't come out tomorrow, it's going to come out soon. I don't want to browbeat them, but I do want them to understand the difference between trusting them voluntarily to make their own constructive decisions and allowing them latitude to half-ass everything yet expect to be rewarded.
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