Jennifer Parsons @parsonsj@scholar.social

I think of them as "my kids," I cheer for them, and I want them to learn from their failures.

As they become upperclass students, the relationship becomes more of a mentorship, but I try to keep them same mood: supportive, understanding, patient, empathetic.

I don't think it's made me less of an instructor; I think it's made me a better one. I have to meet these students as human beings if I'm going to help them learn. (4/4)

And a lot of times, I find that takes the form of me smiling and saying, "That's okay-- beginner's mistake! Here's a more efficient way of doing it." and generally reminding them that no one was born knowing how to give a speech or research a topic.

Maybe it's the small town atmosphere, but I'm protective of these students. (3/

I encounter a lot of students-- both high and low achievers-- who are terrified of making mistakes, either because they don't want to looks stupid or they think it will hurt their grade.

I want them to learn to not give up, find out their error, apologize (if needed), fix it, and move on-- because that IS a vital skill they'll need to have as working professionals. (2/

I teach just one 3cr class this semester, along with my other duties. It's a 101-level public speech class, attended by underclass students because it's required for the degree.

The persona I adopt for this is "momlike": supportive, understanding, and patient. I also am relentless that my students do their homework and follow up. But what's most important to me is that I create an environment where students can experiment and take risks. (1/

#facultylife

Now we're up to three (though this is a minor one), and I'm panicking. Was it always like this? Why am I only seeing it now?

And a second case of plagiarism in the same assignment. Was something in the drinking water?

Just caught my first plagiarizing student. *sigh*

Strong take: Nirvana's cover of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" is hugely overrated.

No mention of what happened to said Black man. Was he injured? Did he die? What was his name? How old was he? Where did he come from? Was he an escaped slave? How was he connected to that particular regiment, since units of white men were segregated from units of African American men?

He is NOT EVEN MENTIONED in the list of casualties from this battle, from what I can tell.

Cross-posting to birdsite, as I am that angry.

I continue to be horrified at how the experiences of African Americans are consistently given short shrift in the history of the American Civil War.

Example: battle in our University's town started when some bushwackers (pro-Confederate guerillas), in disguise in Union uniforms, fired at a Black man wearing Union blue. That shot blew their cover and, long story short, they retreated in humiliation and failure, with heavy casualties.

While I appreciate the cleverness of calling an article on the activities of the United Daughters of the Confederacy "Hell's Belles", I now have that blasted AC/DC song in my head.

Also, there’s things like this. (Cw: hagiographies for Confederate guerillas)

On one hand, very much appreciate the chance to do an exhibit on the Civil War battle that took place in our town.

On the other, I have to read narratives of the event published by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. 😕