Work is feeling like a lot right now. This morning I had to get to a 90-minute 8:00 meeting and then run two 75-minute classes chock full of content I did not feel quite qualified to teach. In the first one I had to give a presentation mostly in Welsh, a language I do not actually speak. Then in the second one I had to teach the anatomy of the middle ear and the vestibular system. Your middle ear is more complicated than you ever suspected, my friends, and your vestibular system is even more so.
Silver lining: I did not get to the cochlea today, so I have a few days to brush up. Ears, man -- ears are hard. Give me a nice familiar larynx any day of the week. I can talk cheerfully at great length about the larynx. (I bet you're lining up to invite ME to your next party, huh?)
I did not tell you about the academic integrity situation that landed in my lap earlier this semester when I gave two different forms of a quiz without announcing that I was doing so. If a student submits Form A of the quiz filled out neatly with the Form B answers, it might cause her instructor to wonder whether the student had been glancing across the aisle instead of keeping her eyes on her own paper. I probably should not tell you much about the drama that resulted, but the aftermath was dramatic indeed. This is my twelfth year at Gladlyville U and this was the first time I thought to myself, "Hm, there are some potential safety issues for me to consider here."
So that was exciting. Today's quiz also had two forms, but the difference between the two was in the instructions. "Be sure that you read the instructions carefully," I told them emphatically. You'd think I'd know better than that by now, but hope springs eternal. "Dr. Gladly," says an as-yet-unanswered email in my inbox, "I didn't have time to read the instructions but I figured out afterward that I did it wrong. I hope it won't affect my grade."
'Tis the season: worried students, weary instructors. It always happens; it's always temporary. Wish me luck, friends.
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