La Lecturess

La Lecturess
(But our beginnings never know our ends!)
Contributors La Lecturess Flavia Email: lecturess[AT]gmail[DOT]com Recent Posts Ugh, Monday Score! Sensus fidelium Joke Assorted good things Question for the internets On trying NOT to be the worst teacher in the world The worst teacher in the world Holy shit. Mortification Things I Read and/or People I Like The New York Times Arts & Letters Daily The Chronicle of Higher Education Commonweal Crooked Timber Inside Higher Ed The Revealer Andrew Sullivan Talking Points Memo Wonkette ABD Anonymous ABD Mom Academic Coach Acephalous Advice at Your Own Risk Anbruch Ancrene Wiseass Another Damned Medievalist Badgerings Bardiac Between an Oxymoron and a Redundancy Blogging the Renaissance Bitch. Ph.D. Cheeky Prof. Clashing Hats Confessions of a Community College Dean Dr. Virago (Quod She) Early Modern Notes Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog G-Fav's Meanderings H.K. in Seoul A Ianqui in Greenwich Village In Favor of Thinking Ink and Incapability It's Probably Me Kermit's Log Kinesthesis Breakthrough Manolo's Shoe Blog Margo, Darling Medieval Woman Michael Berube My So-Called (ABD) Life Negative Capability New Kid on the Hallway On Any Given Day One Bright Star Reignited Oronte Churm Pretty Hard, Dammit Phantom Scribbler Pilgrim/Heretic Playing School, Irreverently Polyopia Professorial Confessions Professor Me Raining Cats & Dogma Reassigned Time Scrivenings Sfragett's City Slaves of Academe Thanks for not Being a Zombie Terminal Degree The Theater Absurd Timna Tired of Ted Tomato Nation Verbosity Defined What Now? Will's Coffee House Writing as Jo(e) Xoom Late Spring To-Do List ~~Read scholarly book #1~~ Read scholarly book #2 ~~Catch up on professional journals~~ ~~Administer evaluations~~ ~~Grade seminar research papers~~ ~~Write two final exams~~ ~~Grade final exams~~ ~~Compute final grades~~ ~~Order books for fall~~ Find apartment in New City ~~Attend INRU Commencement!~~	Monday, September 19, 2005 There oughta be a (natural) law I teach two sections of the same survey, one in the late morning and the other in the early afternoon. The students in my morning survey are generally livelier and more engaged--they may well be smarter, but they're almost certainly more on top of their reading. Usually my morning class goes very well, while my afternoon class is only okay. BUT: on those days, like today, where my morning class is only so-so, my afternoon class is always great. Why is this? My lesson plan is exactly the same. Am I subconsciously trying harder? Is my routine more polished after running through it once already? Or is there some natural law at work here, of which I'm unaware? link \| posted by La Lecturess at 3:19 PM \| 4 Comments: BrightStar (B*) commented at 9:16 PM~ totally weird! Stewgad commented at 3:09 PM~ It absolutely is natural law. I think of it as the Classroom Conservation of Intelligent Energy Law. I never have two good classes of the same section. (Well, never is an exaggeration.) But it does seem like whenever one group tanks, the other is just amazing. I think that the one group HAS to do badly because the universe has channeled all of the Intelligent Energy into the other class. They're just taking one for the universal team, really. Sorry you had a bum class - but glad for your good one! Anonymous commented at 3:43 PM~ It happens all the time. Different groups have different dynamics. You may be able to make a slight difference with altering your techniques, but don't get distressed if it doesn't come off. At least you have one good group. Cheeky Prof commented at 12:18 PM~ I don't know about any law, but this sure happens to me often. This semester I've got 2 sections of a class back to back. One section is great, the other feels like it's never going to end. If you figure it out could you please let me know?! Want to Post a Comment? back to main page
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