Aren't students charming?

I love teaching. Don't get me wrong. It is my passion and the thing I want to do for the rest of my life. However, I cannot stand college students who take everything for granted and feel that they are entitled to everything. Spoiled brats and rudeness are two qualities that I hate the most!

Did anyone ever talk back to their teachers? I would never dream of being rude to a teacher the way one of my students was rude to me today. He didn't bother reading the absence policy and figured he didn't have to come to class, so apparently that's my fault? Uht - grow up and attend the class. Education is not his right. If I were his boss, I'd fire him, hands down. That's what some of these kids don't get. They should treat their education like they were going to work.

So my absence policy: If they have more than three unexcused absences (my alarm didn't go off at 11am, I had a hang over, etc.,) I lower their grade. Period. It is stated clear and simply on the syllabus, and I spent at least 5 minutes on it the first day of class going over this.

Then, God forbid, I should make them write a 1 page essay for Friday. Yes, that's right. I said 1 page - whoop de freakin' do. They start whining, "but I've already had four writing assignments this week." Oh please, cry me a river. How whiny and spoiled can you get? I said a few words to them (which I can't remember now, but they sounded like parenting) and followed them up by, "I won't stand for whining over stupid things in this class."

What I really wanted to say was, "Ok, you don't want to write a short paper. How about you go to the spine surgeon with me tomorrow and we take your spine apart and fuse it. Then we'll give you something to whine about." I admit that is being self-centered, but I'm a little edgy and teary because I've worked so hard for 15 years to avoid surgery and tomorrow may be a turning point. Plus, I'm in a whole lot of back pain right now, and because of the big storms, I can't roll my bag like I usually do because there is too much snow. So I carry my bag, and of course, now I hurt.

How was that for whining? Do I sound like my students? :)

I really do love most of them, but sometimes they just need tough love, or a swift kick in the you-know-what.

Round Two

I have to say the blizzard was quite dissapointing as far as blizzards go, but we still got a lot of snow. The snow thunder and lightning last night was pretty cool though! Needless to say, my husband is not pleased it is snowing again since he has spent over 3 hours shoveling this weekend. I can't imagine how all those people in NY dug out of 9 feet!

Round 1

The calm before the storm, aka 7 inches of snow BEFORE the blizzard. This is apparently this biggest storm we have had since 1990!!! It doesn't look quite blizzard-esque out there yet, but apparently I just have to sit tight and wait. We went to the grocery store with half of the city last night to stock up on food. Wow - it was craziness. I'm sure I'll update later.

For Lent

My husband gave up swearing for Lent - that lasted about 5 hours. He lost. He tried this last year too - and failed. Maybe he should try giving up something else . . .

I don't understand

Like one of my blogger friends said, I can't go into details over this blog, but let me try to explain how I'm feeling in a vague way.

Many of us are very very privledged women (and men, but this is about women), and many of us take way too many things for granted and feel like we are entitled to way too much. It doesn't seem fair that women sit around complaining about not being thin enough, or other trivial things in life, when there is just soooooo much abuse happening to women all over the world. . . of course the US is included. However, I heard a story today that breaks, no shatters, my heart into a zillion pieces. My new friend is from another country and she lives here in the US working on her PhD right now, and is trying to seek asylum for some very very very good and heartbreaking reasons. She is perhaps the strongest person I have ever met, and morally I can't relay her story, especially over a blog.

I know that there are so many women who are in terrible situations, and some people will say, "oh that is horrible, but what are we going to do?" I feel so utterly powerless and want to believe that this country will make the correct decision about her future, but when you know someone who is in such a tough position--you actually look in someone's eyes and know that the legal system holds power literally over their life--what else can you do? What can I do? Why are people so selfish, so greedy, so inhumane? Where is the justice?

Why am I still in music? I feel like I should be going out and doing something for human rights. I just don't understand how we let our fellow humans suffer so badly. Why is everyone a spokesperson for God, instead of God Him/Herself? Why should religion cause such conflicts? I'm not actually seeking answers here, but just venting the great mysterious unknown questions.

Good, innocent, beautiful women around this world are being so badly abused, and killed each day. What can we do about it?

Grieving

It is weird how you can grieve so deeply for someone you never met. I just spoke with my mother on the phone, and even she has been crying all day. . . and she never corresponded with Trudy. I think when someone's death is tied to something so close to your heart, it makes it more difficult. . . especially when you are awaiting surgery and need to make a decision in 2 weeks.

I just don't understand why she had to die. I just can't imagine the pain her family is going through.

As someone said on the forum, dear Trudy is a scoliosis-free angel in heaven. May she rest in peace (pain free) and may her family know that she is never far away.

beyond sad

Trudy, a woman in her thirties who has three children, died from complications during scoliosis surgery. I've never met her, but know her through the scoliosis forum, and I am beyond saddened and completely shocked by this news. Her poor family! It is so weird to have been talking to her over the forum a couple of days ago and to think she is no longer here. It makes me cry to re-read all of the positive encouragement given to her in the last week and her trust that everything was going to turn out ok, and her plans for post-op. She wanted to take a mini vacation to the beach when she was getting better. I can't even begin to comprehend this. One of our brave scoliosis women has died. Why? why? I don't get it.

God bless you and rest in peace.

Part 2 to "You know it's cold when. . ."

when Madison schools cancel for the first time since the early 90s (not the University though)

when the wind makes tears form in your eyes but then they freeze before you can cry

when your work office is an igloo - no, really! The inside of my windows were covered in multiple layers of ice/snow-type stuff.

You know it is cold when . . .

you have to scrape ice off of the INSIDE of your car windows

your temperature almost matches International Falls, Minnesota

tomorrow's high is negative 5 and that is warmer than it is now

you can't wait until the temperature reaches single digits ABOVE zero

your husband wants to run outside without a jacket and hat on just to see what it feels like

your eyelashes develop icicles after 4 minutes of being outside (information care of my husband's experience outside - and yes, I witnessed the icicles)

even the hardcore ice fishermen don't go out on the lake for the weekend

when you've lost count of the number of layers you have on and can barely move in your clothes

when dog owners decide it is better to let their dogs "do their business in the house on newspaper" rather than take them outside

when the sun doesn't melt anything, even an ice cube

oh, but students in Madison don't actually get a "cold day" (yes, like a snow day) unless it reaches negative 50 with wind chill and we have about 25 more degrees to that goal! :)

Now, this is a real winter . . . makes you hearty and strong! :)