It's HOW many weeks until the students are back?!

Where did the summer go?

Meanwhile in preparation for the Autumn teaching, one of our tech support staff has installed a new version of the software students use for learning programming. We staff who are involved with using it in our teaching are now under strict instructions to try and break it. These instructions will self-destruct into the opposite form as soon as the students get back.

Flapping in the wind

*$&^*~#*(!!!

I have just conducted a whole hour-long supervision with my shirt incorrectly buttoned, leaving a gaping hole near my navel. I'm sure the student didn't fail to notice this.

Oh well, lecturers aren't meant to have any dress sense, and I'm sure my students already think I'm somewhat eccentric.

Fringe Benefits

As a lecturer, I often have a supervision role towards students, who can include, for example, undergraduates working towards their final year project, or MSc students working on their dissertations, or graduate students working for research degrees. Usually afterwards they come and say thank you very much for your assistance, and then go off into the rest of their lives, contacting you only if they want a reference. Occasionally, they bring a little goodbye present to say thank you.

In the past, I have received a variety of gifts, including several ornaments, a picture frame and a bottle of wine. Today, a new one: cake. Very practical. Smells yummy, too. If you'll excuse me, I think I'm overdue some elevenses...

My Friend is a Saint

Several of my friends are lecturers. One of them has a lot more patience than I have with the type of student who thinks that the University owes them everything to do with their studies with no responsibility on their part. Fortunately this type of student is rare.

Anyway there was this student, who made an appointment with my lecturer friend. He failed to turn up (he overslept), thus wasting my friend's time.

So he made another appointment with my friend. Once again, he overslept and failed to turn up.

So he made a third appointment. He missed this one as well. This time it wasn't his fault, the bus was late, but my friend's time was wasted all the same.

So he emailed yet again, trying to set up a meeting for the fourth time. My friend didn't respond immediately. After a week, he emailed again to say that my friend was being rude by not replying.

I fear he has much to learn about politeness...