Out Of The Frying Pan (And Into The Fire)

Microphone and examination announcement script for the chief invigilator.

My students diligently answering my examination.

The institution of higher learning where I worked has just commenced its final examination weeks for the on-going semester. Examination for both my papers were held in the first week. One is for about thirty students; the other, about three hundred students. Each paper has five questions. I am fine with the smaller group, as the questions are all qualitative. But with the larger one, I'll have to pore over 1,500 answers. And being a quantitative paper, I'll have to go over each question carefully especially when the students answers' do not match my own marking scheme. I give credit where credit is due.

Marking examination scripts is the thing I like least in my job. Ask any academic, they'll probably say the same. I'll probably spend the whole of the next week or so marking. But, if you are reading this my students, don't worry, though I may take time marking, I don't take shortcuts in doing it. Be rest assured that scripts are duly checked from front to back.

(188 words)

Long Absence

I'm so sorry if you've been waiting to read something here in the past. I know I haven't blogged for sometime now. Well, a few things came up and I wasn’t able to blog as I wanted. One of them was work and another was a matter personal in nature. I don’t want to bore you with the details but I do hope that from now on, I’ll be able to blog more often. For you my readers, I wish you well and a good year ahead. It’s not too late I hope.

(95 words)

What’s your personality type?

This has more to do what kind of work you’re suitable for. Take the test at http://www.kisa.ca/personality/.

I am an ISFP, who the website says generally has the following traits:
• Keen awareness of their environment
• Live in the present moment
• Enjoy a slower pace - they like to take time to savor the present moment
• Dislike dealing with theory or abstract thought, unless they see a practical application
• Faithful and loyal to people and ideas which are important to them
• Individualistic, having no desire to lead or follow
• Take things seriously, although they frequently appear not to
• Special bond with children and animals
• Quiet and reserved, except with people they know extremely well
• Trusting, sensitive, and kind
• Service-oriented; they're driven to help others
• Extremely well-developed appreciation for aesthetic beauty
• Likely to be original and unconventional
• Learn best with hands-on training
• Hate being confined to strict schedules and regimens
• Need space and freedom to do things their own way
• Dislike mundane, routine tasks, but will perform them if necessary

And the possible career paths for the ISFP are
• Artist
• Musician / Composer
• Designer
• Child Care / Early Childhood Development
• Social Worker / Counselor
• Teacher
• Psychologist
• Veterinarian
• Forest Ranger
• Pediatrician

(227 words)

Busy as a bee

Actually, I haven’t been away, for business or leisure. I’ve been in my office all along since the end of last month. It’s just that I’ve been busy lately. It seems that I’ve got a ton of things to be done and at the same time, I’ve a lot of things on my mind. Anyway, something’s significant to me is happening later this month. Maybe I‘ll write about it. Till the next post, take care and be good!

(80 words)

Mark mark mark

It’s been a while since my last post, I know. I’ve been busy the past two weeks for two reasons. First, it was marking exam scripts. Oh man, if there’s one thing I hate about my job, it’s marking exam scripts. I just don’t enjoy it. The first time I taught I had a course with over 250 students. It took me more than a week to complete the marking. Last semester, I had a course with over 450 students! Marking for that course took like forever. This semester, it was not so bad with just over 70 students.

But then again, marking exam scripts is well, marking exam scripts. There’s nothing to like about that unless my students get to answer all the questions well, which is like rare. I usually let the students know the chapters, usually 5 or 6 out of the 13 or 14 chapters we cover in a semester. I am happy if they get half of the answers right as our final examination is about half of the course grades. But, some of the students can’t even do this. As an educator, it frustrates. me I think they want me to give them questions before the examination. Hello, like that’s going to happen. Anyway, I’ve completed my marking already.

And the other reason is I’ve been teaching on the past two weekends for one of our commercial programs. It was a new course for me, so I had to prepare.

(248 words)

Dilemma

I'm in one. I found out about it lunch time last Friday from another colleague. I was dumbfounded when she told me about it. I feel really bad for her and the others who will or may be affected. The others include me too. Like her, now I feel pretty much demotivated about work. If it happens, which I sure it will, it's just a matter of time, then I'll have another reason to do something else with my life.

With the latest development, it seems that the only that keeps me here is going to happen much later than I expected. I'm not so sure if I'm going to able to wait some more. Whatever it is, I recently saw three interesting job openings in the industry I was in before. I guess that's the cue for me to update my resume (which hasn't been updated since I started teaching) and send out my applications.

(159 words)

Why I do what I do? (2)

The long answer is while doing my masters, my lecturers would inquire if I was in the teaching line. When I say 'no', they’d be surprised, saying that the way I conduct myself in presentations and discussions seemed to suggest I was.

One lecturer even suggested teaching when I told her that I’d be looking for a new job as I quit my old job to study. That got me into thinking and what do you know, two institutions of higher learning at home were hiring when I completed my masters. So, I applied. Anyway, I got a job with my last (so far) corporate employer before I got my current job.

In my previous job, my salary was double my salary new. Sure it was a drastic cut but I'm not a materialistic person. For example, a car for me is just a means to get from point A to point B. It doesn't have to be the latest Japanese or Continental model. As long as I get to pay my bills, which are not much anyway and buy some stuff for myself from time to time, I'm happy.

Teaching, however, rewards you in other ways. Only thing is now, after a few years doing it, I'm not sure if I want to continue on. And its not because of the money, but because of my own personal satisfaction. We’ll see how things turn out in the future.

(248 words)

Why I do what I do? (1)

I am actually now on my third career. When I graduated from university, I joined a local company for a short time before moving to another company in another industry where I worked for sometime before leaving again, this time to study full-time.

After completing my studies, I worked for yet another company before ending up with the organization I'm with now, an institution of higher learning.

A stark contrast between the two worlds, corporate and academic, is in the pay I get now. Before this, I earned a lot lot more than now. The other thing is the way things get done. There are so many administrative red tapes in what we do here.

When I told them I had decided to teach, my friends asked what got into me or worst, what was wrong with me. It's not everyday someone does this, I know. Most experienced people would go from academic to corporate but not from corporate to academic. It's just not done. Not very often anyway.

When I first came here, I am often asked by my current colleagues why I am here. Well, the short answer is that I want to try teaching and I want to contribute to the country by teaching our youngsters. How patriotic am I? Well, not very, as there is a longer version of this in my next post.

(237 words)