hanging in there
2006-03-15 | 11:37 p.m.

I had a meeting with my Phonological Disorders professor this morning, to go over the report she forgot about having graded. I didn't mention the whole kerfuffle last week. Maybe I should have. I dunno. But the meeting went well. She said that overall it was a good report, but that there was some important information missing. It was actually a very helpful meeting. Plus, she offered to help us develop our treatment plan for this kid (an offer she isn't extending to most of the groups, but we get an exception because we're dealing with a case of childhood apraxia of speech, which is hard to treat). AND when I asked, she said she would be happy to help with another project I'm working on, for my Pediatric Rehabilitation seminar (the topic of which just happens to be childhood apraxia of speech).

So I guess I like her again.

In other news, our entire class has signed a protest letter and sent it to our Speech Science prof. I do believe I've whined some about that class before. It's an awful class. And I can't tell whether the problem is that the professor a) is new to teaching, uncomfortable working in English, and generally not confident, and stumbling over herself as a result, b) doesn't consider this particular class a high priority, and therefore doesn't bother putting in much prep time, or c) is grossly incompetent. Or any combination of the above, I suppose.

I do think that the letter had to be sent. She had to be made aware that we had grievances and that we were serious about getting them resolved. I also think that it's very bad form to go straight to the head of the department with our complaints, which was the other option. (I know I used to hate it when I worked in children's programs, when parents went over my head with complaints and never spoke to me about them.)

The only thing I question was whether it was a good idea to send her the letter tonight. That gives her only one night to read it, digest it, and get over the inevitable feelings of embarrassment, anger, etc. before having to face us all in class first thing tomorrow morning.

I did mention that to the guy who had organized the whole thing. But my objection was overruled, because the general consensus was that we should send the letter before we get our midterm grades back, so that it will be clear that we aren't all just pissed about our grades.

I know I'm more sensitive than some people. But I can guarantee, I would need more than one night to come to grips with getting a letter like that before having to meet with the class again.

Still, maybe that's just another example of my tendency to wuss out of confrontations. It took me years to learn to stand up to my friends. Standing up to my professors ... no, I still haven't mastered that.

It's just generally a bad time in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders right now. We had a break-in last week, and lost a lot of computers (containing a lot of research data that is now gone too), and some brand-new technical equipment (like an EEG, and an eye-tracker).

I have to ask ... whose brilliant idea was it to remove our alarm system? Our labs aren't (weren't) particularly ill-equipped.

It's a shame they took the new equipment. If they'd taken that ancient immittance audiometry machine, we might have been able to buy a new one that can actually, y'know, get a seal on people's ears. I'm just saying.

Anyway, things are a bit bleak right now, in the department. Classwork is overwhelming, equipment is gone, data is gone and not replaceable, and everyone's a mite grumpy.

I know my reaction to seeing that one second-year student using my coffee mug the other day was completely overblown. (Not that I confronted her, oh, no, but I seethed... gawd I'm a wimp.)

But things can only get better from this point, right?

Even if winter has returned with a vengeance.

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