Random Thoughts

With apologies to Thomas Sowell, here are a few random thoughts:

As I teach a class additional times, I invariably end up modifying the PowerPoint slides I made previously. This usually means cutting material out rather than adding more material. Fewer concepts taught more in more depth rather than the "laundry list" approach to teaching - that's the ticket.

My school has too many meetings. Meetings suck, and are seldom productive. I chair a committee, and we haven't met once this academic year. The only reason for a meeting is to take care of things that you can't use email (or conversations in the hallway) for.

Record-keeping keeps you honest, and denial isn't just a river in Egypt. Up until this last weekend, I had spent at least an hour each day on research every day since the first of the year. After the string of consecutive days got to 20, I would make sure I put in my hour to keep the string alive.

Good preparation for classes helps down the road. I spend almost no time prepping for my principles class nowadays, and I get higher evaluations and my students get a better grasp of the material each time I teach it.

A bad day in academia is still better than most other jobs.

Since I haven't put in enough time on research yet today, that's enough for now. Time to start the stopwatch and get to work.