Thursday, May 7, 2009

Displacement activity

Well, the sound of stone being worked with a circular saw is keeping me from focusing on the work I should be doing, so a quick update on the blog might at least be something.

Tuesday I taught about Northern Ireland in the course on "the English-speaking peoples of Europe"; the Tuesday before about the Republic; the Tuesday before that I cancelled the class because of my hand being in plaster - how can I possibly teach if I can't even shave?

Two of my students have asked me whether they can reschedule my exam rather than have to sit two exams on one day. It's a question that would never even have crossed my mind as a student. But it was rather touching when one of them whined "But the other exam is really important!" Such charmingly comical unfamiliarity with even the most basic principles of wheedling!

2 comments:

Janet Cupo said...

I'm afraid that this reminds me a bit of my friend Linda, who, when she was about 17, went out on a date with a young man who told her, "If you'll do it this one time, I promise I'll never ask you again.

Paul said...

In that he too showed a comical ignorance of the art of wheedling? Ah, the innocence of youth! (even when mixed with the not-so-innocent)