Firstly, I have the issue with that student resolved now. I think. There’s a good support system in place here for grad students that are teaching, so that we don’t have to deal with bullshit from students. I set that wheel in motion last week and I think I’m good to go now. Both the graduate advisor and the lecturer for the course supported me through that stress and I feel a lot better about the situation and teaching in general now.

Speaking of feeling better about teaching, I had a good discussion with a colleague last week and found something that I’m passionate about in academia, related to my tirade posted here about math education a few weeks ago, and also related to this article. (I read it last year and recommended it to some people back then and reread it last night and still completely agree with the author. Also, don’t let the title scare you away. The content actually has nothing to do with that title. I’m pretty sure he just used that title to draw in readers.) I would love to be in a position to overhaul the mathematics curriculum somewhere. I think it could only realistically happen on a small scale, like in one particular college or university. But I think it needs to happen nationwide. So, if I can find a place where I could have a hand in doing something like this, I think that’s an opportunity I’d have to take. I don’t want to switch fields and become a math-ed specialist rather than a pure mathematician, but it is still a cause that is close to my heart. So maybe someday…

In other news, plans are really coming together for my visit to PA next month. In the past week I’ve started sending e-mails and texts to friends that I want to meet up with while I’m around, but I haven’t had time to contact everyone yet. (I have so many half-started messages that I really need to sit down and finish and send!) Hopefully I’ll have time to see everyone, but fitting everyone from my former lives into 2 weeks will be difficult. Let me know if you’ll be around and want to do something!

Oh, another exciting thing happened last week. For about a 24-30 hour period last week, I had only one thing on my school-related to-do list, and it wasn’t due for another 2+ weeks. I didn’t have any other assignments I could have been working on, or any grading to do or class notes to write up or other teaching duties. I had only ONE thing to do. (Of course, the next day, several things were added to the to-do list, but still… it was a great feeling!) Now, my non-school-related to-do list was really long and I’ve finally scratched a bunch of things off of that list. In fact, the past week or so has been the least stressful time in all of grad school so far. Now things are speeding up again, though. So time for a new wind of productivity to blow through my life!

With that said, I’m off to work on Algebra homework until Analysis class starts. Woo hoo.