Well, this is the last installment (for this semester) of "As the Classroom Turns" - the soap opera that is my life:

1. The student who requested the F-to-W change? Hit up two other people in the department. Including one who teaches a course that he cannot graduate with a degree in biology without. So I don't know if he was aiming at a BGS out of desperation, or what. The good news is my buddy who has served on Academic Appeals says that there's "no way in heck" his request will even be considered...it won't even make it to the committee on the basis of the information I supplied.

Incidentally, the whole "you failed me and ruined my life" thing ticks me off for another reason. And since Sya brought up a personal story in the comments, I might as well note mine:

I was "asked to leave" the first grad school I attended. Big, prestigious Research I type school. I didn't know how to do research, really, and my adviser was more interested in jetting off to Washington to lobby for money rather than in working with his students. So I did my best on my own but it was deemed "not good enough."

At the time, I thought my life was ruined. (Though unlike many of today's Specialer Snowflakes, I blamed myself 100% - when in retrospect, I think the school and my adviser share at least some of the culpability). At the time, I thought, "That's it. I better start reading the paper and try to find a job waiting tables at a restaurant, because that is all I will ever do with my life...it is all I am qualified to do."

But over Christmas break that year, my dad urged me to go in and talk to people in the biology department of the university where he taught (still a decent research school, but not as high-pressure - and not Research I). Two separate individuals seemed impressed by my undergrad record (I didn't mention the "asked to leave," I said - as my dad counseled me to - that I was "dissatisfied" with my experience at the school. Well, it was TRUE, at least partly. Though I think in retrospect no one would have cared if I had told the whole truth). They both said, "Well, you know, if you came here to work on a degree you could do..." and then outlined several interesting projects.

In the end, I worked with the plant ecologist, as that was my real area of interest. I started out working on a Master's - honestly believing that was all I was capable of achieving. (You can see how the experience of FAIL damaged my self image). About 6 months from completing the degree, I had been looking at job postings and realized that if I wanted to teach at the college level (which I had decided I had - heck, I had decided that back before entering grad school the FIRST time), I'd need a Ph.D.

So I gathered up all my courage, expecting to be told, "No, I think you can probably at best look for an agency job" and went to my adviser. And I asked him: do you think I could manage a Ph.D?

And he kind of chuckled, and said, "I wondered when you were going to ask me to do a Ph.D. I figure for the kind of job you'd be best for, you will need one." Immediate assumption that I could do it (well, he turned out to be right).

So I don't have a lot of patience with the "You've RUINED my life!!!!" accusations. There is ALWAYS a plan B in education. It may not be what you wanted, it may not be ideal, but it is there.

(And actually, in my case, Plan B worked out to be the better plan - I think I received a more solid education, more attention, more help, and became not just a better researcher, but a better teacher, by being able to work more closely with the faculty at the smaller school.)

Anyway.

2. The plagiarist? Apparently did an elaborate mock-up of the start of the experiment (collecting swabs that would allegedly be used to plate bacterial cultures...which were never plated). Also, the person in question asked the Micro TA if the Microbiology prof would know for sure whether someone had incubated plates or not...which brings us back to the first clear inkling I had of proof that this was faked - I had asked the Microbiology prof if she knew of plates fitting the description of the ones in the experiment had been incubated and her answer was definite: she would have known if there had been, and NO there were not.

So I don't know if it was simply "Look! I wasn't the plagiarist she referred to!" bravado, or if it's something more devious, like she's going to claim she did the experiment after all, with the photographs of her taking the swabs as "proof." (The fact that she has no evidence of plates - and in fact, had no photographs of them and NO description of how she did that part - should be enough to sink that claim). At any rate, if she takes this somewhere above the department, I know the microbiologist - who is also my department chair - as my back on this.

Argh. At least the semester is over now, except for finals.

****

I did go home "early" (2 pm) yesterday afternoon. I mowed the lawn first - you will remember those OH NOES SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH 60 MPH WINDS AND HAIL THE SIZE OF SMALL BABIES!!!! warning that was given for today? Bunk. It's coolish and overcast but other than a few unmotivated raindrops, nothing close to the apocalyptic weather being predicted.

But, not knowing that THEN, I mowed the lawn and cleared the crud out of the gutter. (I have one gutter on my house, attached to the back room-that-used-to-be-a-screened-porch.)

Then I cleaned house - well, I ran out of steam before dealing with the guest room clutter, but I think I can get to that some time in the coming week.

Today I trimmed the shrubs on the front of the house (including the hollies, which are a mixed blessing - they do attract birds with their berries, which is nice, and they are probably anti-peeping-Tom, which is also nice, but they sure do scratch a person up when they try to prune them). So I have more natural light coming in the front windows now, and it looks less unkempt.

I also figured up the scarf pattern - I think, three repeats (it's a 12 st pattern) plus 3 knit stitches on either side. I want it a bit narrower than the Lace Ribbon Scarf, but longer. I think it will wind up about 6" wide, which seems right for a dressy scarf of that nature. I also wound off the yarn for it but haven't cast on yet. I do think this will be my knitting-while-invigilating project for next week - it is portable, and as I said, Crest o the Wave is an easily memorized pattern that I don't particularly need to look at to do.

I have spent some time working on the Rib Fantastic socks (the ones out of the Kilauea-inspired yarn). I've turned the heel on the second sock, so these should be done soon.

It is nice to have the clean house, though. I find that dust and such distress me on sort of a subconscious level, and I always feel better after cleaning the place up.