So... some of the questions you asked at orientation were kind of personal, but in the interest of being friendly, I will answer some of them. Here goes:
Q. How long did you go to college?
A. 4 years for my Bachelor's degree. More than that in graduate school. (Don't believe the lies that you can't graduate in 4. You can.)
Q. Would you teach anywhere besides UTC?
A. UTC is home, so it's not likely. That said, you never know where life might take you, and to pretend you do know is just foolishness.
Q. What made you want to be a professor?
A. You. And how much I love talking about and thinking about my subject. (No, I will not tell you what I teach.)
Q. Do you teach for the love of it or for the realization that you're changing the future of America?
A. I love it. And I love feeling hopeful about the future that is y'all.
Q. What's your favorite color?
A. Blue. No, red. AAAAGGGHH.
Q. What?
A.
Cheers,
Dr. Y
11.03.2013
11.01.2013
How do I know if everything I do is right?
You will know that everything you do is right when you become a higher order of being and are no longer human.
Of course, there are those who maintain that doing things the wrong way is still doing it the right way. For instance, Thomas Edison, who tried close to 1,000 to create a light bulb before he actually invented one that worked, said, "I have not failed. I just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
The important thing is not that you do everything right; the important thing is that you try to do everything right. When you end up doing some things wrong you can learn from those experiences. But NEVER give up. Or, in the words of Winston Churchill, "Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense."
And the next time you do something wrong or something doesn't go right, count yourself amongst good company:
With you in failure and success,
Professor Repentista
10.30.2013
EMAIL QUESTION: When does the Writing Lab close?
When Does the Writing Lab Close?
I love this question because it allows me to do two things: answer your question about time AND reveal to the rest of you fools the existence of one of the campus support services that you ALREADY PAY FOR. The Writing Center is housed in Holt Hall on the first floor, and those people are there to help you make your papers better. From the first step to the last (including printing), they will make your writing experience more successful. You can take an assignment in and get help getting started, or you can take them a draft and help with revisions and editing. You can walk in or call ahead to schedule an appointment. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly, and they are students, so you can be sure they can relate to your stress. They are not all English Majors either, so you can get help for lots of subjects regardless of the assignment. Well, they probably won't help with your College Algebra homework so much, but it can't hurt to ask. Also, it's free. Did I mention it is FREE? Your fees have already paid for this service, so don't be farming it out to some fool you met on twitter. Get the help and get better. Here are the hours:
| Monday - Tuesday | 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. | ||||||||||
| Wednesday - Thursday | 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. | ||||||||||
| Friday | 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. |
Cheers,
Dr. Y
10.25.2013
What's up with the Graveyard, Y'all?
What's up with the graveyard, Y'all?
As we are about to celebrate Dr. Y's favorite holiday, Halloween, as well as All Saints Day and Dia de los Muertos, it seemed a fitting time to talk about the graveyard, which is called "The Chattanooga Confederate Cemetery."Yes, the graveyard that sits on campus is a confederate cemetery that was constructed to honor fallen soldiers who fought during the Civil War.
Some people think the graveyard is haunted ("Five of Chattanooga's Most Haunted Place"), maybe because the men who are buried there were buried elsewhere first, exhumed, and reburied in the graveyard:
"Those men who died in Chattanooga Confederate Hospitals were originally buried in a plot of ground beside the river, in the vicinity of the current Manker Patten Tennis Club. But the river rose and fell over some of the graves and the wooden headboards were lost for about 141 of them. The ground came to be partly a pasture and partly a ball field. After the war, the veterans sought to move the graves to higher ground and purchased for $750 the northern portion of the current site from George W. Gardenhire in 1867. A man named Sively was employed to disinter the remains and box up the bones and re-bury them in this new site." ("History of the Chattanooga Confederate Cemetery")
The best way to learn about the cemetery is to stroll around the grounds, of course. Some professors have held class in the cemetery; some groups have spent a few hours cleaning up the cemetery. And some people are downright mortified at the thought of entering the cemetery, so I offer you this visual tour of the grounds: http://www.civilwaralbum.com/chattanooga/confederate_cem1.htm
My favorite holidays are the ones where we remember our history. And I suggest you start a new tradition of learning about your history every holiday. You probably didn't read much about Tennessee's involvement in the Civil War in high school, but Tennessee had a strong and interesting part in how our history played out. In fact, the whole idea of "brother against brother" was most likely a concept that arose from the Tennessee troops. When Tennessee seceded, against the wishes of what appears to be a majority of its citizens, many men rode across state lines to join other Tennesseans and form Union troops. You should check that out, y'all. It sure does seem like the best way to honor the dead.
Always honoring those who died for America,
Professor Repentista
10.24.2013
What's Your Favorite Holiday?
Yesterday, Prof. Chatt. waxed eloquently on Thanksgiving in answer to your question
*image from shadesofgraves.com*
What's Your Favorite Holiday?
*image from slickhousewives.com*
Thanksgiving is great and all. I mean, the proof is out there that expressing gratitude makes us happier people (watch this video to see what I mean). So be thankful.
But for my money, the best non-religious holiday on the calendar is Halloween. It has everything: dressing up, crisp night air, fire, chances to be artsy, mischief, and sweets. It's just too good not to love it. Some of y'all may be interested in some of the Haunted Offerings in the Chattanooga area. There's The Haunted Barn, The Haunted Cavern at Ruby Falls, and Blowing Screams Farm, just to name a few. You could go on the Chattanooga Ghost Tours. Or you could try to sleep in Room 311 of the Sheraton Read House. That's assuming, of course, that you don't go trick-or-treating (YOU. AREN'T. TOO. OLD!) or sit in a pumpkin patch watching for The Great Pumpkin. Oh, Linus. I love your earnest belief.
Cheers,
Dr. Y
10.23.2013
What is your favorite holiday?
What is your favorite holiday?
My birthday!
Oh, wait. That's only a holiday in my world.
In all seriousness, my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. When I was a kid, I used to LOVE Thanksgiving because it meant spending all day with my cousins and extended family who I didn't see as often throughout the year. It meant yummy, yummy food that had been slaved over for hours or perhaps days by the women in the family. It meant catching a sneak peek of drunk uncles and older cousins and laughing at their antics. It meant being thankful for having such a large family with which to break bread.
As I got older and went off to college, Thanksgiving was the holiday that everyone came home for. It still meant gathering with family and extended family, but it also meant appreciating who was still around and how much we'd grown from year to year. It meant the semester was almost over and I could soon get my extended month-long break between the semesters. It also still meant delicious food, but it also meant that perhaps I helped in the kitchen now, or had at least gained enough years to watch and learn a few secrets.
Now, Thanksgiving means all of these things and so much more. It means appreciating the beauty of the season: the awesome wonder of the changing leaves, changing temps, and shortening days. It means look around this city and seeing the waves of gold, red, orange as the trees on the mountains change colors. It means I can use words like "autumnal." It means that now I prepare the large feast for my family and extended family to enjoy. It means I appreciate what I have and who I still have in my life even more than when I was a kid. It means learning and living what it truly means to give thanks. And it also still means the semester is almost over. ;-)Happy early Thanksgiving!
Go enjoy your favorite holiday!
Professor Chatterbox
10.18.2013
Can I Really Do This?
Yes, and stop using the word really.
As I sit down to write this lovely blog post for the Class of 2017 that I have come to know and love, I am struggling with sleep deprivation and a heavy workload. You see, my mother is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer and had a set back last night: high fever and new painful medical condition that was brought about by the eradication of her white blood cell count. I stayed up all night watching over her in the hospital, slept maybe a collective two hours, and, after being relieved of duty by an aunt, came home to face all my other chores and work duties. And my mother, despite her illness and pain, has let no responsibility fall through the cracks. Why am I telling you this? I mean, I could have told you about any of the millions of people who never gave up despite all the odds against them, people like Booker T. Washington, who walked 500 miles so that he could work as a janitor at a school in the hopes that the school would allow him to get an education. There are many, many true stories of endurance and perseverance. But I am telling you my personal story so that you can know that people you see every day are overcoming everything from sleep deprivation to breast cancer and still getting the job done, just like Nicole Gross, UTK swimmer and Boston Bombing survivor.
 |
| Photo by Joshua S. Kelly, USA Sports |
So, know that you can do this. And while you are knowing things, know other words to use besides really. You use that word excessively, and it sounds juvenile. The repetitive use of the word really does not serve as evidence of your intelligent college-student ethos.
With faith in you,
Professor Repentista
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