Too Cool for School

What drives people to go to graduate school?  Off the top of my head, I can think of three reasons:

1. to delay having to enter the "real" world,
2. to be trained for a career that requires an advanced degree or to improve one's salary,
3. and/or to learn more about a field that interests the student.

No doubt, these are all fine reasons for attending graduate school.  I would hope that the one thing all of them have in common is number 3.  But why is it that I have only met a couple students who seem to be interested in our field at all?

I don't recall ever noticing this issue when I was an undergrad.  My science TAs often would geek out about their research and the interesting things they were learning in class.  And while I never had any TAs or met any graduate students in the humanities, all of my cohort who were planning on going to graduate school for the humanities couldn't stop talking about their field.  What is it about my grad cohort that is so different?

My wife tells me it's probably just a phase.  STEM students are used to being the "nerds" of college and many of them try to build up a "cool" image to hide behind.  That could explain why very few of the other first-year grad students ever show up for the department colloquia or research presentations.  But you will see plenty of more senior grad students in the audience.  So perhaps those who don't wash out after a year will begin to open up a bit about their interest in my field.

Another theory I have is that many of these students haven't accepted the unwritten rules of graduate school.  In particular, I refer to the level of involvement expected of graduate students.  Several of the first-years still wait to do their homework until the night before it's due, go drinking several nights a week, and likely spend less time on campus now than during undergrad.  I'm sure that if they don't make grad school a significant part of their life, their advisors will force them.  Right now, most of the students don't have any research appointments and are riding on a guaranteed first-year funding.  I know for a fact that if I avoided school and work like many of these other students, my research advisor would have fired me a long time ago. 

It felt good to rant a bit.  I understand that perhaps I am more passionate about my field - or I show that passion more obviously - than my cohort and that there might be nothing wrong with them, but is it so much to ask to be able to geek out with other grad students?

Sink or Swim

I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post.  I'm going to stop saying I'm going to update regularly.  If it wasn't obvious, I've been neglecting this blog because I've spent the first half of this semester in that sink or swim phase of grad school. 

Near the beginning of the semester, I had a conversation with another first-year grad student about the workload of grad school.  He asked when we were going to get a break from the homework.  I told him that we probably won't get a break until after comps in two years.  When he asked how we are supposed to have any life outside of school, I jokingly replied that we won't, but that it's okay because we will get used to having no life.  Obviously even grad students have lives outside of school, but for a few weeks, I started to question if there was more truth to that joke than I had imagined.

Fortunately, I can report that I'm getting used to the grad student workload and can squeeze in time to have fun and relax.  The biggest difference between grad school and undergrad that I've noticed is that in grad school, nearly every activity needs to be scheduled in advance.  Even if I were to work nearly continuous on homework and research, it will never be caught up to the point that I can take a day off without having anything that I could be working on.  This was a major mental hurdle I had to overcome.  The never-ending work stressed me out more than I expected.  But I learned that by scheduling in time to walk away from work, I am able to handle stress much better.  My wife and I went hiking for the first time here last weekend and I would like to make that a regular Saturday activity.  The hike made me feel much better and, because I scheduled time for it, I didn't feel like I was falling behind schedule.  I can already tell that my time management skills have improved, which is great since I'll never be able to succeed as a professor unless I can manage my time very effectively.

I know it's still pretty early for me to claim that I've gotten used to grad school work, but I can gladly say that at least I'm keeping my head above water!

Science Outreach

I just received an email from another grad student about a science outreach program looking for volunteers.  The purpose of this organization is to have undergrad and grad students in the College meet with some teachers at a local elementary school and train them to teach science in a more engaging and deeper way than they might normally teach.  In addition, the volunteers get to meet with the students occasionally to hold events like science fairs.  I've been part of honor societies and student groups who do similar things, but this one in particular is unique as it is co-directed by two professors and the principal of the elementary school.  I'll be meeting with some of the volunteers shortly and will learn more about the success of the program so far.  But I believe this institutional support is vital to the success of these outreach programs.

We all know that teaching for standardized tests leads to rote memorization instead of true understanding.  This is a shame and needs to be addressed.  But even without NCLB causing these kinds of problems, another obstacle to great math and science education is that so few K-12 teachers have technical degrees.  This affects how well students can learn technical material.  Teaching science dryly and through memorization only holds the interest of a few students who have a strong desire to learn math and science.  For everyone else, a common question is "Why do I need to know this?"  This is the question that can be difficult to answer by a teacher without a technical background.  This problem is what outreach organizations like this one hope to solve. 

I am confident that most, if not all, K-12 teachers can teach the math and science they are required to teach.  But if they wish to grab the attention of more students and teach concepts that will be remembered beyond the test, they often need a deeper understanding of the material than what is presented in textbooks.  Outreach organizations bring demos to teachers and train them to recreate them in the classrooms.  They help the teachers see the uses of technical concepts and see the importance of learning these concepts.  The student volunteers get to practice teaching the concepts they learned in college while working towards the goal of improving science and math education.  Everyone wins in this situation, but a cost must be paid.  That cost is time and effort, usually unpaid.  This is the root of most of the problems I've seen in outreach work.  Volunteers have exams and homework and teachers don't want to spend their evenings and weekends at work.  This is where institutional support comes in.  Sometimes volunteers and teachers need a gentle nudge from their bosses: principals and professors.  I'm sure most teachers want to maintain the attention of all of their students and want them to learn.  Likewise, all the volunteers want to help out as well and the encouragement of their adviser can help them open up some free time to volunteer.

This organization is looking to expand to a new school in the city and that's why they need more volunteers.  I hope to join and will be learning more about the group soon.  The group's mission statement includes an excerpt from "A Mathematician's Lament", an essay by Paul Lockhart.  This really caught my attention because I've been trying to get as many people to read this essay as possible.  If any of you reading this blog have a technical background or are even remotely interested in math education, please read the essay.  It's the best argument I've read thus far about the need to teach math like art.

The First Ride

After years of waiting, I can finally say that I have ridden a motorcycle on the road.  I got a bit fed up with waiting for my jacket, which turned out to be on back-order, so I went back to the dealership and bought a different one.  Now all I'm waiting for are some riding boots, but my hiking boots will do until those come in next week.

Today's ride took place as the sun was setting and the temperature was dropping to a brisk 103 degrees.  But even in the leather jacket and full helmet, I wasn't hot at all thanks to their great ventilation.  It's so rare to see riders wearing any protective gear other than a helmet here, probably due to the temperature.  I'm glad that I'll be able to cope with the heat while still maximizing my own protection.

One thing that surprised me a bit was how little power the bike actually has.  Sure, it can out-accelerate cars and trucks, but not with ease.  I really have to open the throttle nearly fully in the lower gears to experience any notable acceleration.  Perhaps this is why riders tend to outgrow 250 cc bikes so quickly.  Still, I had no problem maintaining 45 mph and have no intention of really going that much faster as a part of my daily commute.  Tomorrow I plan on taking a trip from my home to the university and back so I can get a feel for the busier roads and to find the motorcycle parking spots on campus.

Oh, and here's a picture my wife took of me before the ride.  She helped make sure I was safe by following me in the car today.

And Now for Something Completely Different

The last few weeks have been pretty hectic, which has caused me to ignore my blog for longer than I had hoped.  But now I find myself a bit stranded for a few hours at school with little to do, so I figured that I'd make a post about what I've been up to.

Last week I moved to a different (and much hotter) state for graduate school.  The move went well as my wife and I had no troubles with the movers and our things arrived on time and in perfect condition.  We still have plenty of unpacking to do, though.  We both like our new place, but we've had a couple of problems during our first week here.  First, we learned just how annoying monopolies can be.  This city has only a single gas company and that company refused to turn on our gas unless we were present.  But of course they don't schedule any specific time slot to show up, just some time between 7am and 5pm.  We missed them the first time they came out and were without hot water for a few days.  Luckily, the weather is hot enough here that even a "cold" shower is warm enough to be tolerable.  Second, our air conditioner broke two nights ago.  But thanks to our good property management company, we were provided a temporary mobile A/C unit and my wife reports that the central air was repaired this morning.

My wife and I also managed to find jobs faster than expected.  She got a music teaching gig at a large music studio in town and I am in the middle of the process of getting a research assistantship.  I met with a potential adviser yesterday and was very pleased with her research and personality.  I still need to check out a couple more potential advisers and may enter a lab rotation for this semester to help ensure that I end up with a group that best fits me.

This is the first week of classes and I'm very pleased with the quality of the few lectures I've had so far.  It seems that this university places a higher emphasis on teaching than my undergrad.  My wife is starting classes tomorrow and will be taking a math placement exam today that has been stressing her out for quite some time.  I'm sure she'll do fine and besides, she can always tell the professor that she lives with an engineer who can provide plenty of tutoring.

Finally, the most important update of all is that I'm picking up my new motorcycle today: a Honda CBR250R.  After having a motorcycle license for over 4 years, I'm finally getting a bike.  I'm planning on using this for my daily commute, which is about 30 minutes to and from the university.  Since the weather is above 60 degrees year-round, I shouldn't have to resort to using my car very often.  Plus parking is about 1/6 the price for a motorcycle and this thing gets nearly 80 MPG!  If I'm not riding during most of my free time, I should be able to post regularly again. 

Short update

I'm still alive and well.  My long hiatus is due to my recent move and will unfortunately continue a little while longer as I will not have Internet at home until next week.  I hope to continue posting regularly at that time.

News Flash: Poor People Go to College Too!

I don't know why so many professors have a misconception that everyone in college is middle class or higher, but it needs to change.  I've encountered so many ignorant professors who looked down upon me for needing to work a job while in school.  They say that I don't take my studies seriously because I can't devote all my waking hours studying, as if any students do.  Some have told me that I don't deserve to go to grad school because I'm academically lazy.  The funny thing is that so many students who don't work spend much of their extra time partying, something I had little desire to do.  I've had professors refuse to schedule a meeting with me or help me via email when their office hours are scheduled during my other classes or work.  How is this fair at all?  Should I be punished because I don't have mommy and daddy to pay for my education?

I'm not sure if these professors legitimately believe that there are no poor people in college or if they are somehow jaded from other experiences.  A certain post I made on the Chronicle of Higher Education forum regarding financial aid was met with a response that there are no real lower-class students in college.  The students who claim to be poor are just poor because they waste their money on food and expensive cars, in that person's example.  I was shocked that an educated person would resort to generalizing a whole group of students like that.  Perhaps some professors don't realize that college is a high-risk investment by those of the lower class.  They should realize that many of these people are more dedicated than wealthier students as we have potentially little to gain and everything to lose.

I don't mean to generalize; I've had some sympathetic professors.  But they were the minority for sure.  I found my humanities professors to generally be more understanding than their science equivalents.  I'm sure working students would like to keep their non-academic work a secret to be revealed only when necessary.  I hope that I won't have any of these unpleasant situations in graduate school where I am employed by the university.  All I ask is that professors ask themselves, "What if this student really does need to work to put food on his or her table?"