Today, a longer-than-normal day on campus: biked up, three hours of 691
\nkicked off the morning; half of a tuna sandwich while a student from last fall
\npopped in to see how things we going, dashed off to five fifteen-minute
\nconferences with 307 students, hurried up to the second floor of HBC for the
\nfirst CCR colloquium of the semester–on Examinations–where I finished the tuna
\nsandwich (nervousness re mayo), next mixed in a shower with thick-frosted marble
\ncake and baby-congrats galore, and then a meeting about a hand I’m lending on
\nsome tech stuff…biked back home again. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
All-in-all, a busy eleven hours, and although much if it is worthy of comment
\n(how do exams work in my program? what played out in 691? joy: babies and
\nstudents who return for conversation), I’ve been thinking a lot today about
\nconferences with students. I’ve never quite perfected the conference, nor
\nI have I cemented it into the status of a must<\/i> practice. Generally,
\nI find it useful to set compulsory conferences early in the semester, but it’s
\nso much more about tone-setting and really talking rather than obliging
\ninstitutional roles–the expectancies suspended between us early on (even before
\nwe meet), a pre-conditioning of formality and institutions. Confer, then, to
\nunravel some of it. And yes, this is much more manageable with lighter teaching
\nloads. But even with heavier loads, it can be handled by replacing class
\nmeetings with small group meetings–three or four students for fifteen minutes
\nof face. <\/p>\n
With five consultations today (consultations<\/i>? it’s professional
\nwriting…), I’m just over the halfway point for this week. No need to say
\nvery much about the students (blogging specific details about my students; you
\nkidding?); the point I’m trying to note is less about the specific interactions
\nwith specific students than it is about the effect(s) of the conference.
\nLast spring I didn’t hold compulsory conferences, and the entire semester felt
\ndifferent. That difference might be attributable to any number of things,
\nbut my rearview tells me that early-semester meetings might’ve productively
\ninfluenced the then-developing dynamics.<\/p>\n