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March 22, 2006
A nightmare.
Somehow, I find myself teaching General Biology again.
I'm giving the first exam of the term. I'm busy enough that I've had somebody else put the exam together for me.
I've promised the exam is going to be a straightforward one. 50 multiple-choice questions over basic biological chemistry (the stuff in the first six chapters of Campbell, for those of you who know my favorite GenBio text).
For whatever reason, I'm giving the exam in the library.
Students are taking the exam in increasing fits of unhappiness.
One leaves the room very quickly in a huff.
I recognize these looks, and I know where these looks come from. They're the looks of people who haven't seen this material before in their lives.
This is a good thing, I tell myself. You can't take a course like General Biology for granted. You have to seriously prepare for it, and this will be a good lesson for these guys.
But they seem to be taking the exam hard.
I'm getting a lot of students handing me the exam in tears.
I remember the face of one in particular (something in my brain says "she's already through physics and biochem - why is she even taking this course, let alone having problems with this exam?") who throws the exam at me and tells me point-blank how cruel I am.
And that's when I look at the exam.
The fifty questions aren't simple biochemistry at all. They look more like taxonomy - protist genus/species stuff. The type of stuff you'd find in a first exam in microbiology, maybe. But certainly none of it is actually stuff I have taught.
They're taking the wrong test.
They are in an absolute panic because they truly never have seen this stuff before.
I completely freak out.
Everybody in the library (dear God, why am I giving an exam in a library?) starts to rush towards me as I crumple to the ground, convulsing in tears, sobs, and shrieks, in complete terror as to h ow I could have made such a simple and foolish mistake, how could I have been so...
...and I wake up.
But that's not the awful thing. That one student's face is absolutely frozen in my mind, and I feel like I should find her tomorrow and apologize to her, even though I only saw her in the nightmare. The awful thing is the feeling of terror from that nightmare that simply will not go away.
If you want to know how strong that feeling is, look at the timestamp.
Posted by Chuck at March 22, 2006 03:25 AM
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Comments
damn. that is fightening. I hope you could get back to sleep. :(
So the GAMES reunion is this coming weekend. don't suppose you'll be making it but i thought i'd just remind you as i'm doing to everyone. don't think there will be a great turnout this year but i think im driving jimbo down so at least he and i will be there. :)
Posted by: Nancy at March 22, 2006 05:44 AM
Damn, Pearson. I know this is completely not your point, but you wrote that very well. You had me with you in the dream and .... well, it could be b/c I'm probably getting sick, but you had me going.
A little more on the serious side-- not sure what to say to the dream other than you must be way entirely too stressed. You sure your sanity can handle teaching biochem and p chem next semester? I mean seriously. Talk to me if you need to.
YOU ROCK HARDCORE. Never forget that.
Posted by: Heather at March 22, 2006 10:45 PM
DAMN. I'm going to have to go with Heather on this one--you had me convinced. well done, story-telling wise. nightmare wise, sorry.
also, am i ever going to talk to you ever again? i haven't talked to you in like, two weeks.
Posted by: Catie at March 23, 2006 07:28 PM
Pearson *Cheers Sir* I need a mailing address for you. You can e-mail it to me at joeludeman@hotmail.com so i can send you a postcard invitation to my art show April 17th-21 st
Posted by: Joe at March 27, 2006 11:04 AM