WELCOME TO TA LAND...please drive through
Things are going well here in Nashville. I work hard, but it seems to be worth it, in the grand scheme of things (so she hopes). I enjoy TA-ing so far, and my Thursday kids are great - really talkative, and seemingly interested in the material. Sometimes ethics can be pretty dull, so this is a good sign. I go in, give a quiz, and then basically moderate the conversation between them - "Is that a valid point?" "Do you think that's right? Is that a good argument?" etc. I planned out this whole big lecture about how morality can be founded outside of religious tenets, and didn't get to deliver it due to the talkative nature of the class. So I handed out some Hume and told them we'd get into it next time. We basically talked about
The Republic for the majority of the class, with a little bit on Bentham and the theory of utility. It went well. Tomorrow I'll probably get to give my lecture on morality outside of religion because my Friday kids don't have as much to say. Maybe they are hungry (it's a 12:10pm discussion section), maybe they are in a collective food coma, maybe they're hung over from debauchery of the night before...maybe some combination of such factors. Who knows. But I've lots to say if they don't have anything. I'll let them know that this discussion section is for them - their time to ask me what they want / what they want to know, etc, and that yea, I'll lecture if no one talks, but that these sessions aren't designed for that ultimately. And I have quite a bit of patience for the unbearable silence - which makes people say stuff...
Spoke to Eleanor last night, and we're supposed to check out some music tomorrow night if she isn't completely tied into RA stuff. We'll see. It'll be good to have a friend down here, as my dept off and on gets me down (still). Being back in NY with people who sort of understsand me makes me see the lackluster nature of this place more and more. There are very few people I would be willing to invest myself in here, as returns show that it's all pretty low.
ANYWAY.
Hope all is well / have a good weekend
