The Strength of Yielding

I never did give a recap of the Spring Semester. Overall...I give it a 3 out of 5. Plenty of room for improvement, but I have definitely made strides since the Fall term. (Student comments affirm both of these conclusions.) My class evaluation scores were low...probably the lowest that the department chair has ever seen, especially the score given for the lousy 1st edition books that I used (both < 1 out of 5).

As think back to the beginning of my teaching experience, I wonder how hard my colleagues had to keep from laughing when I told them that I felt a teaching & communications course and TA experiences (mainly just grading) prepared me for my first full-time experience. When you have the full responsibility, it is rough. I want to make soooo many changes this coming year (yes, I signed the contract to stick around), but I have been constantly advised to only make incremental or only one change each year. This wisdom is tough to follow. I think I see so many specific areas that I can improve, so I want to do it all now, therefore things can improve rapidly. But I do trust the council I have received and have also "seen" the research to back it up.

One of the books I hope to get to this summer is Good to Great. The summary for one of the last chapters talks about how great organizations make incremental improvements, not sudden sweeping changes. Applying this to the classroom, I also want to restrain myself to a couple of basic changes and maybe one fundamental change in each class. As of today, I would like to only change my lecture structure for one class. I believe that God is showing me a weekly lecture structure of the following for Fluids:

Monday - Introductory lecture of topic(s) for the week. Motivation is given at this time along with theory. HW is assigned and is due Friday.

Wednesday - This day's structure is a little unclear, but would present the material in a different manner than Monday's. Questions on HW would be addressed.

Friday - HW due. Interactive, whole class (or group) work on one or two open-ended/design based problems with a review of progress at the end of class.

What I see occurring is that the different learning styles of each student can be catered to and there are obvious points of evaluation of student understanding. I have all my lectures from last year, so mostly what I'll be doing is repackaging, rather than creating.

My Adv. Thermo. lecture will not not change much accept for (hopefully?) a tour of a local gas turbine. The labs will be reduced to about four and groups of students will build labs for use in the future (to replace the faulty labs).

The Senior Sem. organization of guest lectures is being altered, assuming the presenters (mostly outside contributors) can make the dates I have tentatively assigned. I am still not thrilled with the integration of the faith/ethics portion of the course, but I not going to worry about it much this year.

In other things, I am working on writing a research article for a reviewed journal. This work is the most difficult thing for me right now. Thankfully, I recently found a wonderful paper on how to write a journal article, but the process is still mentally daunting to me. I guess I never felt attached to the research. It is difficult for me to move on and feel motivated work on the paper, which I would like to finish/submit for review by the end of the summer.

Jesus clearly wanted me and my family to be here. I didn't want to come until the "peace of God" that I heard of finally became my experience through the interview, house-hunting, and moving processes. Since God brought me here, he knows the requirements for tenure (good teaching, a pattern of research, and active service). And I know he knows that I don't like and don't feel I am any good at research. I have told him this several times :-). Therefore, I trust that he will show me what to research and give me a passion for it.

Now the "passion for it" is a curious thing. I believe that God guides us into things that will bring him the greatest glory, but I also believe, when we are in the place he wants us, we will have the greatest passion/joy. So, I am excited for what research topic he wants me to pursue, but because of my past experience, I am timid and concerned that I don't have the ability to do it! But from the people that God seemed to choose in the Bible to do his work (i.e., Gideon, Peter, Jonah, etc.), my weaknesses allows God to show himself strong!

This last thought leads me to a wonderful series of talks by Otto Koning called "The Pineapple Story Series" that was given to Luann and I a couple of years ago at Christmas. A key principle that Otto continually hits on is that "...the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him" 2 Chron. 16:9 (NKJV). God wants himself to be glorified, thus if we are strong enough to feel that we somehow did it on our own, God won't get the maximum glory. So, he works with less than the minimum, i.e., Gideon and 300 solders with jars, torches, and ram's horns beat an army with "to many to count" without even touching them. Otto tells of his own personal stories of God showing himself strong while a missionary to the cannibals and headhunters of New Guinea.

Another key point that Otto addresses is that of yielding his rights to God. Ultimately, we are managers of God's stuff and if we recognize this and be sure to give "our" stuff to God on a daily basis, God does and will take good care of his property. These rights include our family members as well as our material possessions. In his main story, Otto tells of his struggle to completely surrender his rights to the pineapples from his garden. The natives were continually stealing them (as well as other items from his house) until he gave them to God and stopped worrying about God's stuff. (For a while he would remind God that "Hey, they're stealing your pineapples!") When the natives found out he had given his garden with the pineapples away to someone else, they wanted to know who (for fear that it was a witch doctor or a big head hunter!) When Otto told them that he had given them to God, they told him to get the garden back! They told Otto that since he gave the garden to God, whenever someone would steal a pineapple, something would happen to that person or his/her family (e.g., sickness, hut burned down, etc.). But since Otto was feeling much better (he had been on tranquilizers) and he knew that God wanted it, he wouldn't take the garden back. Now Otto can't get away from pineapples!

So this long post has helped me put a few things together, but it does leave me with a question. God clearly wants to show himself strong in my life and in my teaching. And he wants me to yield my life, my family, and my stuff to him. All this makes sense, but will take discipline to practice on a daily basis. The question I am left with is this...how do I yield my teaching to God? Clearly, I have to play a role. I need to lecture/interact with my students in some way, as Otto had to maintain/weed his garden, even though he kept losing pineapples day after day. Is the answer as simple as...teach the best I can/know how and let God do the rest?

Moleskines and Markings

While back in PA visiting family, I noticed a nice little notebook that my brother-in-law had. Pocket-sized with grid print, he used it for taking notes as he worked and for recording ideas before he forgot. I had been thinking about something to collect my random thoughts and to help in general organization. The notebook he had turned out to be a Moleskine, which has quite a history and following. During our conversation, he mentioned that he saw a "knock-off" version at Target, so later that week I went over to check it out. What I found was a very similar notebook branded "Markings by C.R. Gibson." The following table is a detailed comparison between the two journals (see pictorial comparison by clicking on the photo at the beginning of this entry)



*proprietary, but anecdotal evidence suggests the same weight as the Markings


A few comments on the table...The model number for the Markings notebook indicated is for a black cover at Staples (MJ3-5715 was on the journal at Target). Model numbers for the only other "Moleskinesk" Markings notebooks are the following: MJ3-4792 for a brown cover, MJ5-4791 for a large (5" x 8", 240 pages) black cover, and MJ5-4792 for a large brown cover.

Paper quality for the Markings notebook was determined from a call to a C.R. Gibson rep who needed to call me back because she didn't initially have the information on hand. During this call, she informed me that these notebooks are only sold in bulk. If bought directly from C.R. Gibson, three at-a-time would need to be purchased for $5.80/notebook + shipping. Shipping equals $4.49 (flat-rate) + $0.65/lb (each journal is approx. 4.25 oz.). Therefore, to pay less than the $6.99 that Target (and others) price the Markings notebook, you need to buy at least 6 journals from C.R. Gibson to realize a savings ($6.77/notebook).

Notice that the Markings notebook is slightly smaller than the Moleskine. Others have noted the benefits of the smaller dimensions when trying to fit it into their pockets.

As defined on the Markings packaging, the cover material is bonded leather, which is 80% genuine cowhide leather fiber and 20% non-leather materials. The Moleskine uses oilcloth. A nice explanation of its other design features is given here.

Unless you are taken by the history of the Moleskine for journaling/notetaking, the Markings notebook seems to be of sufficient quality and a good price. However, the shear variety of Moleskine covers (soft, hard, volant), style (reporter, notebook, cahier), and page format (ruled, squared, plain, sketch, music, storyboard, travel, address, Japanese, and memo pocket) can easily suck in the avid or pseudo-interested observer (Markings notebooks are only hardcovered and either ruled or squared pages). Many unique Moleskine creations have been made with the various styles and formats.

Clearly, I have spent way too much time researching this comparison (as my family can attest!). My main reasons for doing so are because I am fascinated by good designs and their history, and in my quest to determine the better product (Markings vs. Moleskine), I felt that the information was scattered. Now I can sleep a little better knowing I have wasted so much time that others can be more efficient with their's!?

Alive and...typin'

It has definitely been a while since my last post. My first semester of teaching ended well. As I look back, I am encouraged by what I have learned and by the room I have to grow! The support offered by my department and leaders has been tremendous. I am now teaching three new courses, two of which I never had. They are all fun to learn and teach, but take a lot of time in preparing! DW has been wonderful in converting the written notes of two classes into Powerpoint slides. I then go through and make adjustments and make sure that I know the material!? God has brought me to a wonderful place where I can pursue the passion that He has given me.

As I look at the sacrifices that we have made, I wonder if volleyball is an indicator of major transition in my life. Six years ago, when I went to be a camp counselor for the summer on Cape Cod, I did not get to play the sport I loved all summer. The same has happened again with this transition to Oregon...no volleyball (at least till the summer)! Anyway, just an interesting thought.

DS continues to be a wonderful little boy. He is sleeping 11+ hours at night and is a pleasant little guy during the day (most of the time!). (see DW blog for pics!)

Riding Hard

I rode my bike to campus in the evening earlier this week to save time from walking. As I rode across campus to class, I started up a hill. As I slowed to a near stop two-thirds the way up, I tried to quickly change gears. Unfortunately, the chain rattled through the cassette (sprockets on the rear wheel) and popped off the chainrings (sprockets rotated by the peddles). I walked my bike the rest of the way.

After class, I came out to my bike with the expectation that I would only need to remount the chain. A security officer was just coming around to check doors and shined his flashlight on the chainrings. To my amazement, I saw that I had snapped the smallest sprocket! Several bolts had attached it to the larger chainrings, but now it hung by only a single bolt (the teeth going the wrong direction just above the tube intersection)...actually that was only one portion of it. Most of the snapped sprocket was hanging over the peddle shaft (this is what I am holding in the picture). With the baseball coach (he was was in class with me) holding the back tire off the ground and the security officer holding the flashlight, I put the chain on the new smallest chainring and was able to peddle away! And yes...I had a nice ride home.

Wear and tear and...escargot

I think I hit the "wall" on Tuesday, as I had a rough go of the lecture during Thermo. I felt like I didn't understand the material as well as I should have, and I told my students that they were lucky they were getting taught the material because I didn't. (Oops...maybe I shouldn't have told them that! Ah well.) I had to do the same lecture on Thursday for different students and it went much better. Then I reviewed the material again Friday and everyone seemed to be understanding it much better.

Later in the day, another faculty member indicated that his lecture that afternoon was so boring, it oozed out of the lecture hall and into the hall way. Even HE was bored! I sensed he and others in the conversation were tired as the discussion we were having ended early due to minimal responses.

This picture is my first snail sighting in Oregon. Actually, I don't know if I have ever seen a "wild snail." I found it as a nice reminder of how I should take my first year...slow and steady!

Over Halfway!

I am still here! The semester has continued to progress well. Lectures are becoming a little easier to prepare and my students seem to be understanding the material well.

The first exam issues of too little time were cured by giving the second exams in back to back lab periods so that students could come to either session (avoid time conflicts of trying to find a single time when all could meet). They scored much better this time around. In addition, I introduced a second grading scale that downplays the first exam. Therefore, the students' overall grade will be the higher of either the syllabus grading scale or the new scale.

Reaching the middle of term, I encountered a grading requirement I have never experienced; I had to post mid-term grades of C- or below (higher grades were considered passing). I gave out a few < C- grades throughout my three courses. I haven't heard from any of those students yet, but they definitely have the potential to make-up their deficit and finish well.

A non-teaching experience...I was driving back home and stopped in the left-hand turn lane. A gentleman in the lane to my right (that only went straight) asked me how to get to a certain highway. I told him that I recently moved to the area and didn't know where the road was. I asked him where he was going, and he replied just after the light changed and he was pulling away. Ironically, I knew the town, how to get there, and I had a map that I had just bought on the seat next to me! I hope he found someone more knowledgeable than I!?

Rain, rain,...here to stay!?

I came home from work this morning to recover a bit and give DW a break. Around 11, she went to take a nap and turned off the monitor, so I was responsible for making sure DS got to sleep. He needed a little help after whimpering for about 10 minutes. After I went back to work on my lecture slides, I noticed that the rain that we had in the morning had cleared out and blue skies were aplenty! Unfortuately, I had my charge to make sure DS slept well. Once the time drew nye for his feeding, I made sure DW's monitor was on and I grabbed Beau and headed out.

I noted that it was raining lightly before I left, but the sky looked promising. However, about 100 feet into the run, down came the rain! I had run in the rain a few day ago while it was still dark and stepped in a puddle, soaking one of my feet. Now, both my feet were soaked (without a puddle), but I figure I might as well get used to it. Thankfully, the rain let up about 1/3 of the way. The windbreaker did its job; it broke the wind and that was about it. The rain soaked through and as you can see in the pic, also made it in the top (No, that is not all sweat; I had a t-shirt underneath). Of course, the rain isn't all bad. It helped to keep me cool, and with little humidity, I wasn't too uncomfortable when the sun came out.

Oh yeah, remember the other "person" running with me? Beau had a fun time. As you can see he also got drenched, and the rain wasn't totally to blame. As Beau runs along, he likes to splash through puddles in order to kick up some water to "drink." Well, one of those puddles was a little deeper than he counted on! I kinda saw it coming, so when I heard a "kerplunk" beside me, I quickly looked over and saw him bouncing out of a hole that put he was almost completely submerged in! Gotta love him!?

Rookie Teacher

Yesterday was the end of the fifth week of classes, and I am happy to report that I am very much enjoying teaching. I am not quite to the point of saying, "I love my job," but it could happen soon. (Though, maybe not until the summer when I can finally breathe!)

At the beginning, I opted to create all my lectures in PowerPoint. I was hesitant due to my own experience with profs who used premade slides because they tended to go quickly through the material. In the past couple of weeks, I began providing my classes with hard copies of the material (another concern of mine because I tended not to take notes with handouts) with blanks that they would need to be in class to fill in. I also provide the handout version of the slides online on the class website. Overall, I think the students like it, but still have trouble grasping the material. In addition to the lecture material, I do at least one example problem each class. Questions of confusion or clarification were slow at first (especially the 7:40am Fluids class!), but they seem to be becoming more open as our relationship grows. I am continually self-evaluating my approach, but will be officially student evaluated at the end of course (though I would like the students to do an additional volunteer evaluation soon).

In general the students are doing well. I gave exams this week and used last year's exams. I suspected but wasn't sure if the exam was too long for the 50 min class period. I came to find out after the exam that the prof who gave the Fluid's exam last year set it up so that the students had 2 hours! I ended up adding 15 points across the board to raise the class average. I have yet to grade the Applications of Thermo exam, but I expect the same issue (not enough time), though not quite as severe. I have told the students and they understand that I am trying to figure this teaching gig out, but it is still frustrating for them.

Both my main classes (I also "teach" Senior Seminar where I mainly manage speaker visits) are with the Juniors. In addition, to taking Fluids and Applications of Thermo with me, they have Mechanics of Materials and Machine Dynamics with another prof and Linear Algebra. They are being pummeled! And it doesn't get much better next term. I don't know all their courses, but I will be teaching them Computation Methods, Control Theory (and labs), and their Heat Transfer Labs. Tough work.

Continued Burning

In trying to finish up my thesis, I have been trying to understand (for the last several months) why the gas that I am modeling numerically does not cool down to the constant temperature boundary. The model represents gas burning in a closed spherical vessel 10 cm in diameter. When the gas reacts, it gives off heat and heats all the gas in the domain. Once the heating reaction(s) stops or slows down, all the gas in the domain should cool to the temperature at the boundary. In my case, it doesn't.

At first, when talking with other people, I thought I might have made an error in my equations or the equations were specific to a certain geometry. Just last week, though, I had a professor look over the equations and we realized that the model provides a continuous supply of reactants.

Going back to the original paper that explains the numerical model, I discovered that the authors had mentioned that they had written the equations with a continuous supply of reactants!

It pays to read and reread the directions!!

Dog Walking 101

As those who were present on a recent trip (i.e., we had cable TV) can attest, I love “The Dog Whisperer" on the National Geographic Channel. Cesar Millan grew up with the passion to observe and communicate with dogs and his life mission is to share his knowledge with humans so that they can treat their dogs better.

Well, my wife and I ordered and received the first season of his show and his book last week. Basically, I learned very quickly that our boys needed to have a morning walk and since I had just purchased rollerblades, I was ready to take them out. Cesar encourages at least a 45 min. walk and our dogs being Boston Terriers (i.e., high-energy breed) I wasn't concerned about them tiring out.

The first two mornings went great! A few corrections were necessary, but both Ollie and Beau learned to stay next to or behind me and didn't tug too much toward distractions. They seemed to love the run, breathing heavy and tongues hanging out...even bouncing along a times. But then things changed.

Three times during the third run, Ollie pulled back on the leash, wanting to stop. I tried to ignore him as the leader, but it got to the point he was gagging on the collar. We stopped for about 5-10 mins. He didn't drink from any of the puddles near by or go to the bathroom. He just flopped on his stomach. When we headed off again, he seemed fine until the next time he put on the brakes.

On the fourth morning, we turned off our street, about 50 yards from the house, and Ollie absolutely shut down. I turned to go back toward the house, and he perked up and walked fine, until I tried to turn away from the house again. I finally took him back to the house and put him in his kennel (wife was still sleeping) while Beau and I went out.

(This behavior reminded me of when my wife and I started taking Ollie on our runs. The first couple of times he was fine. Later, he would shut down about half way through and then begin constantly pulling back. We attributed this behavior to something that he smelled around a tire store part way into the run, but it didn't make sense.)

The fifth morning, I didn't even try to take Ollie; Beau and I went alone. Beau was wonderful! Yesterday was the sixth morning and it was just Beau and I again. He did well, but seemed to be staying behind me more than normal and pulling on the leash a little more, but he did the entire run without a problem.

Later that day, my wife held Beau upside-down and noticed that some of Beau's paws had blisters. We checked Ollie and didn't see any, but we knew that he was more sensitive than Beau when we cut their nails.

It finally made sense!! They had been living in a carpeted (some linoleum in the kitchen and grass outside) world. Their pads had not built up the calluses that regular street walks would have done. Ollie stopped and Beau was slowing because their feet hurt! Duh!?

This morning Beau confirmed our assessment as he limped around the house, not putting weight on his left back paw. One of his paw pads had a circular blister that looks to have filled with blood and scabbed beneath a thin layer of skin. We put some anti-biotic ointment on it and will see how he is doing tonight.

Instead of taking both, I just took Ollie out this morning. He remembered the pain. We got to the end of the driveway and he shut down. Fortunately, my wife and I celebrated our hard work of painting several rooms in our house with a couple of episodes of “The Dog Whisperer.” In one of the episodes, a Shih Tzu refused to walk on a leash but would walk off-leash. Cesar began the rehabilitation by carrying the dog away from its home and walked it back on leash without any correction. So I tired the same. Ollie did beautifully!

I first carried him to the corner and then we walked (I rollerbladed) back. I tried to leave the driveway with him walking, but he refused. Next, I carried him a block past the corner and then we walked back. This time, I passed our house and went to the other end of street before turning around and passing our house again. I did not want him to stop at all, so a few yards after passing our house, we returned for the morning.

We are expecting great results tomorrow (but we will still go slow and short)!!

Beau checking out a different angle on life!


Ollie: "This...is mine!"

Mr. Beau

Ok, I've been asked, "Where is the new puppy?" Here he is in his debute. His name is Beau and he is very cuddly!

Cute Puppy

Ok, I promise at some point I will have something more to say, but for now my puppy is just being too cute!

Boundary Conditions

I am thankful for this opportunity to write.
More to say later.
In the mean time...my puppy. He turned 1 yr. old on Saturday!