Fleeting Pleasures

Fleeting Pleasures

Currently, I spend a lot of time gazing at trees. If I could suck the beauty of the leaves deep into my soul, I would. Instead, I take photos in a vain attempt to capture what I’m seeing. The pictures are nice, but they’re not the same. I also spend time listening to...
Teaching Tales: Disabled or Entitled?

Teaching Tales: Disabled or Entitled?

After my first lecture of the semester, two young men approached me. Claus was chunky with an arrogant tilt to his chin; Andrew was dark-haired, diffident, and shy— but they had the same story. “Dr Crocker, I have a learning disability. The disability office told me to...
Teaching Tales: Sex and More

Teaching Tales: Sex and More

It was time to tackle the reproductive system—including sex. The textbook started with external anatomy, but I suspected the students would know this. I elected to avoid the guffaws that would accompany the labeling of a penis on the screen. Instead, starting with the...
Teaching Tales: About Pee

Teaching Tales: About Pee

The following semester at NVCC, I taught Bio 102, and we came to the lab on the excretory system, which produces urine. After locating the fetal pig’s kidneys, bladder, and other parts of the system, the students had the opportunity to experiment on themselves. ...
Teaching Tales: A Remarkable Offer

Teaching Tales: A Remarkable Offer

We were nearing the end of Bio 101. I was painfully aware that many students had not yet grasped the basic concepts of the course, so decided to make one last attempt to help them do so, while also making it possible for them to raise their grade. My Offer “I want to...