Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now, not with everything that's been going on.

Was already able to give out approximately two-thirds of my Astronomy course cards already thanks to the miracle of text and the students' impatience, even though my distribution schedule is still 340pm.

But back to Tuesday first. I forgot to mention that I already finished and passed out the grades to Graphics to the students who were there. One student, who once asked how I can be sure they're not just copying each other's assignment, and joked during the first few minutes of finals that he had already finished the plate when I told them to start the exercise again from scratch, got a zero in the finals because he just submitted his earlier exercise as his finals.

It's impossible to make the same circuit twice and have each component and wire be at the same position as the first time, since the wire lengths were not specifically given but just shown in the same general direction.

He was the only one whose first exercise and repeat construction looked exactly the same there's no doubt he copied his first work.

He still passed the course though, because of the sheer volume of his exercises, but his grade was the second lowest passing. He rhetorically questioned his low grade, but he didn't pursue it, or I would have told him what I had discovered.

Since the highest numbered exercise submitted is #27, and the lowest number finished is #20, I just set the requirement at #24, and #25 to #27 were bonuses.

More tidbits from the team-building: the last session was in the pool, simulating surviving the radiation belts before entering the Earth's atmosphere by having to swim under a ribbon stretched underwater, and a second one just above the water level, that they were supposed to pass *over*.

Of course the second one required teamwork again even though the first one was individual.

Back to Maila's TrigApp and GeomApp: there were four students in the department taking removal exams the day before course card distribution. That doesn't eliminate them from being suspects in two acts of vandalism of something written on the walls derogatory to Maila in ballpen, one in the hall beside the classrooms and one in the stairwell. I'm sure there will be an investigation, considering how clear and distinct the penmanship is.

I didn't fail anyone this term, even the student I mentioned last time who wanted to be excused for their team practices. He got 49%, which I wrote on his course card beside his one-point-zero.

The other student who did not take the finals, it turns out, did not even show up late, but only relayed the message through his classmate.

I asked him to call me at the department this morning, and he said something about taking care of his brother in critical condition while his parents are out of town and returning tomorrow.

I asked him if this was the case in all his classes and he said he just missed the finals in mine. He will pass a special exam form tomorrow (which when he called the registrar's office they told him he could still process even after course cards), and I will give him an exam immediately afterwards.

The thing is, he already has a passing grade of 1.5 even without his final exam. If he's vying for honors though it can only go up. The change of grade form will be easy to defend since I'll introduce his excuse letter as a supporting document, as well as the fact that missed finals for medical reasons are a common accepted occurence.

On the shelf for now: the heyday of the two theses defenses I took part in today.