the id, the ego, & the single misfiring brain cell

'Tis the week before finals. I'm caught up on my grading (albeit not yet finished), and finished with lesson prep for the semester. A lot of wonderful things are happening. Michelle and I attended the Mission Element Dinner for the Freethinker's Club (of which I am an Officer In Charge) and other clubs/squadrons at the Commandant's home. I'd never met Brigadier General Williams. He and his wife are delightful people with a beautiful (historic) home. Considering my penchant for chatting with random people, I learned that the Air Force won't let him fix anything in the home, despite the joy he takes in home improvement; he, like we, once had an apartment smaller than his master bedroom*; and he and his lovely wife have a 12-year-old shiba-spitz mix. 

* When he said this, I said, "Me too! We've come a long way, baby!" To which he grinned really big and agreed. 

When we go to such functions, I am again impressed with the self-possession and maturity of our cadets (as opposed to your average college student). Of course, they are fit, healthy specimens who are clean cut, but it's more. They have mastered the little things that really matter. They look other people in the eye. They show respect without effort and without coming across as brown-nosers. They know how to shake hands. They carry themselves as though they are intelligent people with purpose, deserving of respect. They are quick-witted and articulate. All of this because we teach them to be. They are our military's future leadership. 

At the same time, I wonder why normal colleges don't instill the same values--or at least try to teach them. So much more of the world is open to our graduates, and the fact that they graduated from the Air Force Academy is only a tiny part of the reason. 

The night after the Mission Element Dinner, I went to a fundraiser with Michelle. She's been doing private contract work, writing grants for a nonprofit organization in town. We went because she writes for this organization and needs to support them, but also because she believes very much in what they do. And well...you never know who you're going to meet, and connections are good when you are a private contractor. I went for support and because I wanted to meet the CEO she's been working with, and I'm interested in the work the organization does, and because I want to support Michelle. And there would be a couple of free drinks and some awesome munchies. :) 

The first thing we did when we got there was to go over and say hello to Mich's ex-CEO and the woman who took her place as a grant writer. It was the thing to do, and we carried it off with aplomb. The ex-CEO seemed strangely uncomfortable, but we weren't. :) 

Then we chatted with the CEO of the organization Mich works with now. She introduced me to Wil, a professor at the Academy who I recognize from some of our department meetings with distinguished guests, and Wil and I discussed his Vietnam experiences and such for a while. Then the fundraiser began. They had outstanding presentation by ex-Colorado Springs Councilwoman, Jan Martin. After the speech, I went up to fetch h'ors d'oerves. A man walked by, stopped, and asked if that was chicken I was putting on my plate. 

ME: Yes. It's very spicy. You should try some. 

HIM: Thanks, but I don't eat meats. 

ME: Are you vegan or vegetarian? 

HIM: Neither. I eat a lot of fish, but it's hard to get good fish in the Springs. 

ME: Ah! Pescatarian! That's a very healthy diet. 

And so he and I chatted for a while. His name is Josh and he works with special populations in the Denver School Districts. Eventually, I asked what his connection was here. He said that he'd been "roped" into being MC, but his wife was a major contractor for CDOT. I said I'd like to meet her. He said, "Sure! She's right there...."

And thus it came to be that we spent quality time with the single most important person to Michelle's expanding business--Josh's wife--as they and we ended up in a group at the end of the evening telling jokes and anecdotes and laughing. 

I had no idea of the importance of what I'd done until we were driving home, when Mich told me. I was just being...well, me. I said, "Well...the next time I take the wrong step and humiliate you in public, please remember tonight." She said, "I do already. That's why I took you." 

Hm. :\

I should contract out my social services. I may not look like much, but I have something marketable here...whatever it is. 

Anyway, it was fun, interesting, entertaining, and the scenery from the Pinery on the Hill overlooking the Springs at twilight was brilliant. 

Then Friday...ugh. First, understand that most of my students are writing beautifully, but a couple of things aren't as they should be. On Friday, I got the niggling feeling that one of my students wasn't being forthright with me, and checked into it.

See, much earlier in the semester, this student sent me a screenshot as proof that he'd sent an earlier email. He was right. I later found the missing email in my inbox. Later, though, I realized that I didn't have his second major paper (required to pass the course). When I emailed him asking about it, he sent me another screenshot proving that he'd sent it to me. Odd. I said OK; now, just send me the paper. He didn't. 

Three weeks went by, during which I spoke to him in class and sent him emails (and eventually, I sent emails to his Air Officer Commanding, as well), and I still didn't get the damn essay. It is testament to just how much of a powderpuff I've become that so much transpired before I began to get suspicious. I went back to the screenshots and looked closer. Turns out, he doctored the second one using the first email, and I had three obvious points to prove it. 

I had him come to my office yesterday. I suspect he came with explanations regarding his missing paper that he expected me to buy, because he looked completely off-balance when I said, "This is an informal clarification. Read through all of this information and think carefully about what you want to say next." 

And informal clarification is the first step of opening an honor violation case. We are required to disclose all of the facts at our disposal, which I did. He looked through my evidence and admitted that he was guilty as charged. He wanted to know if he had any reason to stay at the Academy now. He has been on academic probation since he began, and now he has an honor violation. He said, "I just don't think I'm cut out to be an officer." Considering his complete lack of concern regarding his egregious integrity issues (he was only  concerned about his poor GPA), I said, "I don't, either." 

I suspect he has already submitted his papers to separate. And good riddance. 

When I told Michelle about this, she said, "You know what I think? I think your students think you're too old to know anything about computers, so they think they can pull stuff like this on you." I think she's right. What the younger generation may not understand, however, is that I was working with computers at least ten years before they were an itch in their daddy's pants. 

This kid just figured that out. The hard way. 

Then there is one of my seniors who cannot or will not write worth a damn. But y'know? Enough for one day. 

Y'all be excellent to one another. 

d