TWILAP, Two Weeks in the Life of an Accounting Professor. Most people think I only work a few hours per week, just the time spent in the classroom. They aren’t aware of all the behind the scenes activity. In this series, I’ll journalize on what it’s like to be a professor.
Monday, and the week begins in earnest. Today is my “teaching” day.
7:10-7:20 a.m. E-mail. In box is not out of control, so that is a relief. Notified of a story, “Center for Audit Quality Defends PCAOB’s Record in Urging Supreme Court to Leave Board Intact“, over at Jim Hamilton’s World of Securities Regulation. It’s a really nice piece laying out the issues to the Supreme Court challenge to the PCAOB. It is an important issue worth my writing a separate essay. Fat chance I’ll ever get the time to do it. Reminds me a bit of Floyd Norris article at NYT from Nov. 6, “Goodbye to Reforms of 2002“. Yeah, I should reflectively write on this one.
7:20-8:20 a.m Class preparation. Today I also feel uneasy because I’m past my comfort zone in the courses I’m teaching this term.
Take Managerial Accounting, my first class on tap at 10:30. I’ve built the course around information needed to make certain types of decisions. I’ve had lots of interesting things for students to do. Classes have been interesting, challenging and fun. Students have responded well, and I’m glad.
Today is going to be more like work. The material doesn’t lend itself to my strengths in the classroom. Mostly, I don’t think I can appeal to students’ imagination today. So, we’ll just go over some problems and I hope that students can discern important truths on their own. I can’t help them much.
Well, must print out the problems, look over them one more time, and move on.
8:20-8:30 a.m. E-mail. Oh no! I’m buried under an avalanche.
8:30-9:00 a.m. Class preparation for Intermediate Accounting 1. Classes are at 11:50 and 2:40, seventy minutes long. I’m not looking forward to this class today, it is outside of my comfort zone. I’ve built the course up to this point in time about developing the big picture of financial statements: how they fit together, how they are used, how they are abused, how the rules are determined.
Today the topic is receivables, and there’s nothing related to the big picture here. It is all knowledge transfer type of stuff. That is not what I like to do. Class could be dull and boring.
9:00-9:20 a.m. E-mail. I heard about this article, “IFRS: Jekyll or Hyde?“, CFO What a good article, introducing a new factor to the debate that I hadn’t thought of. This is definitely worth blogging about, to explain some of the access to capital workings inherent in some of the comments. It is really good!
10:00-10:25 a.m. In transit to the office.
10:25-4:00 p.m. Classes and office hours. My Managerial Accounting was uninspired today. Although I entered the classroom with a smile and a large bag of cookies, students were just dead. Undoubtedly, they reflected my enthusiasm level.
My two Intermediate Accounting sections brightened considerably when I brought in cookies. Students seemed interested, which is a relief. They weren’t thrilled to be going over receivables homework, but they were interested in getting it down correctly. Good for them!
I left encouraged after today’s classes. Managerial Accounting was depressing, but the students at Concordia do homework and keep tuned in. Impressive.
4:00- 6:30 p.m. E-mail again. First news item catching my eye, “Volunteers Log Off as Wikipedia Ages.” (Wall Street Journal) Bummer, I use Wikipedia. The headline makes it sound worse than it apparently is.
A good friend, Ed, writes: Q. What does the accountant’s spouse say when s/he has trouble going to sleep? Old version: A. “What did you do at work today, honey?” New version: A. “What did you do at work today, honey? No, wait! Read me a paragraph from ‘Two Weeks in the Life of an Accounting Professor.’” Ed, I’m glad that I can provide a valuable service. I should have named the series TWIBLAP (Two Weeks In the Boring Life of an Accounting Professor).
Just got a spam e-mail offering to sell Ambien, Soma, Phentermin and TWILAP.
Francine at re: The Auditors wrote to say she’s following TWILAP. 1.3 million hits to her blog. Impressive. 4,000 follow her on Twitter. I’ve got to check it out.
10:30-10:55 p.m. In transit back home.
11:00-11:30 p.m. E-mail. Nothing worth mentioning.
11:30-11:40 p.m. Blog maintenance.
11:40-11:59 p.m. Interview preparation. Have interview at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. Must look up questions and figure out my primary talking points. I’ll get to give opening statement, answer 8 questions, then be ready for more. It will be edited into 6 minute interview.
It has been one years exactly since I finished my seven part series on the IFRS resistance. I’ve been reading my concluding essay, and I’m sure it is the best scholarly work I’ve done in my professional life. How can I ever convey the complexity of my views about GAAP/IFRS in a 30 minute interview? I hope I don’t bomb tomorrow.
It is just Monday, and I’m so tired. This is my 31st year in a collegiate classroom, so I have figured out how to survive physically, mentally and emotionally. However, starting out with a 14 hour day on Sunday means I’ll be tired for the rest of the week.
I may take a nap tomorrow.
Debit and credit – - David Albrecht
more to come later today.
