Monday, November 26, 2012

Spreading the Cheer across Campus

Scene: Monday after Thanksgiving. The Contemplative Cynic's cubicle-office. Phone rings.

"Hamsterology Department. The Contemplative Cynic speaking."

"Is this Dr. Cynic?"

"Yes. How can I help you?"

"This is Jenna at the Career Center. I have two of your students from Hamsterology 101 asking for feedback on their final essays. Did you send them up here? They claim you sent them here."

"No, why would I send them to the Career Center? I told them to go to the Writing Lab."

"That's what I want to know. We're doing a workshop on resumes and they show up with their essays instead of resumes."

"I told them to go to the Writing Lab. Please direct them there. I'm sorry my students are too lame to realize that the Writing Lab is not the Career Center. Don't tell me who they are because I'll likely give them a lower grade on their essays."


12 comments:

  1. I know exactly how you feel. Tonight, students from my intro-astronomy-for-non-majors general-ed class were scheduled to have a planetarium show, as part of this week's lab. I told them in class that even though they might have heard they'll have a planetarium show, don't meet at the planetarium: they need to meet in the regular lab classrooms at the regular lab times, to be briefed by their instructors first.

    If I didn't tell them this, some would inevitably show up at the planetarium. That's what's happened in the past.

    The problem is that when I tell them this, some come whining, as if injured to me immediately before lab, asking if they should go to the planetarium.

    You can't win.

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    Replies
    1. This is my most painful lesson learned in my first N years of teaching:
      They don't hear what you say.

      They hear snippets. Sometimes they even get the gist. But I've been amazed at the number of students who simply have no recollection of things I've shouted at them not two minutes previously. Not minor details, either.

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    2. You are right: that should be a motto like "RTFS" is here. TDHWYS: they don't hear what you say. Or... THEY DON'T LISTEN: TDL.

      Delete
  2. Wow. Are these places even, like, next to each other?

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    Replies
    1. No, the Career Center is actually on the opposite end of campus. I don't really know what they do there and have never mentioned them in class (this is a freshman class so less need for resume help just yet). I'm guessing they just saw a flyer on campus that said "Resume Workshop" and thought that meant "Writing Workshop" but who knows: I don't even know how to interpret what they interpret.

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  3. Although I have fought this sentiment for quite some time, I fear that I am resolved to the fact that the quality of students really is THAT BAD and progressively getting worse. UGH!

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  4. I'm kinda jealous that you have students who are willing to seek help. Most of the students here only know to go to deans to complain about how unfair grades are.

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    Replies
    1. That is unfortunate. It works both ways: they get SO MUCH help from our Writing and Tutoring Center that often, we despair that they aren't doing their own work. On the other hand, they are seeking help. The Writing and Tutoring Center is SO overwhelmed with students simply showing up and demanding help for things that shouldn't be things they need help with: registering for classes, getting a new student ID b/c they lost theirs, fixing their computers, etc. In addition, they are swamped with requests for tutoring in basic classes that typically don't NEED tutoring (such as Introduction to World Music).

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  5. I used to work at a Writing Lab. My favorite days were when students came in panicked because the professor required that they come see us before turning in papers and the paper was due in five minutes. As in, it was 8:55am and the paper was due at 9:00am.

    We were taught to look the students in the eyes and ask what they wanted us to do with those five minutes. Most of them would mumble and turn red, but they'd still get to sign in and technically get credit for going to the Writing Lab as required.

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    Replies
    1. Sigh.

      And yeah, I also get annoyed with students who are not in my classes or who are in my classes who ask me to proofread essays for OTHER classes. Not my job.

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  6. I have learned that students inevitably do whatever it is that you tell them not to. Reverse psychology of a sort.

    I was in the computer lab where I teach last week, and class was about to start (a matter of minutes). One poor, lost snow flake (not one of my students), looked up at me with the deer-in-the-headlights look and asked, "can you help me print?". I said, "Sure, come see me during my office hours and I'll be glad to help." I'm assume said printout was of an assignment due in a few minutes.

    Sigh.

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    Replies
    1. At least they were in the computer lab asking you to help them print, instead of asking for that when in the parking lot...

      Delete

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