With the end of the semester near, I am less inclined to help my students. Mostly because the questions they ask can be found somewhere in the assignment or the syllabus. Some are seeking help at the last minute when there is not much I can do to help them. I often ask them why they didn’t seek help from me earlier in the semester. Their responses range form the ever popular “I don’t know” to “I could not find you during your office hours.” The latter is a load of crap because they KNOW when my office hours are. They KNOW where to find me. And, if on the off chance that I am not there, they can have someone page me.
Lately, I would rather hide in the coffee bar down the street then have to deal with my students. It’s that bad or what?
About Me
- Seeking Solace
- I am a college professor who is fumbling through the chaos of academia, rheumatoid arthritis, working on my PhD and just being a 40 something woman. I used to be a lawyer, which made me a snarky little person. I have a wonderful Husband and a German Shepherd named Junior. They help keep me sane.
Paws to Consider
My Sister's Keeper
7 comments:
I get this, too. They don't put forth any work until the deadline is here. Then, they panic when they realize that it will take X number of hours to do what needs to be done, and they have X-24 hours until the deadline. Often this is a negative number.
Then, they want me to drop everything and help them. I explain that at the end of the semester I, too, have deadlines. And, unlike them, I have to meet the deadlines, so I can not take time allocated to meeting my deadlines to help them when they have not taken time of their own.
They don't like that.
Tough.
Too bad you can't take points off for each question asked that is specifically answered in course materials. Like "When is my outline due?", "Friday 4/7, just like it says RIGHT HERE, and that'll be 5 points off the outline". Or Whine points - a student can whine to you all they want, and if you grant them their request, no penalty. But if not, x points off that portion of their grade "Can I hand in my paper late - this weekend HBO was having a SOPRANOs marathon that I had to watch?" "No, 5 points"
I think the whine level would drop. It's sad, because they whine because they can - enough people prior to you caved, so it is assumed you will. If Grade School & High School teachers stopped putting up w/ it - you wouldn't have this problem.
it's the end of the academic year, too, and I have no energy to deal with whiners. I think we all are starting to run on empty and the slackers best watch out!
I think that it is really silly for you to put more effort and thought into their work than they do.
If they planned ahead and tried, you wouldn't be this cranky... I'm pretty sure it is a bad moon out for students... some have just lost their minds. Don't let their stress become yours. They need to be taught how to be good students at some point, you standing your ground has a part of that...
now, if only I can follow my own advise...
Joanna: Welcome to the Waiting Room. Thanks for your comments. I will add you to my Friends in Low Places!
Why thank you. I'll add you to both of my blogs.
I think that it is professors like you that make life miserable for hard working students like me. As someone that maintains a high GPA, works hard to maintain a home, as well, its very difficult to be on-point with all postings. Those days of students having their way paid throughout college and having all of their hours to focus on their work is Gone!! Get a reality check. I work harder than you without a college education. I have a professor like you, that is nasty, predjudice, and sarcastic. She fails to understand that I pay my own way through college, neither of my parents work, I'm taking 18 credits and I do lose concentration. While there will always be students that bluff, I hate that this professor assumes that I'm lying to her. What a way to build a working relationship. She has no idea that if she gives me a bad grade, in contrast to the straight A's I get in the other courses, I will be headed to the deans office, with documentation of the nasty comments and sarcastic behavior. Watch yourself, because the same thing will happen to you.
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