I sent my Law and Ethics class away. Only three students out of 12 submitted their annotated bibliography for the research paper.
As many of you know, I have my students submit their paper in stages, giving them credit for submitting the materials even if there are mistakes. The points are part of the project, not extra credit. This allows the student to make corrections and submit a finished product that won't have me screaming hateful things at the top of my lungs. They are giving the deadlines at the beginning of the term, so there is no reason why an assignment should not be turned in, right?
So, why in the hell do they not submit their work on time? Here are some of the reasons I have heard just this semester.
I forgot.
You did not give me the assignment.
It was too hard.
I could not find any resources.
I had two other papers to write.
The subject is boring.
I lost the assignment.
I did not understand the topic and you did not explain it to me.
The librarian would not help me.
I was in jail
I was being arraingned and could not come to class.
Maybe we should start a contest of the worst excuse for not submitting an assignment. I don't know what the prize would be. Virtual pity?
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
5 comments:
Every once in a while, I used to think that I'd heard them all. Then, a new excuse so wild I'd never have imagined it shows up. I no longer believe that I've heard all possible excuses.
I had a student show up a week after an exam saying that she missed the exam because her boyfriend had shot her.
Another one missed a makeup exam that she had selected the time for herself because she was getting married then.
A student didn't turn in a term paper because his apartment building burned down.
And, of course, I had a student miss an exam because a friend of his had offered him a free ticket to a ball game.
The first and third excuses, I had sympathy for.
"I was in jail". I find this humorous.
They might as well tell you directly "I was having my skull extracted from my anus" because that is probably closer to the truth for some of these folk.
And yes - I do have some sympathy for 1 & 3 as well, especially as they are "paper trail" events.
My favorites are always the justifications for plagiarism.
I had a student show up after spending the weekend in jail -- she told me she insisted they let her have her philosophy book with her, because she had a quiz... that shot the "I was in jail" excuses for the rest of them.
A friend had a grad school prof who posted all given excuses on his door (no names). His thing was that he wouldn't allow them to use any excuse that was already on his door... hmmm.
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