January 27, 2009
Laying Down the Law
This semester, I spent an entire class talking about how to create a good speech outline. Last semester, I figured I was dealing with college kids. Point them to the page in the book and give them a handout and they should be good to go.
I was very wrong.
So, I spent a ton of class time on it this time around. I gave them a handout. For the other assignment due today, I did the same thing. I specifically said last week,
"This is what I want. . . "
"This is what I DON'T want. . . "
I said it at least three times. I told them to consult their syllabus. I told them to email me with any questions or concerns.
Ugh.
Today, I collected the papers and outlines of people who clearly do not follow directions well. In addition, the girl who missed my class on Thursday, the one who emailed me, the one I told exactly what we did in class, and what she needed to do for today, came empty-handed.
"I didn't know those things were due today," she said.
I couldn't help myself. She was the third person to tell me this in the span of five minutes. I threw my head back, let out an audible groan, and pulled out the syllabus. "See this thing! It's right here in bold. I also talked about it last Tuesday AND Thursday. In addition, you got an email!!!"
She shrugged and sat down. I hate this part of the semester, where you have to let the kids know that your policies are your policies and that's that. You have to let them know you're no push-over. There are going to be some seriously unhappy campers on Thursday when they see they have half credit for handing in a late assignment. It's on the syllabus and I talked about it in class. They're going to have to deal.
I also had three students not show up today. One has never showed up, despite adding my class last Wednesday. Those three are off to a fantastic start. I can always tell within the first two weeks who's going to step up and go for the A and those who are going to flat out fail.
So frustrating, but Thursday is definitely looking like "lay down the law" day.
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That sounds so frustrating. I would have let out a groan too.
I never realized how difficult it was for professors until I went back as an “adult” student at the ripe old age of 23. I thought I was a pretty good student for the most part…not great, but good. I’m amazed at how so many college students feel like it’s the professor’s job to hold their hand through the whole thing. I have another professor friend who actually had a student’s parents call him to discuss their child’s grades…when the child had hardly attended class at all.
I couldn’t make it as a professor if I had to deal with stuff like this. All of my students would fail, and I’d be out of a job! Good luck to you- I hope you’re able to light that fire beneath them and get them to grow up a little!
I did it last semester and I’ll do it again. Thursday is when the cranky teacher emerges. My kids last semester saw her once and decided they didn’t want to see her ever again. Let’s hope this crew does the same.
I really like teaching at the college level, but the first time a parent calls me I may change my mind! Yikes!
BBM
I didn’t see this sort of thing as an undergrad much – though that was probably a) the school I went to, and b) the classes I tended to take. After college, though, I went to a local 4-year for a few additional classes, and was shocked cold by the student behavior. Students who thought that phrasing a question differently than the study guide was unfair. Students who had never written an essay of any length in their lives. Students who plainly felt that the purpose of their professors was to do all the necessary thinking for them.
I lasted in the (required) Freshman English for two classes before the professor dragged me out of class and handed me over to the English 311 (Women’s lit) teacher. The other classes were nearly as bad a fit. It was quite the surreal experience.
I never saw that type of apathy at my college, either, but I do think the setting might make all of the difference. However, last semester you laid down the law and your students loved you for it. I’m sure it will be the same this time.
Exactly, I think it’s a necessary evil. I have more upperclassmen this time. Maybe they need more of a scare to get them into good habits?
BBM
I think that’s definitely it. They think it’s a piece of cake and they don’t have to work.
Students today are just plain lazy, and helicopter parents haven’t helped. I work for my university’s IT department and am an adjunct for our art department. In IT, we get so frustrated with the amount of hand-holding we have to give Skippy because the administration needs us to.
With my students, I lay down the law on the first day when I go over my syllabus. After that, tough noogies to them. I tell them my class is like a job, only you get 0s instead of getting fired. They aren’t entitled to an ‘A’ (shocking to them!), and I can just as easily fail them. Most of them learn real quick when the first few assignments come back with 0s.
I’m not much older than my students, but even when I was in school, I’m pretty sure I knew how to follow directions for my assignments. OK, I’ll get off the soapbox and stop complaining now.
So did she fail the assignment by not having it?
Ay. I’m a college student now, and the lower-level classes drive me mad – or half the students in general. I remind myself that many of them ARE fresh our of highschool, but I get so irritated. I took a creative writing class last semester – creative writing, that should be fun, right? – wrong. The students spent the entire semester fighting with the teacher over quibbles over assignments and we never got anything done! “You can’t give us a book and expect us to read it in a WEEK?” “We can’t write a paper in two days!” “This assignment doesn’t make sense!” I about lost my mind – and the professor – I felt SO sorry for him. He would get so irritated I just wanted to SLAP the students and tell them to SHUT UP and let him TEACH. If you don’t LIKE the class – DROP it. Seriously. It was the worst class I’d ever taken, though I got some good writing out of it still. I can’t believe students today. Fighting with the teacher – in COLLEGE.
And then there are just the people that ask questions they REALLY should know the answer to, and act (or really do?) like they don’t understand what the assignment is – I personally think its only so the teacher “goes easy” on them or so they don’t have to do it. Its being lazy.
Sorry, irritates me.
I hope your class comes around.
If not, kick them into good behavior if you know what I mean!