Dang it, people -- how hard is it to write a draft of a paper?
and -- if you don't have a draft, how hard is it to send me an e-mail with your central ARGUMENT (not your question == and actual flipping argument).
Not to mention the tragedy....
One kid's girlfriend sent an e-mail from her work because their power went out and his brilliant masterpiece was trapped on his computer. We don't live in the sticks, folks -- if the power is out, it will come back in a couple of hours... if you are cutting it that close, you deserve to have tragedy strike.
Another girl's boyfriend supposedly had an accident at work and almost lost his hand.... really, I'm pretty skeptical, as she was a slacker last semester as well. I did let her e-mail her paper -- but I'm sure it isn't complete. News flash, honey - class is at 12:45 -- if your sweetie's accident was this morning, you should have had the darned thing done, or it was going to be crap anyway.
Sometimes I wish I could go all Gordon Ramsey in Hell's Kitchen on their pathetic little selves.... really, I admire the man for telling it like it is. Even with tenure, I can't have "Hell's Classroom".... sigh.
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6 comments:
You're mean!
It's not fair!
I don't know what I'm doing!
You taught this wrong!
You didn't give us enough time!
This is too much work!
I have other classes besides this one!
It's just a draft, so notes are ok!
How many of those do you think you'll get?
For some reason, I am finding these so-called "Millenials" were never taught [or, more likely, just never learned] that a draft is supposed to be an almost-complete paper. Oh, and revising? hahahahahaha
Good luck!
Wouldn't it be great if we could "tell it like it is"?
I had a student send me an email saying that the reason she missed almost all of the semester was because she was dealing with the death of her grandfather, getting a divorce, foreclosure on her house and an eating disorder. I was honestly waiting to hear that the flood was coming and she had to load the animals two by two.
I think you must have been teaching my class this semester! To go with the various personal and family tragedies of students who mysteriously don't have papers done, I have now gotten two emailed drafts from students requesting that I "proof-read" their papers before they turn them in so they will get a better grade this time.
My policy - which, of course, I keep secret and well-hidden in my syllabus - is that I will look at endless drafts with students, but they must bring them to my office hours or make an appointment. (This is because I have found that they really don't absorb written feedback, but make amazing improvements when they actually come in and talk to me.)
I have exactly the same policy -- because I know that I won't give good feedback if they just give me a paper -- but, if they come to see me they are both more motivated to get the feedback AND I'm more motivated to give them good help.
I feel ya, ITPF. Mine are coming up with some outrageous ones this time.
The Myth -- I could have writen your comment. Debbie and ITPF -- I'm convinced the only way to give feedback is in person.
I'm supposed to be grading the other way right now, and you see what I'm doing.
Next week, however, all conferences, all the time.
I'm considering giving just in-person feedback this summer, which is only a 6-week session. It will free up my weekends!!!!! Woo-hoo!
With a current paper, I'm requiring drafts, and if they don't come in with a complete paper -- zero. I can't wait to see what happens. (See the post and all of the comments above.)
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