Logic cheaters...

Three friends.

Three identical -- WRONG answers.

Three grades of 0 in the on-line grade book.

Two bounced e-mails.

Two seemingly innocent questions about why their grade is "not showing up" on the class discussion board.

Two replies of "we need to discuss your exam in private" -- from me.

Hmmm..... I've given them until Monday to figure it out.

Tuesday I'm in surgery and won't deal with this for a month.

If I can't communicate with them, in person, by Monday afternoon the grades stand.

My best bit of advice for logic cheaters is to copy from someone who actually knows how to do the work. That way, your answers won't be uniquely bad.

From the "other" side of the tracks..

... comes a NEW student exam excuse..

I've been teaching for kind of a long time (7 years at BNCC alone) -- every year I have 400-500 students..

I've never had one tell me that she couldn't make the exam because, an hour before the exam, her mother got hauled off to jail, so she had to arrange bail money.

Yep -- her mom went to jail.

I don't know what for -- and I don't want to ask.

I believe her -- she's friends with my tutor, and apparently called the tutor from the car on the way to the jail...

Wow.

I get it...

... and I understand both sides of this problem...

Colleges are eliminating smaller "programs" -- like the 1 person Classics department.

For 22 years this guy has been the only person in the Classics "department". He describes teaching a 4/4 load -- that is mostly small classes... His upper-division classes are considered to have healthy enrollments at 5-7 students.

5-7 students in a CLASS.

He also says that he teaches one section of French.

So (this is all speculation) -- he gets paid about what I do -- for teaching in the neighborhood of 50 students. Tht estimate may be high, because it includes the assumption that his French class has 30... which it may well not...

He has a 4/4 load, so it's likely that there isn't much of a research obligation.

I have 50 students in ONE class. This semester I have 4 classes and 190 students (plus a release for being department chair...).

I also think that -- in the last 22 years -- he could have worked to increase the size of his department. I say that, as the 2nd full-time faculty member hired at BNCC. Wise Woman was #1 -- with a bunch of adjuncts, I was #2, 7 years ago. Together we advocated for two more hires... and it worked.

So -- while I think cutting Classics isn't a good idea -- I also think that he had it pretty cozy for a long time and didn't want to change... until it was too late and the college/economy changed under him.

On having substitues...

I've never taught K-12. I've never had a long absence (a week max..), or - at least one that wasn't planned into the syllabus -- like when I took a long time for debate nationals...

So, having a colleague teach my classes is a new experience for me.

It's required me to openly discuss my teaching methods, my class' abilities etc.

What's kind of odd about it, is that I'm still doing all the grading. I'm still the one who handles all the problems etc.. they are the ones conducting the classes I've planned.

The results will be interesting, to say the least. In Logic I'll give an exam my first week back -- so, my subs will do the teaching of the material and I'll be doing the assessment.

In Ethics, my sub is starting conversations on topics -- and I'll be evaluating their understanding of the topic in essay questions.

I'm really lucky to have fantastic colleagues who will help me out -- and it's quite fortunate that we didn't follow our old dean's requirements for scheduling -- (she wanted us all on campus 5 days/week...), as this only works because my logic subs are off T/Th... when all THREE of my logic classes meet.

Good Cancer news!!

Last week I had a PET scan (no furry beasts, just 30 minutes in a machine with my arms over my head).

The results are good -- nothing unusual -- I'm "normal".

For those of you ahead of me on the "cancer" trip -- you know how good this kind of news feels... and, for those of you behind me -- yes, it does feel as good as you think it will. Hang in there, you'll be there soon enough.

For now, perhaps a celebratory nap?

A thought on failure...

I'm coming to the conclusion that, in order to help some students succeed, you MUST permit them to fail.

Yep -- fail. Fail an exam they aren't prepared for. Fail a paper that sucks. Fail a class they didn't give their full attention to.

At my CC I have many smart, talented and ambitious students. I also have quite a few that can barely make it out of their parents' basement for an 11:00 class...

Their high schools didn't do them any favors by letting them slide by. Other profs haven't done them any favors by holding their hands. My theory is that I can give them the best resources and teaching I can provide - BUT, it's up to them to take advantage of it.

My logic class is a perfect example.

I have a decent book. I'm experienced teaching -- hundreds, if not thousands of students have earned Bs or As with my teaching techniques. I put the answers to ALL the problems on my office door. I take the exam from the problems -- and, last but not least I have an AMAZING tutor.

About 20% of my logic students will fail Thursday's exam miserably. About 2/3 of them will re-take successfully -- and the rest of them will work with my AMAZING tutor --- or drift away.

In Logic -- at least in my class -- you choose to fail.... and I'm all about respecting choices.

Don't wait until the last minute...

... I tell them.

Their exam has been open since Feb 19.

Today is March 1 -- the exam closes in 2 hours..

9 of them haven't taken it -- 2 are taking it right now.

Frankly, I'm kind of hoping they have "issues" -- that will teach them not to put it off.

Also -- since I pretty much gave them answers to EVERY essay question either Feb 17 or 19 -- and few of them actually took notes -- I hope their memories suck.

Yea -- I'm having a bit of random student irritation today... so sue me.