For the last few semesters, I have given students a list of questions that may appear on the test. I then say that if you can answer all of these questions, you will probably do really well on the test.
Now, this semester, a number of students have e-mailed me and my GSIs direct questions directly from my power point, asking me to answer the questions. WTF is that about? I can not believe that students would come out and just cut and paste questions from the ppt doc and ask me to answer them. Why don't you show up to class? Even the last class, in which I read all of the questions to the students and allowed them to ask questions. Like "can you answer that one?" To which, I asked for anyone else in the class to answer it. They usually did. If no one knew the answer, I answered it in detail.
I really think that this is because I don't require students to attend class. I think that I have a LARGE part of the class that doesn't bother showing up at all. That really pisses me off.
It says something fundamental about the way that I am. If I give you freedom, I expect you to pull your end, and not f*ck around. It seems like a lot of people don't understand that. I imagine that I don't communicate that very well. I will have to try harder.
It is sort of like putting a sign on yourself that says "hey, walk all over me!" and being pissed off when people do. The sign comes off now.
4 years ago
2 comments:
Millenial punks. Though to be fair to the little brats, I also have a problem at work with getting the point across to the boomer swine (and occasionally even people my age) that just because I am not on a power trip doesn't mean I'm not the boss of you, nor does it mean I'm going to chew your food for you or find you copies of files you sent me two months ago or whatever.
Aw, come on now. Cut them some slack. Sometimes it's just hard to get out of bed in the morning. Or the afternoon for that matter. And they are developing a valuable life skill: let someone else do the work. I know a lot of people like that in the workplace, so obviously this is a good strategy, and I wish I would have learned it when I had the chance.
P.S. - That was hard to type. I'm going to have nightmares now.
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