Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Midterm Whinefest

Ah, midterms are upon us. The Whine commences. I should have bought more cheese.

I won't go into details. Let's just say that there is nothing that gets me grumpier than students who want to make-up assignments they forgot to do, email me AFTER an assignment is due- by DAYS- to please can they turn it in now? students who suddenly want the midterm in a different format (I'm supposed to get those magic accomodation letters the first couple of weeks of school, or at least a couple weeks after they are granted, not the morning of the exam). Except one thing. Students who call/email/show up the morning after the exam is due wanting to make it up. Email is available 24 hours a day. If you have an emergency, why not drop me a line when you get home and say "Oops, I had an emergency?" instead of waiting until the assignment is over or... ?

I'm wrong. There is one more thing that makes me even grumpier than any of that. Students who get belligerent when I tell them "sorry you forgot to take this... but no." For some reason, students think nasty emails are going to soften my position on the matter. I have no clue why. If they think they have nothing to lose, they are quite wrong. I am happy to forward threatening and nasty email to my department chair and dean of students.

Taking college classes? Be polite and respectful to your professors. Making professors grumpy is a bad idea. Look at it this way: I went through college AND grad school. And guess what? When I forgot an assignment or slept through a test, I got a zero on it. Suck it up.

4 comments:

Casdok said...

Good rant!!
Yes more cheese will help!

Niksmom said...

LOL. I hear similar things from Niksdad as he goes through nursing school (one of the elders in the class)..."the 'kids' are so young and immature and can't handle the pressure..." SUCK.IT.UP.

Heidi said...

kids these days... expect it to be handed to them on a plate.

Oh deary me, I am starting to sound like my own mother. Worse, I am starting to sound like my mother-in-law.

Club 166 said...

Slightly off topic:

A couple of years ago I was giving a lecture to a small group of residents (doctors in training). There were probably 20 or so of them there.

I'm near the end, and running about 5 minutes over the allotted time. One of them gets up to leave.

ME: "Where are you going?" I ask.

RESIDENT: "I'm leaving. My wife is waiting for me."

ME: (somewhat incredulous) "I'm not done. But I'll be done shortly."

RESIDENT: (continuing to walk out) "Sorry, Dr. X. But I'm a lot more scared of her than I am of you".

What could I say?

Joe