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.