Teachers

[Mad Slanted Powers]

Classic!!

Yesterday I had a student who asked me if Hitler killed Mexicans.

Don't worry, I also had no clue where the hell she got that from.

There was some German-Mexican connection that I recall though. Perhaps he was thinking of the Zimmerman Telegram. Before that there was Emperor Maximillian who was part of the Austrian Hapsburg royalty.

[Bel-Cam Jos]

I keep a file of the most humorous or least sensible student comments (verbal or written) so's I can write a book in the future. Here's the only one I've found so far this year, by a freshman (and I always keep the grammar as written):

"To me a hero would be parents. I would say teachers are hero's, but they get payed for what they do so it doesn't count. Parents don't get payed for parenting, they actually lose more money."

And to stay in a positive attitude, I'll stay away from the "entitlement" issue right now.

[JetsAndHeels]

There was some German-Mexican connection that I recall though. Perhaps he was thinking of the Zimmerman Telegram. Before that there was Emperor Maximillian who was part of the Austrian Hapsburg royalty.

I know about the Zimmerman Telegram...it was a key factor in the US becoming involved in WW1....however this girl was not thinking about that at all...she's not one of the strongest students I have, but she is coming around and really starting to learn. As a teacher that is all I can hope for.

[TeeEye7]

I keep a file of the most humorous or least sensible student comments (verbal or written) so's I can write a book in the future. Here's the only one I've found so far this year, by a freshman (and I always keep the grammar as written):

Excellent idea for a book! When published, I would imagine you would keep the "authors" anonymous (to protect the innocent and moronic), but do you keep track of the person responsible for the quote in your notes? I think it would be great to lay that on someone who may become famous later on in life!
Did I say that?


BTW: What is it like to be payed?

[Qui-Long Gone]

So I hate to depress you teachers......

Yesterday a friend told me that one of her students (she's a TA in engineering this fall) told her that her class was too hard because she was demanding perfection and excellence.....


I don't know about you, but when I drive across a bridge, I expect perfection and excellence from engineers too!!!!!

[Jedi_Master_Guyute]

JMG, I'm curious. Do you have kids who feel that by virtue of showing up and paying for college, they should receive a passing grade?

My sister-in-law was a T/A at Fresno State University for several years and she finally quit after becoming sickened by the lack of work ethic her students showed (along with lame excuses as to why their work wasn't completed). They felt they deserved a passing grade just by taking up space in her class. Are you seeing that, too?

Well, I don't know think they really have that exact mindset that since they're paying they should get a good grade, but I deal with mostly freshmen and whatnot, so if anything, at first, they're just not used to being on their own and doing their thing without any sort of guidance.

Once they get settled, things usually get better, but i do have those kids from time to time who don't really put forth any effort and if anything, they start to freak out towards the end of semester and ask if I have any sort of extra credit or ways to make things up, which I usually don't. I do have a few extra credit things this semester, but most of the time, they're pretty much up a creek if they have slacked away the semester. I tend to stress that they are on their own and that nobody watches their grades aside from themselves.

I do hope your sister in law realizes that she is going to have kids who think they are entitled to grades and that kids will come up with excuses why they didn't do work (I had one tonight: "I didn't have time" which was BS cos I gave them a 3-5 page paper assignment 2 1/2 weeks ago). It's just part of teaching: some kids just want to slack.

[Bel-Cam Jos]

Excellent idea for a book! When published, I would imagine you would keep the "authors" anonymous (to protect the innocent and moronic), but do you keep track of the person responsible for the quote in your notes? I think it would be great to lay that on someone who may become famous later on in life!
Did I say that?


BTW: What is it like to be payed?

No, it's completely Ann Onymous. Although, there are some I don't think I'll forget, due to their classic nature.

And I believe "payed" is Arabic for "d'oh."

[TeeEye7]

I do hope your sister in law realizes that she is going to have kids who think they are entitled to grades and that kids will come up with excuses why they didn't do work (I had one tonight: "I didn't have time" which was BS cos I gave them a 3-5 page paper assignment 2 1/2 weeks ago). It's just part of teaching: some kids just want to slack.

That's the reason she reluctantly gave up on the job. She grew tired of the laziness that she said permeated the majority of her classes. The old "my grandmother's funeral" popped up all of the time. Many of the students forgot they used it repeatedly during the semester. She complained that if only her students would have put that creativity to paper, they might have come up with a good composition instead of a lame excuse. She misses her job, but doesn't regret her decision to let it go.

[Lowly Bantha Cleaner]

that's hilarious AND depressing.

Things were rough last week for my T/W classes as a lot of kids decided not to read the assigned reading as they were enjoying having monday off and that left me talking to myself as very few people were chiming in. So, for two of my four classes, I made them write a 2-3 page essay at the end of the class on a random topic i just assigned. I told them, "well, if you're not going to speak, you're going to write!" Luckily, my other two classes were on the ball and that made for a better environment.

A Jesuit who taught a religion class during my senior year had the perfect tonic for the many students who blow off assigned readings. He opened up each class with a 2 question quiz based on the assigned readings.

He never pulled any punches with the questions. They weren't "gotcha" questions and he told us that. If you did the reading, you were able to answer them successfully. If not, then you were screwed, because the quizzes were something like 25% of our final grade.

He saved much paper too, by having us write just the answers to the quiz on a piece of notebook paper. He would then collect it, grade it, and hand it back by the beginning of the next class so we could write our answers to the next quiz underneath it. Our grades from the previous quizzes were staring at us every class and it for me it was a motivating factor to do the readings.



As far as the sexism towards girl and boy students go, In my class I find myself unconsciously being tougher on boys than I am to my girls. Maybe it's because girls tend to listen better, be less defiant, and aren't as hyperactive. I lose frustration easily with a few of my boys, sometimes through no fault of my own. I don't see me being unfair with them, but I am definitely more upfront and direct with my male students.

[Qui-Long Gone]

You know, some of the best teachers are religion teachers.