One of the problems with today's student seems to be that they feel they are "entitled" in some way. Entitled to doing what they please, whenever they please, how they please. And any modicum of effort on their part, means that they "tried really hard" and therefore deserve something for it. A good grade. Your understanding. Your forgiveness.
You get the point.
I have a student in my class this semester who I had in my class last semester. She dropped my class last semester before the deadline because she had already acquired 9 absences in my class. The university's policy stipulates that 9 or more absences results in automatic failure of the course. At the time, I was glad to see her go. She showed little effort in class, and she had done poorly on her first paper.
I was somewhat dismayed to see her show back up on my roll this semester - for an 8am class no less. I wasn't sure if I should take this as some sort of compliment. Truth be told, I felt strange about having her in my class again. I wondered if I would be able to mentally give her a "clean slate."
I tried though, I tried really hard.
She registered for my class with a friend. She and said friend often come to class late; come unprepared; come to socialize. Last Friday, they were particularly chatty. The class was supposed to be working independently, but when I looked over at the two of them, they were cracking up and having a grand-old-time. I shot them a death look and said, "SERIOUSLY?"
Today when I took attendance, she wasn't there. Absence #7.
SERIOUSLY?
This day was different though. She came in 30 minutes late. My class is 50 minutes.
After class was over, she approached me to ask whether or not I counted her as absent?
"Well, you were thirty minutes late. That's over half the class."
My syllabus stipulates that being tardy more than 10 minutes may result in an absence.
"Yeah, I know. But I tried really hard to get here."
"Well, we'll have to talk about it. That makes your 7th absence; like last semester you're in danger of failing the class again."
"I know. That's why I tried really hard. I guess you'll do what you have to do."
Thank you for your permission.
After she left, the next student who came up to me looked scared. "You look like you're going to kill me." I thought I had kept my anger to my "inside face," but apparently not.
It's official. I can't see that student as someone deserving of my time or energy anymore. I tried really hard though. Does it count?
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4 comments:
You poor thing... I hate dealing with the bad student before I deal with the good ones. Always ruins it for the good ones.
She was absent. Let her slide on this and she'll be thirty minutes late after trying "really hard" for the rest of the semester.
It all goes back to the idea that the teacher GIVES the student an F, but the student somehow GETS, for themselves, a good grade. They want to take credit for anything positive and blame you for anything negative, even when it's clearly their own damn fault.
I'm very disturbed to see that you guys have the same problems with college students that I have with high school students!!
I blame it all on the teachers. ;)
A quote from today's Daily Mississippian:
Darius Roby, a freshman international studies major at Ole Miss, said he hasn't heard of that many disputed grades himself but understands why a classmate might have issues with a poor mark.
"They feel like they worked really hard and they didn't get the grade they deserve because they came to class every day," he said.
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