Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Speedy Rant: Midterm Warnings

I have learned a valuable lesson.  When a student doesn't show up for the first eight weeks, and you call his coach and financial aid and they contact him, and he comes to see you and promises that he will attend every future class and submit all the late work and so on . . . that means that he'll show up for a week, submit one hastily scratched out assignment, and then disappear forever.

Why, then, do I bother with midterm grade warnings?  Students who have made it a habit of never doing the work will not easily break that habit.  One warning and a stern talking to will not do it.  Failing the class will.  Retention is bullshit.  We shouldn't be trying to retain them, but get rid of them.  Those students without the necessary habits of mind to succeed are a drain on the resources of the university, not an investment.  

Alternately, we could train them in those habits of mind.  That's the route the more compassionate and less annoyed part of me would prefer.  But try suggesting that one at a faculty meeting or to an administrator.  

10 comments:

  1. So much here.

    Those students without the necessary habits of mind to succeed are a drain on the resources of the university, not an investment. (Aside- my own personal stance, so Amen to this.)

    Alternately, we could train them in those habits of mind. Ironic, isn't it?

    Once said program is implemented, the hot topic at the subsequent faculty meeting would be, "These administrators and their 'pet projects' sucking up all the funding, creating additional levels of bureaucracy and pampering these snot-nosed little snowflakes! What ever happened to 'shared governance'?! Harumph, harumph!" Double irony, for the win!

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  2. I spent time filling out Early Warnings for 6 students. All 6 have since disappeared off the face of the earth (along with a few others).

    Guess what I'm not doing next semester?

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  3. I fill out those reports in part to create a paper trail...

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  4. Why even wait for excuses? If a student doesn't show up for the first eight weeks--that's half of the entire semester--he should be dropped. No conversation is necessary. And I'd bet that your school has a written policy about this somewhere.

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    1. EXACTLY! SOmeone shouldn't be able to pass a course when they've missed more than half of it.

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  5. I mainly do this for CYA purposes. I've never been called on it, but just in case a student complains I have back-up.

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  6. Why train them in those habits of mind? They've had twelve years to acquire those habits. If their teachers and parents had no success or interest in emphasizing those skills, it is not the proffies' problem.

    Forget retention, go with the old GIGO computer model.

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  7. I hate all the hand-holding I do, especially since so little of it does any obvious good.

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    1. If this student did any job in the world like he's doing your class, he'd be fired. Proffies have come under a lot of criticism lately for not preparing our students for work and life in the real world: I think everyone would be better off if we did.

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