tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post2645534834119751273..comments2023-10-15T04:23:50.187-04:00Comments on College Misery: As if a Dead Grandma Wasn't Enough.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-43014607069796420322016-04-20T22:06:17.038-04:002016-04-20T22:06:17.038-04:00I "grade" on attendance only because I b...I "grade" on attendance only because I believe participation is important, and attendance is one (imperfect, partial) indicator of participation, one that is both objective and attainable by shy or socially-anxious students. (I also have a more subjective component.) I have a fairly liberal attendance policy--if you attend at least 90% of class sessions you get 100% attendance credit, Ed Yutanenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-60374524565839420112016-04-20T14:23:50.953-04:002016-04-20T14:23:50.953-04:00I think Prof P articulates the reasonable compromi...I think Prof P articulates the reasonable compromise position: yes, such absences can be excused, but since they easily allow advance notice, it's also reasonable to require it. I've got a pretty comprehensive statement on my syllabus requiring advance notice/planning for everything from athletic to family obligations. <br /><br />The wildcard is, indeed, dealing with situations where a Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-69563302681840047272016-04-20T13:38:16.107-04:002016-04-20T13:38:16.107-04:00I would buttress the suggestion made earlier in th...I would buttress the suggestion made earlier in this thread by TPP that for some cultures these anniversaries are very important, that's fine, but what is not fine is expecting this to excuse someone from a classroom activity/evaluation without proper notice. Most universities have religious accommodation notice periods of several weeks in advance, and I would think that these Prof Poopieheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00997969128824319914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-31395589752076926542016-04-20T13:19:32.116-04:002016-04-20T13:19:32.116-04:00Thanks all for the input. I was unaware of the imp...Thanks all for the input. I was unaware of the importance of such anniversaries, even though I've lived in these parts for a long, long time. I guess my hackles were raised as I thought about my own experiences. When I was in a different career and dealing with a parent dying of cancer 1200 miles away, my boss had a fit when I scheduled a flight home on a workday, despite his protestation Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-56007469367015404192016-04-20T13:05:51.062-04:002016-04-20T13:05:51.062-04:00Ohhhh. Said student is Latin@. But I have lived in...Ohhhh. Said student is Latin@. But I have lived in this culture for 25 years, and taught in it for 15, and this is definitely a first.<br />I am accustomed to having students miss class to take grandparents to doctor appointments, watch siblings, and go out of town for Holy Week. I guess one can never know everything about a given culture until the situation arises. Thank you, and now I feel kindAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-23530024215218027472016-04-20T12:28:30.874-04:002016-04-20T12:28:30.874-04:00I'll add (hopefully not concurrently with you)...I'll add (hopefully not concurrently with you) that dealing with student excuses is significantly more difficult when there are more students to teach with less of my time spent teaching. If I taught a couple of small classes with no other research obligations, I could craft an alternate assignment of equal difficulty (but not as straightforward as a make-up test) when a student missed an Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-39730621674324598632016-04-20T09:37:02.586-04:002016-04-20T09:37:02.586-04:00Indeed! And now we just did it again.
And good ...Indeed! And now we just did it again. <br /><br />And good point on the non-surprising timing. I suppose that's another line to add to the syllabus, and could be lumped in with general responsibility to be aware of, or at least check in with parents about, such family and/or religious obligations at the beginning of the semester. <br /><br />Students tend to leave it to their parents to Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-56247532763354165882016-04-20T09:33:09.885-04:002016-04-20T09:33:09.885-04:00And it looks like TPP had somewhat similar (if mor...And it looks like TPP had somewhat similar (if more compact) thoughts to mine. It sounds like this anniversary is significant in a number of cultural traditions. That makes sense; psychologists will tell you that many people experience various sorts of psychological disturbance around the anniversary of a death, even a long-ago one, even if they don't consciously remember the date, or noticeContingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-65118062383427768342016-04-20T09:32:05.670-04:002016-04-20T09:32:05.670-04:00Looks as though we were writing at the same time! ...Looks as though we were writing at the same time! And Judaism has some similar ceremonies. <br /><br />I will add this: students know when those ceremonies are--and I ask them to make arrangements at the start of a semester and not the day before. TubaPlayingProfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06524484569241433720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-22804752240646435462016-04-20T09:30:53.868-04:002016-04-20T09:30:53.868-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-87345550208501497662016-04-20T09:27:28.631-04:002016-04-20T09:27:28.631-04:00Not that this isn't frustrating, but there mig...Not that this isn't frustrating, but there might be specific religious and/or cultural rituals to be performed on the day (none in my tradition, but I vaguely recall there are some in at least some branches of Judaism). <br /><br />I guess this brings up the question of how much, in an increasingly multicultural world, our students (and we) should explain. I'm generally on the side of Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-61209732953738777172016-04-20T09:27:15.802-04:002016-04-20T09:27:15.802-04:00Pardon a second reply. I was speaking from my own...Pardon a second reply. I was speaking from my own cultural views (and neglected to add that if the student is not local, s/he may want or be expected to travel home for the mass). Pardon me too for not asking if the student is "Asian," for many Asian cultures have ceremonies on the "death anniversary" as well.TubaPlayingProfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06524484569241433720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-65314642770031237682016-04-20T09:21:47.098-04:002016-04-20T09:21:47.098-04:00Is the student Latin@? The one-year anniversary i...Is the student Latin@? The one-year anniversary is indeed significant for many.TubaPlayingProfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06524484569241433720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-88076897757705152532016-04-20T08:32:30.846-04:002016-04-20T08:32:30.846-04:00His/her boss won't be speechless.His/her boss won't be speechless.Fulton Frednoreply@blogger.com