tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post5850627947219363995..comments2023-10-15T04:23:50.187-04:00Comments on College Misery: When Life Intrudes.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-1103089348066087812011-10-31T12:14:09.945-04:002011-10-31T12:14:09.945-04:00My parents split up 3 weeks into my freshman year ...My parents split up 3 weeks into my freshman year at a SLAC in the Midwest.<br /><br />I got sick a lot that quarter, and subsequent quarters, and my roommate didn't like me. <br /><br />I still picked my ass up every morning and dragged it to class. <br /><br />Maybe I wasn't brilliant all the time, but I was there. When I was having trouble completing a paper (and freaking out about it)BurntChromehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06055976331443607569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-6635325310425136582011-10-31T09:52:20.702-04:002011-10-31T09:52:20.702-04:00The drug of choice at a couple of SLACs here in th...The drug of choice at a couple of SLACs here in the great Pacific NW is heroin. One school has had a couple of heroin OD deaths in the past year. <br /><br />And Gloria can be brilliant and *gasp* not complete college in four years. Or not complete college at all. <br /><br />For your own sanity and teaching longevity, Darla, try not to anchor your heart to a sinking student.Annie Oakleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02396950355961607377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-16446083100817868212011-10-31T05:05:14.807-04:002011-10-31T05:05:14.807-04:00Oh, about your last line: "I worry life will ...Oh, about your last line: "I worry life will get in the way and she'll never be what she might."<br /><br />There is no point worrying. She won't. Or, alternatively, she will - but you have to accept that the numerous difficulties, health issues, problems dealing with other people and basic time management issues are part of who she is. Her brilliance is only one piece of herMerely Academichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00452389428113097744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-75698963611177627552011-10-31T01:25:55.793-04:002011-10-31T01:25:55.793-04:00Re: Crazy Roommates
Gloria sounds like she had to ...Re: Crazy Roommates<br />Gloria sounds like she had to deal with the worst sort of college dorm-mate: the one who does not realize that this is a temporary situation. I had a couple both living on and off campus; they weren't worth the time and energy then, and I'm not going to write about them now. They're stumbling blocks and I wish that people like that would figure out what they Strelnikovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12660962615198939441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-48383921342536409052011-10-31T01:01:09.506-04:002011-10-31T01:01:09.506-04:00Answer to whiny entitled student (why can she skip...Answer to whiny entitled student (why can she skip and I caaaaan't?) - "fuck off". Or more politely "the same standard applies to all students in this class." And also, fuck off.<br /><br />re: is showing up part of the class? Yes, of course. It's the part that's covered by the participation grade. If you don't have a participation grade for the course, Merely Academichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00452389428113097744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-75972364652457747412011-10-30T21:06:12.628-04:002011-10-30T21:06:12.628-04:00I agree with the commenters who have been supporti...I agree with the commenters who have been supportive of Gloria. As an undergraduate student I went through some very personal nightmares that often made going to class quite difficult due to health and other issues. Even as a Graduate student I occasionally missed classes because of health reasons. I accepted the demerits for attendance and I worked hard in other ways to make up for it. BeingHypatiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13735495030568586015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-80654738993468282562011-10-30T20:04:54.613-04:002011-10-30T20:04:54.613-04:00I've had this problem, too, and my solution is...I've had this problem, too, and my solution is to make 10-20% of the grade come from reading quizzes, activities, attendance, and participation points. (The quizzes are the biggest portion of the score.) I factor in extra points (the assumption being that everyone will miss a day or two) so that a couple of absences won't hurt anybody, but a pattern of absences is detrimental. Usually, Prof Plumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08566253825729967710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-24715597087423500012011-10-30T18:08:53.342-04:002011-10-30T18:08:53.342-04:00Next term have a more detailed policy about giving...Next term have a more detailed policy about giving excused absences. I'm sure she has a note for being on that stretcher, for example, which would be an excused absence in most peoples' classes. <br /><br />I'll be glad to excuse absences for many things providing students are honest and get their work done on time. The people who disappear for weeks at a time with no excuse and then My Little Proffiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14843685528001871813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-33919169367131532642011-10-30T16:15:49.502-04:002011-10-30T16:15:49.502-04:00Bring back the shorts.Bring back the shorts.AdjunctSlavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17025851491072402087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-31750670555192903852011-10-30T15:53:36.398-04:002011-10-30T15:53:36.398-04:00"One of my profs (was that you, Frog and Toad..."One of my profs (was that you, Frog and Toad?) flat out told me that brilliant but unreliable was not an acceptable operating mode."<br /><br />If it had been, would that have been so terrible? I would have followed it up with resources, sure, and I never said it to anyone who was having a health crisis. But divorcing parents? Roommate disagreements? Siblings in trouble? Plenty ofFrog and Toadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06377542172335502858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-46458899451791648742011-10-30T15:45:33.702-04:002011-10-30T15:45:33.702-04:00Now we know that the Monkey is Gloria in disguise....Now we know that the Monkey is Gloria in disguise. For that alone, I hope she gets an A+. <br /><br /><i>"Look at me, I'm a professor! Get out of my way!"</i><br /><br />rofl<br /><br />8-)Southern Bubba, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12050992903794385204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-31490084767464231262011-10-30T15:39:25.361-04:002011-10-30T15:39:25.361-04:00Two more things:
1) Midnight Choir, returning to ...Two more things:<br /><br />1) Midnight Choir, returning to school later for me was also a crazy different experience. Straight As, benefiting from skills I developed while having seizures applied to a period when my seizures were under more (though not total) control.<br /><br />2) When I was in school having seizures, my GPA was a 2.8. All As and Fs. No in between. Why? Because some professors Academic Monkeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07086078244493768565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-59819785457934669832011-10-30T15:32:17.576-04:002011-10-30T15:32:17.576-04:00Darla,
Please, please please pass this student.
...Darla,<br /><br />Please, please please pass this student.<br /><br />I suffered anemia too. But that was subsumed by the problems caused by my having seizures all over campus.<br /><br />I couldn't stop the seizures from happening. And when they happened, I could not go to class. I could barely stand and coordinate my arms for about 16 hours. I slept it off. <br /><br />But the next day, Academic Monkeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07086078244493768565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-64692367083685048512011-10-30T14:39:59.967-04:002011-10-30T14:39:59.967-04:00"If there's no actual policy, and she'..."If there's no actual policy, and she's passing, who cares? Tell the little pissers she doesn't get anything they don't get and don't worry about it." <br /><br />I, too, incline strongly to this view, especially the MYOB response to the classmates. But I'd be getting a bit tired of the office visits by now (and would feel guilty about feeling that way). <brContingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-16239512037658499532011-10-30T14:26:52.848-04:002011-10-30T14:26:52.848-04:00"Gloria, when you're there, you're th...<i>"Gloria, when you're there, you're the best student in my sophomore literature class. And the other students appreciate you being there."</i><br /><br />That's the honest thing to say... or to type in a brief email to her. Yes, it's ok to put it in writing.<br /><br />Maybe she's agoraphobic. Maybe she's this. Maybe she's that. Maybe she's pullingSouthern Bubba, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12050992903794385204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-14893877946128647472011-10-30T14:09:28.095-04:002011-10-30T14:09:28.095-04:00In my undergrad, I was a Gloria.
My particular cir...In my undergrad, I was a Gloria.<br />My particular circumstances were different, but my challenges were myriad, compound, significant...and all-too real.<br />I'm sure that some of the profs thought I was scamming them, or making stuff up.<br />I wasn't.<br />Ever.<br />One of my profs (was that you, Frog and Toad?) flat out told me that brilliant but unreliable was not an acceptable drunk in a midnight choirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15648918436053645324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-63773268935760359162011-10-30T13:49:28.082-04:002011-10-30T13:49:28.082-04:00So I teach at two schools -- Public Ivy State and ...So I teach at two schools -- Public Ivy State and Second String State. The students at PIS act like Gloria (some of them). They want lots of accommodations (sp), they want individual meetings, and they don't want to explain what the f*ck is going on. In contrast, the students at SSS don't miss class, and when they do, they bring me scads of documentation about why they missed class...I&cmthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814447289455034068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-64427558743595907382011-10-30T13:36:44.686-04:002011-10-30T13:36:44.686-04:00"When Gloria sits in my office, we talk about...<i>"When Gloria sits in my office, we talk about class. I don't redo the lectures, but we have discussions about what we've read. She usually just tells me what she thinks about the work, its value." </i><br /><br />I know that most SLACs have a commitment to teaching, and that students at such institutions can expect to get a good amount of one-on-one time with their professorsDefunct Adjuncthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12954331373226016090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-25186791954124252622011-10-30T13:00:22.503-04:002011-10-30T13:00:22.503-04:00I was Gloria in my previous life, and unlike Stell...I was Gloria in my previous life, and unlike Stella's kids my laundry list of good reasons was true. I still deserved to fail. As I've told freshmen before, smart kids fail out of college all the time.<br /><br />Having sympathy doesn't mean being a doormat.New England Nataliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01035798065496710431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-4542460987918961732011-10-30T11:58:14.131-04:002011-10-30T11:58:14.131-04:00Sounds like Gloria might have a drug problem herse...Sounds like Gloria might have a drug problem herself. Do you know for a fact she's anemic, had the flu, got kicked out of her dorm for "cooking smells" or is this just what Gloria has reported to you? Students that want you to give them slack usually have a laundry list of "good" reasons why, which are often never the real reason and also often lies. <br /><br />Also,StellafromSparksburghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17584701718285662953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-6156843609806271352011-10-30T09:54:24.634-04:002011-10-30T09:54:24.634-04:00"If there's no actual policy, and she'..."If there's no actual policy, and she's passing, who cares? Tell the little pissers she doesn't get anything they don't get and don't worry about it."<br /><br />Hear, hear.<br /><br />If attendance and/or class contribution is a material part of the course, then make it a material part of the grade. And dock her those points.Stewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08152778218277191283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-4947606800518985662011-10-30T09:44:36.635-04:002011-10-30T09:44:36.635-04:00If I'm remembering correctly, Darla is new to ...If I'm remembering correctly, Darla is new to the SLAC scene. And she is being scammed. I taught at SLACs long enough to know that they contain a fair percentage of very bright, well-prepared students who have not needed to work very hard to get by in their lives, and therefore ... don't. They are chronic underachievers, banking on the fact that you'll identify enough with their Frog and Toadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06377542172335502858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-8634459974749185672011-10-30T09:44:17.671-04:002011-10-30T09:44:17.671-04:00If there's no actual policy, and she's pas...If there's no actual policy, and she's passing, who cares? Tell the little pissers she doesn't get anything they don't get and don't worry about it.Wombat of the Copierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14847183793780076028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-35347764316581559812011-10-30T08:46:34.029-04:002011-10-30T08:46:34.029-04:00I understand the comments above, but I empathize w...I understand the comments above, but I empathize with Darla 100%. I want students to have the chance to achieve in their own way, and I'm pulling for Gloria to keep it together. I have her, too, you see.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-77963734586468536482011-10-30T08:44:47.376-04:002011-10-30T08:44:47.376-04:00@ Surly ... AMEN!
It never ceases to amaze me -- ...@ Surly ... AMEN!<br /><br />It never ceases to amaze me -- for all of the benefit online delivery of classes has -- how it also has eviscerated the work ethic required to be successful.<br /><br />One of the big online schools began with the slogan "Online education built <i>around</i> you" (emphasis added).<br /><br />To their credit, they quickly dropped it when it became sharply Aware and Scaredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14700345349806280657noreply@blogger.com