Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Summer Snowflake Correspondence

Yesterday, a few days after I sent emails to students whose courses were cut (as a result of The Idiot's failures) letting them know about other course options and their student status, I received this message:

Prissy Prof,
Sorry that it has taken me so long to respond. If at all possible is there any way we could meet this week after two, that is when I get off work. I have no idea what do with my schedule because I only have 9 credit hours now. I will be checking my email all week to see what we can do. Thanks again for letting me know.

sincerely,
Snowflake

I responded right away with this message:

Snowflake,

I can meet with you today [Monday] or Wednesday after 2 to discuss your schedule. First, though, add [class I teach] at 2:00. You need it; it fits your current schedule; and it will get you back to full time. Then we can figure out what other class you may be interested in.

Just let me know what day you prefer.
Prissy Prof

The response I got back from this worried student who was going to check his email all week: the sound of crickets enjoying their evening.

No reply mail; no change in his schedule; not even a "screw you, bitch, for fucking up my life." Not that I'm surprised, of course, just annoyed at how hard I've been working this summer for students who can't be bothered to give a fuck.

Can I get an amen?

7 comments:

  1. Shout it from the mountaintop, sister!

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  2. Be grateful he's not dominating your time.

    Also, expect him to show up, looking for you, on Wednesday after 2 despite not confirming with an appointment. And when you're not there or with another students, he's likely to rant and rave and complain that you're NEVER available and you're NOT helpful at all.

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  3. Assuming that he didn't have to work overtime/ deal with a flood in his apartment/ get his computer repaired/ deal with a girlfriend who announced that she's pregnant, and not by him /breaking an arm playing Frisbee after work, what I think likely happened is that he got your email, thought "oh thank God, this can be dealt with after all", and now that his immediate fears were relieved, it promptly slipped a little in his priority list.

    As happens. If the paperwork doesn't have to be signed by Friday, he's let it go a little. Now if it DOES have to be signed by Friday, he's a snowflake.

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  4. My friends in IT put it this way: If there is no response, assume problem is solved and all is well.

    But jeez, yeah, it annoys me when I don't get a response. Since becoming a prof, I've become much conscious about sending out thank yous and such.

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  5. If it can't muster up enough gratitude or disappointment to at least say "thank you" or "fuck you," assuming that it can process complex emotion like humans can, then it deserves nary a minute more of your time.

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  6. Amen! I deal with this shit constantly: special requests made with pleading voices and many excuses, which I give in to, and which are then ignored by the student. FUCK THEM.

    The student might as well just ask "Can I totally waste your time for a while?"

    I had one the other day who really, really wanted to take a quiz early. I printed out the quiz, filled out the fucking form, put it in the testing center, and he never showed. 20 points down the shitter, and a waste of time for me.

    My only consolation prize? It's going to help destroy his grade, and he earned that destruction 100%.

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  7. @No Cookies-I know EXACTLY what you're talking about with using the testing center on-campus. You don't know how many students beg, plead, etc. to either take an exam early or I bend and let them make something up to NEVER bother going to the center.I just LOVE walking all the way there, filling out the fucking paperwork, and then going back after the date only to be given back the blank test. My favorite is when they try to get me to allow them to take it even later after missing the make-up! UGH!!

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