Dear students X and Y,What the fuck are you doing e-mailing me and asking me for a detailed breakdown of your marks on CHRISTMAS, for Chrissakes?!! These marks were posted weeks ago! On CHRISTMAS? Really?!!
And what does that say about me? Checking my (school) e-mail account on CHRISTMAS as well? WTF is wrong with ME?!! Maybe it's just karma. Serves me right. UGH!
A word of advice. Just don't do it. Don't. Even. Peek.
Happy holidays, CMers!!! :)
ChrryBlstr
Karma! Pretty funny.
ReplyDeleteAhh, the luxury of being a legacy instructor.
ReplyDeleteFor those of us toiling in the for-profit online world, things like holiday breaks are a quaint notion from yesteryear.
My institution sent cheery holiday greetings with a reminder that -- although the corporate offices would close for the holidays (!) -- faculty were expected to maintain access and "presence" standards.
Of course, the majority of students go MIA, expecting all sorts of accommodations, which, of course, faculty are expected to "use good judgement" in granting. Meanwhile, faculty must work in and around the holidays just in case a few students choose to also observe the lack of official holiday break.
Ho, ho, ho!
A&S - That's terrible! I had NO idea this existed and simply assumed that all institutions closed down at some point for a holiday break.
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping that all of your students go MIA 'til the New Year then! :)
Ho, ho, ho, indeed!!!
A&S: On the other side of the same coin, when some of us have a need to work on the holidays, admins go and shut everything (both real and virtual) down for 'maintenance'. After all, they reason: Nobody needs access over the holidays.
ReplyDeleteI'm on a one-week email fast. My friends have my phone number and my Facebook account. Anyone else can wait until New Year.
ReplyDeleteHowever, students email you when they happen to think of it; it doesn't mean they expect to hear from you the same day, or even week. You might want to send a fake auto-response that says "CB is away from the office and will not be checking email until (pick a date: I recommend one in February). Merry Christmas!"
MA: I wish. I just checked again and received "re-sends" of the previous requests yesterday (Dec. 26), as I had sort of anticipated. Yes, both students are flakes. I'm seriously considering waiting 'til the 2nd to respond.
ReplyDeleteAnd an e-mail fast sounds about right since a fake auto-response is too late! (Note to self for next year) I should just stop checking my e-mail during the break. UGH!
CB
R and/or S:
ReplyDeleteWhat you described is similar to what happened at my alma mater starting in the mid-1990s. The time between classes at the end of the year was greatly valued by grad students as we had easy access to the library and computing facilities after most of the undergrads left campus.
Unfortunately, it was decided one year that it cost too much to keep the place open during those few days, except for the statutory holidays when it was closed anyway. The result was that once exams were over, there was a mad rush by the grad students to borrow books or make photocopies.
Many of us kept working during that time of year, but if there were problems with the computers or lab equipment, we had to either wait until after the start of the new year to get it fixed or take care of it ourselves.