|
alleyoxenfree
|
 |
« Reply #255 on: November 05, 2009, 03:40:19 PM » |
|
A recent TV ad for a local technical training school offered this appeal to prospective customers students:
"Its time to change your life."
I tried to explain to my students today how this just worsens the school's already shaky reputation in my on going effort to prove why learning basic rules of grammar, spelling, and punctuation is important.
A student replied, "Only you would notice that."
Really?!
Suggested cheer for their football team, surely to be established soon. We're illiterate. Yes we do! We can't read! How 'bout you?! |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
scienceguy
Distinguished Senior
Member
Posts: 208
|
|
« Reply #256 on: November 05, 2009, 04:48:47 PM » |
|
A recent TV ad for a local technical training school offered this appeal to prospective customers students:
"Its time to change your life."
I tried to explain to my students today how this just worsens the school's already shaky reputation in my on going effort to prove why learning basic rules of grammar, spelling, and punctuation is important.
A student replied, "Only you would notice that."
Really?!
You were just being ironic by breaking ongoing into two words, right? |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
olandaku
New member
Posts: 46
|
|
« Reply #257 on: November 05, 2009, 04:55:03 PM » |
|
1 week, 3 students. Total headdesk. Had trouble getting out of bed today.
Am I overdoing this teaching and mentoring thing?
Student 1 (in office hours): I need to go to [foreign country whose language I'm teaching] to do study abroad next semester, even though I am a freshman, have only studied this language for 2 months, and have no money and will get into debt. I need to do it so that I can get [foreign country] out of the way. I'll just talk to people there and learn [foreign language there]. That's how I learned English.
Me: Ummm... (45 minutes of trying to convince student 1 that this is not a great idea)
Study-abroad coordinator: Umm... 1 day of e-mail exchanges trying to convince student this is not a great idea. Tells me that said student is actually still learning English, taking ESL.
My supervisor: Ummm... He wrote me and wants to meet with ME now, so that I can "let him go to [foreign country]." What gives? OK, let's meet with him.
Study abroad supervisor: Ummm... He asked me to meet with you all to discuss this.
Student: [Doesn't show up to that meeting].
Everyone involved: Explode.
Student 2 (in an e-mail): Hi, I need to know my grade now.
Me: Dear Student 2, I will provide you with a grade at the end of the semester. If you want to know your grade now, please consult your syllabus and see how much each assignment is weighted, then calculate your grade based on how much you got on each assignment.
Student 2 (next e-mail): I just need to know my grade now because I am thinking of dropping your class. It's competing with my other classes. Also, if I am not going to pass, I need to know when the add/drop deadline is.
Me: (rant angrily to husband, then compose this): At our university, the passing grade is D. I don't think this is your grade now, but I do remember you didn't turn in a lot of homework. We need to meet to set up a plan for you to finish any missing assignments. Also, please remember we have a test tomorrow.
Student 2: Thank you.
Doesn't show up to the test.
I have an appointment with him today, which I absolutely long to cancel. But won't.
Me: Student 3, I think you may have some learning issues. [Background: student is having trouble spelling his own name and is trying to learn a fairly complex foreign language.] I know that you are trying really hard in this class, but your grade is a low D. I would really like to help you. I'd like you to call the office of counseling. Here's the phone number. They would be in a good position to figure out how to help you.
Student 3, clearly traumatized: Oh, I don't wanna do that. I am not insane, you know! I just need to read more children's books in your language and watch more movies.
Me: That would certainly help. But we also need to figure out what's going on. You are spelling most words in such a way that I don't understand what you are saying. In many words, entire chunks of words are missing and I don't know how to help you get over this.
Student: Okay... (Looks dejected, walks away).
|
|
|
|
« Last Edit: November 05, 2009, 04:59:27 PM by olandaku »
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
concordancia
|
|
« Reply #258 on: November 05, 2009, 05:08:44 PM » |
|
I cannot f'in believe you stopped to look up the word permitir. It is PERMIT -ir. As if that weren't enough, once you looked it up, you needed to write down the translation so that you wouldn't forget???
And you, given the previous example, I didn't really expect you to get from aumentar to augment, but I am surprised that you don't know what augment means.
And for all y'all, I know you didn't know what "passive voice" meant before we started this semester. That is why we had a whole class on it. Let's go out on the street and ask who knows what "Se habla" means. Don't assign random subjects to verbs when the directions say to use the passive AND we do the first one together, taking time to talk about the passive voice.
And people wonder why I refer to my students as illiterate. I have suggested we just choose another first year book for second year, but my opinion doesn't really count. We are planning a revolution in 3 to 5 years.
Five more teaching days - presentations for the last week of classes!
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
I like money. I like to buy stuff and experiences with money.
|
|
|
|
magistra
|
|
« Reply #259 on: November 05, 2009, 05:16:05 PM » |
|
Mine do this too. They look up everything (or not), no thinking involved. Of course, it doesn't help when an innocent little verb like "servo" rarely means "serve". It does mean "preserve", though. I made a point of saying that in class. Yet on the quiz....
Olandaku: welcome to the asylum. I think you are taking things too hard - try to ease up on yourself. You've tried, now it's up to them. And it's a blessing in disguise that #1 didn't show. Maybe he got the message.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
First it was Wolfram and Hart, now it's Blackboard. There's not much moral difference, if you ask me. -- Malcha
Grammar is the chocolate in the buttery croissant of life. -- Yellowtractor
Okay, so that was petty. Today, I feel like embracing pettiness. -- Mended Drum
|
|
|
der_gadfly
SSOB-hatin', snarklet-writin'
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 1,844
oy vey
|
|
« Reply #260 on: November 05, 2009, 05:41:02 PM » |
|
Collecting exams today.... simple instructions:
1-hand in the answer sheet
2-hand in your take home assignment
2a-if I do not have it in my hand by 2PM, lose 10 points
2b-if you email it, lose 5 points - may be assessed in addition to 2a above
2c- if I leave today without the assignment, don't bother - it loses 100% of its value
3-pick up the new assignment schedule
4- have a nice weekend
Snowflake: "Can I email it tomorrow?"
Moi: (looks at instructions), "Um, no. you have 3 hours to get this in to me. Why not go take care of it now?"
Snowflake: "But you don't understand, (adds the footstomp thing too, for effect), I have to go to practice!"
Moi: "Soooo, practice starts at 10Am and it is more important than my assignments, yes I understand. Thank you for clearing that up for me."
Exit Snowflake - my head meets table several times- loud enough to disturb the few remaining test-takers
advance clock to 3PM...
no paper, had observed junior hanging out in the halls with his buddies, and overheard him bragging about how he "handled his prof"..... I can't wait till his coach cuts him....
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
(and I bow before der_gadfly) Don't forget, that cat hair can come in handy as a good luck charm! |
|
|
temporaryname
Junior faculty,
Senior member
Posts: 896
|
|
« Reply #261 on: November 05, 2009, 07:38:53 PM » |
|
I cannot f'in believe you stopped to look up the word permitir. It is PERMIT -ir. As if that weren't enough, once you looked it up, you needed to write down the translation so that you wouldn't forget???
<snip>
I'm with you, but, in the snowflake's defense,* false cognates mean you have to be on guard. I mean, the German words aktuell, eventuell, and especially Präservativ most emphatically do *not* mean actual, eventual, or preservative. * And as Magistra pointed out. |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
mickeymantle
|
|
« Reply #262 on: November 05, 2009, 08:31:31 PM » |
|
Sometimes your seemingly solid students can go astray. A few days ago I was teaching an early afternoon class (always hazardous under usual circumstances) and I was recovering from a knee injury. I propped up my knee, apologized for the situation, and started lecturing.
For the next thirty minutes I see Mr. Sports Guy continually looking at the clock, and making jokes with Apparent Girlfriend.
Finally, I stop the lecture and say, "Look, if you need to look at the clock continually, please do it outside of the classroom. If you need to make jokes, please do the same."
Silence. Mr. Sports (a good guy, if not an excellent student) suddenly leaves the class.
"May I ask where you are going?" I ask.
"I'm going to ---- practice," he huffs before leaving.
This is the first time I've had to encounter crap from this guy, and I just don't understand it. Maybe Mr. Sports Guy needed some adrealine shots.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
conjugate
Compulsive punster and insatiable reader, and
Member-Moderator
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,690
Tends to have warped sense of humor
|
|
« Reply #263 on: November 05, 2009, 10:50:40 PM » |
|
Mine do this too. They look up everything (or not), no thinking involved. Of course, it doesn't help when an innocent little verb like "servo" rarely means "serve". It does mean "preserve", though. I made a point of saying that in class. Yet on the quiz....
Ah, the feared and dreaded False Cognate. Gotta love it. Like preguntar , which I'll bet lots of your students would guess means "to impregnate" or something similar. Except that, as one of the common -ar verbs, it's one that they've probably been expected to practice with. |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
Unfortunately, I think conjugate gives good advice.
∀ε>0∃δ>0∋|x–a|<δ⇒|ƒ(x)-ƒ(a)|<ε |
|
|
i_do_not_have_a_phd
Junior member
Posts: 56
|
|
« Reply #264 on: November 05, 2009, 11:01:09 PM » |
|
I stop the lecture and say, "Look, if you need to look at the clock continually, please do it outside of the classroom. If you need to make jokes, please do the same."
...
Silence. Mr. Sports (a good guy, if not an excellent student) suddenly leaves the class.
"May I ask where you are going?" I ask. So you invite a student to leave the class, and then call him out on it when he does so? Can I ask why you basically told him to leave, if you'd not planned on letting him do so without a hassle? |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
gennimom
Somewhat Southern (Have I really posted that much?)
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,764
Let's get summer over with! Me want snow!
|
|
« Reply #265 on: November 06, 2009, 10:42:24 AM » |
|
Actually, he gave the student an option. Stay in class, shut up and pay attention, or leave class. The student chose the latter. College students are old enough to understand the difference, whether or not they choose to.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
...only after reading gm's post, my new mantra is "always listen to gennimom".
Monday reeks! - Garfield The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a person (or something like that). |
|
|
|
baphd1996
|
|
« Reply #266 on: November 06, 2009, 11:00:07 AM » |
|
I want to get in line to bang my head over all of the Thanksgiving week excuses I 've been getting. 20 out of 120 students have told me they are taking the entire week off and therefore need to arrange to makeup the exam.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
I don't have time to read what I wrote!
|
|
|
conjugate
Compulsive punster and insatiable reader, and
Member-Moderator
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,690
Tends to have warped sense of humor
|
|
« Reply #267 on: November 06, 2009, 11:47:18 AM » |
|
I want to get in line to bang my head over all of the Thanksgiving week excuses I 've been getting. 20 out of 120 students have told me they are taking the entire week off and therefore need to arrange to makeup the exam.
So, just about 17% of your students get the harder exam and lose points thereby. Cool! |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
Unfortunately, I think conjugate gives good advice.
∀ε>0∃δ>0∋|x–a|<δ⇒|ƒ(x)-ƒ(a)|<ε |
|
|
|
hodgeo
|
|
« Reply #268 on: November 06, 2009, 12:00:36 PM » |
|
Ah, the feared and dreaded False Cognate. Gotta love it. Like preguntar , which I'll bet lots of your students would guess means "to impregnate" or something similar. Except that, as one of the common -ar verbs, it's one that they've probably been expected to practice with.
You'd think that they'd be embarazados to make a mistake like that. |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
llanfair
Village idiot and Very
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 22,199
Whither Canada?
|
|
« Reply #269 on: November 06, 2009, 01:12:56 PM » |
|
I want to get in line to bang my head over all of the Thanksgiving week excuses I 've been getting. 20 out of 120 students have told me they are taking the entire week off and therefore need to arrange to makeup the exam.
So, just about 17% of your students get the harder exam and lose points thereby. Cool! Or 17% of your students won't be allowed to make up the exam, which means 17% less marking for you. |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
Because, you know, that stuff on the syllabus is like, in writing, and there are so many ways you can, like, read that, but when the guys who sit by you in class, like, you know, must know what's really going on, right? -- AmLitHist, channelling student
|
|
|
|
