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barcrossliar
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« Reply #630 on: February 13, 2012, 09:28:43 PM » |
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Got a real live snail mail thank you card from a student from last semester. I had gently nagged her into going to see the disabilities office. She finally did. It helped her a lot and she got a great internship.
And not a single plagiarist in my intro course!
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Every educated person's not a plumb greenhorn. "where whining mendeth nothing, wherefore whine?"--R.L. Stevenson +-LR is wise. Listen.
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hpopyfrood
Junior member
Posts: 91
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« Reply #631 on: February 15, 2012, 07:58:07 AM » |
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Finally something that doesn't belong in the venting thread!
This whole year, its been feeling like intro my students have been just lost and/or incompetent. At the beginning of this semester, the second in this full year course, a student came to my office after I said people who were doing poorly should come talk to me, dammit!
She had failed both tests, and was getting C's and D's on her papers. In other courses she wasn't doing well either and she was at the point where she was embarrassed to talk to her parents about her work. I asked about her study habits, talked with her about time management, made some suggestions about how to approach studying generally, how to write papers etc.
She came to my office yesterday because she had gotten her first paper back for the semester and she just had to talk to me about it. She then proceeded to show me her 90% and thank me for making such a huge change in her classes (she is also getting A's in other classes!). She was so happy she took a pic of the grading sheet and sent it to her parents as soon as she got it. She said it was thanks to my encouragement, advice and concern and that if I hadn't done this, she probably would have dropped out.
I said it was mostly all on her...she's the one who did the work, all I did was give some advice, but boy, even if all my other students don't care, don't follow instructions and make me feel sometimes like class is wasting all of our times? I'll just look at her and know it was all worth it!
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cgfunmathguy
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« Reply #632 on: February 15, 2012, 10:05:10 AM » |
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Congrats, Frood.
That's exactly the kind of story that keeps me coming in. I get one or two a year where the student thanks me for something (sometimes, it's even pretty trivial) that made the semester much better. I keep these in a file for a pick-me-up when I'm sure the current bunch can't 2+2.
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Alas, greatness and meaning are rarely coterminous with popular familiarity.
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merce
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« Reply #633 on: February 15, 2012, 02:54:12 PM » |
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What a class!
My writing class is working on close reading.
I went into class and asked students to write a poem about Close Reading. They could do it on the whole process, or the objective, or what the name conjurs up, or one of the steps, or whatever. They are always so...boring and stiff and not game for anything. For example, right after asking them to write a poem a student asked if they could see an example of a poem on Close Reading.
Who does that?
If someone asks you to write a poem on an apple you don't ask to see a poem about an apple first.
That's just silly.
It's a poem! Just write something.
BUT, luckily I was able to joke that he must be clairvoyant because I was planning on showing a poem on Close Reading AFTER they'd written theirs.
We had 10 minutes.
I asked someone to read his poem aloud.
He had writting, in ten minutes, in a foreign language, a fabulous poem with rhyme and rhythm!
It was better than the published poem I'd gotten from a journal!
My socks were blown off! I wanted to pinch his cheeks. I refrained.
I am going to ask him to publish it in the departmental newsletter though.
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Who looks for God in the Bible? That's pretty dumb.
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cgfunmathguy
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« Reply #634 on: February 15, 2012, 02:57:40 PM » |
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Very cool, Merce!
Partly, I'm impressed because poetry and I don't mix well. Oh, I can read it, I can interpret it (sometimes well, sometimes not), but I can't write it to save my life. Doing so in a foreign language is awesome to me.
Congrats!
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Alas, greatness and meaning are rarely coterminous with popular familiarity.
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mountainguy
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« Reply #635 on: February 17, 2012, 01:53:11 PM » |
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I gace an online lesson and assignment instead of a regular face-to-face class meeting today. This was their first entirely online assignment my students have done, and I figured that I would have to remind them to do the work. Much to my surprise, 16 of my 75 students had already completed the work when I logged into the CMS a few minutes ago.
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bound
New member
Posts: 13
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« Reply #636 on: February 22, 2012, 11:33:10 PM » |
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I rarely post but needed to share this victory! I'm not sure if it belongs here as it did not happen in the classroom, but...
I gave my first Incomplete to a student last semester who was dealing with a horrible family tragedy. Today, he completed the required assignments for my course and has replaced the I with an A. Even more inspiring, he told me that he is on track to graduate in May (despite being enrolled in 21 hours this semester and completing assignments from last semester--essentially a 36 hour load), is finishing his honors thesis, and has been accepted to a very, very good law school for Fall 2012!
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cgfunmathguy
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« Reply #637 on: February 23, 2012, 01:11:28 PM » |
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I rarely post but needed to share this victory! I'm not sure if it belongs here as it did not happen in the classroom, but...
I gave my first Incomplete to a student last semester who was dealing with a horrible family tragedy. Today, he completed the required assignments for my course and has replaced the I with an A. Even more inspiring, he told me that he is on track to graduate in May (despite being enrolled in 21 hours this semester and completing assignments from last semester--essentially a 36 hour load), is finishing his honors thesis, and has been accepted to a very, very good law school for Fall 2012!
I would call that a "classroom victory". Congrats, Bound, and welcome. |
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Alas, greatness and meaning are rarely coterminous with popular familiarity.
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blackadder
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« Reply #638 on: February 23, 2012, 07:36:33 PM » |
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Small victories add up.
In one class I give 4 unscheduled quizzes, but I tend to hint around that they are coming up soon. This morning I started to hand out a discussion question sheet and noticed everyone was putting books away. After saying "This isn't a quiz. It's just a handout." I heard a student behind me say "Dang... I studied last night!"
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mathspice
On the elitist poop-head scale from 1-5, we give this
Senior member
Posts: 780
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« Reply #639 on: February 23, 2012, 09:05:59 PM » |
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Something positive to cancel out some negatives from the semester. A student emailed me to say, "thank you for making me a math hero to my kids." I've heard more times this semester how students are able to help their kids with their math homework. My students, the parents, are thrilled about this!
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I'm teaching about honey, vinegar, and professionalism by example and it seems to work better for me than an exposition.
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ranganathan
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« Reply #640 on: February 24, 2012, 06:54:47 PM » |
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We had poster presentations today and every single group knocked it out of the park. They all dressed up, they all behaved professionally, and most impressive of all- they all pushed the assignment to the next level. I almost wish I could just end the semester now, because I can't imagine hitting a higher note!
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coreyb
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« Reply #641 on: February 25, 2012, 02:05:48 PM » |
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Out of the blue (it's been a week since exams were handed back), I got an email from a current(!) student thanking me for being a good teacher. He's actually starting to like math instead of hating it!
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lohai0
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« Reply #642 on: February 27, 2012, 06:58:52 PM » |
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My students had a real full class discussion today. In math. I actually had to stop class and ask them to form a circle.
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This semester's going to call for an increase in my liquor budget.
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dr_alcott
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« Reply #643 on: February 28, 2012, 05:24:23 PM » |
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Two students have brightened my week:
Yesterday: A very good student from last semester, a woman in her 50s who came back to college after her career as a realtor started to crumble, stopped by yesterday to thank me for making her work so hard last semester. (She loved to complain about how hard I'd make her work, but I kept encouraging her, and by the end of the semester she was earning well-deserved As.) She said, "I'm earning As on all my essays this semester, and it's because of what you taught me. So thank you." And then, remembering that I once mentioned how much I love chocolate, she gave me a candy bar!
Today: After a peer workshop today, one student told another, "I'm starting to love writing! I never thought that would happen!"
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I am an insanely elegant, super classy poor white, for the record.
I love everyone here!
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prof_cj
Still uses actual books for his gradebooks
Senior member
Posts: 272
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« Reply #644 on: March 02, 2012, 10:30:55 AM » |
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Handing back papers today, Paper 2 of 3. Paper 1 a month or so ago was a mess, almost 1/10th failed outright.
After double-checking every one for plagarism, I had a really wonderful realization that they'd all taken class to heart, visited the writing centers, as well as actually listen to my edits, and turned in some quality work.
Sometimes, it does a stone-cold teacher's heart good to see that they pay attention.
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