The "Education" Thread
- Thread starter viewerfromnihil
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Funerary_Doom
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
^ Yeah it's weird. Everyone teaches here someway somehow.
I have to call my guys to make sure they are coming to job club, which is a class I teach for to my pre-employment guys. I try to make it fun, and most of it is discussion based so if they don't attend job club (which they get paid to attend btw which blows mine when they don't) then we have to close their case and they have to look work from another agency or by themselves. So taking attendance is a must.
In college my professors sometimes accepted late work, but it was usually the professors who were disorganized themselves in my experience. The super super organized ones didn't and there was no hard feelings because you knew about the assignment way way waaaayyyy in advanced and there were constant reminders and assignments leading up to it. I prefer the former because it's not fair if everyone else is on time and one isn't for them to not be penalized somehow unless there's a legit reason for it being late.
I have to call my guys to make sure they are coming to job club, which is a class I teach for to my pre-employment guys. I try to make it fun, and most of it is discussion based so if they don't attend job club (which they get paid to attend btw which blows mine when they don't) then we have to close their case and they have to look work from another agency or by themselves. So taking attendance is a must.
In college my professors sometimes accepted late work, but it was usually the professors who were disorganized themselves in my experience. The super super organized ones didn't and there was no hard feelings because you knew about the assignment way way waaaayyyy in advanced and there were constant reminders and assignments leading up to it. I prefer the former because it's not fair if everyone else is on time and one isn't for them to not be penalized somehow unless there's a legit reason for it being late.
Dak
mentat
I hate busting my ass to have everything done and then the 1/3 that is like "lolwut assignment?" get some sort of pass. Piss poor pedagogy.
Einherjar86
Active Member
I agree.
I'll admit that managing a group of students, all with his or her own personality, attitude, and personal background, is extremely difficult. Some students come with background issues that warrant a degree of leniency; but it becomes incredibly difficult to decide how much leniency to grant. I experienced this firsthand this past semester. I ended giving the student a poor grade, but it was hard. She was having family issues, but I ended up feeling as though she disrespected the multiple extended deadlines I offered her; and in a semester (~3 months) of class, she missed nearly an entire month (not consecutively, but overall). She was not a poor student intellectually, she just (unfortunately) failed to complete a very large amount of work.
Ultimately, I could only do so much. If family issues become so extreme that a student cannot maintain major assignments, then that student needs to speak with advising about postponing.
I'll admit that managing a group of students, all with his or her own personality, attitude, and personal background, is extremely difficult. Some students come with background issues that warrant a degree of leniency; but it becomes incredibly difficult to decide how much leniency to grant. I experienced this firsthand this past semester. I ended giving the student a poor grade, but it was hard. She was having family issues, but I ended up feeling as though she disrespected the multiple extended deadlines I offered her; and in a semester (~3 months) of class, she missed nearly an entire month (not consecutively, but overall). She was not a poor student intellectually, she just (unfortunately) failed to complete a very large amount of work.
Ultimately, I could only do so much. If family issues become so extreme that a student cannot maintain major assignments, then that student needs to speak with advising about postponing.
crimsonfloyd
Active Member
So it sounds like the majority accept late work with penalty. That was my experience as well.
I might try and get my guiding teacher to change the policy, at least for my period. It's just stupid to fail high schoolers in the name of living up to standard that they probably will rarely experience in college.
I might try and get my guiding teacher to change the policy, at least for my period. It's just stupid to fail high schoolers in the name of living up to standard that they probably will rarely experience in college.
It seems like many grade school teachers make you do things to "prepare" you for the future, when you never actually have to do such in the future. Like I remember my 4th and 5th grade teachers making us practice cursive, as we were supposed to use it in middle school and beyond, which was a complete lie.
Baroque
Active Member
Mathiäs;10778118 said:
I don't take attendance at all. I don't care if they're there or not. It's their loss if they miss class; they paid for it, and it will reflect on their test scores. Test scores are 85% of my grading, the rest being homework. I do give 1-5% extra credit, which people rarely do. I find the only students that do the extra credit are the A students anyway.
I take attendance the first day just to deal with dropping the no shows to let other people in. I say I'm going to take attendance 3 other random times throughout the semester, but I never do.
They're adults. They need to have the self-discipline to attend class on their own, without me nannying them.
unknown
fuck ftagn
in response to the attendance question, I take attendance. One of the colleges I teach at actually requires students to attend at least 70% of the classes; otherwise, they fail. My whole thing with attendance is you or somebody is paying for you to be here. Make the most of your money. If you're not gonna come to class or don't like the class, drop it and get a refund.
Zephyrus
Tyrants and Slaves
unknown
fuck ftagn
Matt
Active Member
Half of the classes I take are required for my major, but are so easy and boring that I don't need to be there to get an A. Unless the class is totally discussion based, I don't see any need for an attendance policy.
Baroque
Active Member
Dak
mentat
Einherjar86
Active Member
Oh jeez Dak, shut up. 
The EN 100-level courses at BU are really small; capped at twenty, and usually they're between ten and fifteen.
The EN 100-level courses at BU are really small; capped at twenty, and usually they're between ten and fifteen.
unknown
fuck ftagn
while that certainly sounds nice, 25 is pretty good for me. We get a pretty diverse group of voices. I also tend to prefer teaching the adult students rather than the fresh out of high school 17 & 18 year olds. The adults seem to care more and (more often than not) have more interesting things to contribute. It takes them a few class sessions to get over the fact that I'm (much younger) than they are (26)
Dak
mentat
I'd say the number of adults (25+) for a 25-30 head class is usually under 5, but they make up the bulk of positive contribution. There's usually 1-2 intelligent/interesting traditional students, and then 3-4 clowns and/or wannabe "good students" or whatever that just elicit eyerolls. The rest aren't there half the time or never contribute in any way.
unknown
fuck ftagn
HamburgerBoy
Active Member
- Sep 16, 2007
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I've taught almost 50 students between two lab sections (one with 28, and a late night one with 18) and the two grad students I've had were definitely among the best students, not necessarily academically but in terms of showing interest, cleaning up after themselves, etc. On a whole my students have actually been pretty good anyways (some no-shows, but that's their problem; a lack of loud-mouthed entitled types is what makes me happy). Surprisingly, I had four students that were strong A students from the start and all of them were freshmen. Then again, if you're a junior in biology and are just now taking general chemistry, you know you've done something wrong.
I visited a few colleges yesterday since transfer time is coming up. One was an HBCU in Baltimore, Morgan State University, and the experience was super weird. For one, the school is located in the middle of a Baltimore ghetto, so the drive to it consisted of dodging J-walkers who didn't seem to care if they were hit. When I pulled up to the admissions building, it looked like an abandoned building. There were rust stains covering the brick walls, the entrance awnings were totally dilapidated, and it looked like some of the windows were broken. I didn't believe it was the correct building until I saw a haphazardly posted sign that confirmed it was. The inside of the building reeked of tar and there were cables randomly hanging from the ceiling, over the neglected tile floor. When I went into the oddly entitled "Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment" the secretary seemed surprised that I was asking to meet with an admissions counselor, so I had to repeat myself a couple of times. I doubt that my race was the cause of her surprise, so I got the impression that they didn't receive too many prospective students dressed in a suit and top coat. The admissions counselor was nice, but the guy's office was sticky note hell. He was very enthused with my transcripts and credentials and basically told me I was accepted and would easily get into their honors program with a tuition scholarship. I'll have zero financial assistance from my parents when I transfer, so it is very tempting in that regard. On the other hand, I'm not sure that a college that will throw a tuition scholarship at anybody with a 3.5+ GPA is the place for me. For the record, the rest of the buildings on campus looked much nicer than the admissions building, but for first impressions it doesn't resonate well. Also, one of their recent history alumni who attended the same CC that I do is currently working on his Phd at Princeton, so perhaps there is some potential there. I'll have to discuss this with my history professor/advisor and see what she thinks.
My visit to UMBC was bitter sweet and I learned basically what I already knew: that it is the college that I would learn the most from and that the price range is out of my grasp. The honors program there is intense and difficult to get into, but my interview went extremely well, so that raises my chances. The lady I spoke with from the honors college has a Phd in women's studies, so she was excited to see that two of the three honors courses I've taken at CC were women's history, American and European. Our conversation was a nice blend of academic interests, discussions of the college itself, and personal histories. Surprisingly, undergraduates at UMBC can take grad school course for both grad and undergraduate credit with professor approval. Still, UMBC has plenty of students, enrolled and prospective, who easily outshine me, so I won't receive much in financial aid from them.
Towson is my likeliest option. They have a decent honors program, but it's not on UMBC's level. I had a nice conversation with the Dean of the honors college and am confident I can get in. The tuition isn't that much less than UMBC, but they offer more scholarships and grants which I automatically qualify for. Also, my brother attends there and we could share an apartment for less than on-campus housing would cost. Towson has worked itself into the middle of my options. It's just a shame that the last time Towson was in the news concerned their "White Student Union."
Other than that, University of Maryland is my only other feasible option and then only feasible if I win their tuition transfer scholarship. There's a pungient air of snootiness there though, so I'm not sure. Plus, if I attend there for undergraduate, then I'll eliminate one of my Maryland graduate school options.
If you take this route, avoid CVS/pharmacy and Rite Aid as employers. CVS pharmacists work 14 hour shifts Tuesday-Friday and Rite Aid isn't much better. Try to get with Wal-mart or Target. They don't run their pharmacies for profit so much as to bring customers into the store, so the work day is both shorter and less strenuous.
My visit to UMBC was bitter sweet and I learned basically what I already knew: that it is the college that I would learn the most from and that the price range is out of my grasp. The honors program there is intense and difficult to get into, but my interview went extremely well, so that raises my chances. The lady I spoke with from the honors college has a Phd in women's studies, so she was excited to see that two of the three honors courses I've taken at CC were women's history, American and European. Our conversation was a nice blend of academic interests, discussions of the college itself, and personal histories. Surprisingly, undergraduates at UMBC can take grad school course for both grad and undergraduate credit with professor approval. Still, UMBC has plenty of students, enrolled and prospective, who easily outshine me, so I won't receive much in financial aid from them.
Towson is my likeliest option. They have a decent honors program, but it's not on UMBC's level. I had a nice conversation with the Dean of the honors college and am confident I can get in. The tuition isn't that much less than UMBC, but they offer more scholarships and grants which I automatically qualify for. Also, my brother attends there and we could share an apartment for less than on-campus housing would cost. Towson has worked itself into the middle of my options. It's just a shame that the last time Towson was in the news concerned their "White Student Union."
Other than that, University of Maryland is my only other feasible option and then only feasible if I win their tuition transfer scholarship. There's a pungient air of snootiness there though, so I'm not sure. Plus, if I attend there for undergraduate, then I'll eliminate one of my Maryland graduate school options.
With my students I'm usually pretty lenient and will often let them turn in/finish their lab reports the following morning. If it's a one-time thing I'll even let them turn it into me the following week. I had to give a handful of students half credit for being a week late on an assignment that they had three weeks to complete. I just kind of decide on the spur of the moment and try to be consistent with my other students for that given week. By coincidence I got my first evaluations back today, and aside from one student they were all positive (and several students remarked on what a sweet and kind young TA I am
M.S. in Biochemistry btw. Already having doubts about continuing with a PhD, but I don't know what the fuck I'm going to do otherwise. My initial goal in high school was M.S. and then J.D. to practice patent law, but I'm not even considering that now. Mostly I'm just sick of the time spent on campus and the time spent at home worrying about whether or not I should be studying or doing labwork or reading papers or preparing for hosting group meetings or whatever. I'd welcome the average 40 hour workweek grind even if the work was monotonous and of mediocre pay, if it meant I didn't have to think about it the moment I set foot outside of work. Even a stable 70 hour workweek would be an improvement. I'm starting to become slightly interested in the pharmacy school route, although I have no idea what I'll need to do that. Basically I'm just a manchild with no ambition or willpower, being led around by parents and professors that I am afraid to question.
And yeah, this was my experience as an undergrad.
If you take this route, avoid CVS/pharmacy and Rite Aid as employers. CVS pharmacists work 14 hour shifts Tuesday-Friday and Rite Aid isn't much better. Try to get with Wal-mart or Target. They don't run their pharmacies for profit so much as to bring customers into the store, so the work day is both shorter and less strenuous.
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