Sunday, May 4, 2008

Attack of the "I don't like my grade"er

It is the end of the marking period and once again students who do not like their grades are coming at me en mass to complain about how I should have told them they didn't complete an assignment, or they think they should have a higher grade on this assignment, or why didn't they get credit for an assignment that was not turned in? *Sigh*

Granted I found a few clerical errors on my part, it is bound to happen when I have 60-80 students in an online classroom and no faces to put to the endless list of names. I understand it is frustrating to them, but their snotty "your a sucky professor because I don't think I am going to get my way" attitude makes me want to reach through the monitor and choke them. I want to start signing all my email communications:

Best Regards,
Your Professor
Remember, you catch more flies with honey than the shit you are dealing out right now!

One of the little snots actually told me that my communication through the class was "unacceptable". This is coming from the student who didn't turn in their final project nor did they ask me any questions or respond to most of my suggestions on their work throughout the entire quarter. I want to tell them "Sweetie, my communication style isn't what is holding you back, however I can tell you that your entitled attitude you serve out is going to be one hurdle that keeps tripping you up if you don't change it."

I don't know why it affects me every time, I know that the new generation feels no sense of responsibility towards their own destiny and that their emotionally stunted development means that it is what is being done to them instead of what they are doing, however whenever it comes and smacks me in the face it makes my blood pressure rise. Of course this means that I need to change how I view it, as I have the insight to know that I cannot change their behavior, only my reaction to it. However that is something that I shall have to tackle next term.

1 comment:

Professor said...

A mix of very funny and very sad. Please keep it up - I have shared your URL with my colleagues.