Students carrying backpacks stream out exits to the left and right. Professor, a middle-aged woman with a weary air leans, half sitting, arms crossed, against the table. Heather is a young woman wearing a miniskirt, fantastic tan and lots of makeup. Heather approaches Professor as the other students leave for the day.
Heather
I'm going to be out of town the week of the first quiz. Can I reschedule it?
Professor
Why aren't you going to be here?
Heather
Vacation?
Professor
I can only reschedule exams and quizzes for University-sanctioned events, like athletic events or religious holidays. I can't reschedule the quiz for you.
Heather
You mean I can't make it up? What can I do, then?
Professor
You should drop the course and take it another quarter.
[Professor stands, turns her back, and gathers up the papers on the table.]Heather
[Heather stands unmoving, mouth open for several moments. Professor walks away.]
Well!
CURTAIN
29 comments:
And thats the way it should be.
Hmmm...
Many years ago when Bonzo was a rookie he experienced a similar encounter. His answer was briefer
and less polite: "Drop the course!"
He didn't realize that anyone did these things nowadays. Maybe this is fiction?
If not, congratulations.
Ciao,
Bonzo
Then again, some of us like young women in miniskirts to go away for a week or two ...
Now, now, anonymous, let us middle-aged perverts get what fun we can from intro classes
William the Coroner
AP, You soooooo ROCK!
You stripped off her cloak of entitlement and left her naked.
::Applause!::
Did she drop the course, or is she hanging on, hoping for the best -- or to throw herself on your mercy later in the quarter?
What about medical problems? Yeah, I'm obsessing right now. I'm going part-time to uni and I feel like such a fuckin' loser right now; I can't drag my ass to class because (various stressful problems) have triggered a series of migraines. I want to *apologize* without seeming like I'm looking for an excuse. I mean, I realize that my problems = my grade.
I don't know about AP's uni, but mine will usually make "reasonable accomodations" if you can prove that you are under the care of a doctor for a specific condition. So, migraines caused by vascular disease, or brain tumor, or extreme hypertension...stress migraines usually aren't covered, though.
For our admin, it involves a ton of paperwork and documentation, and the student has very little privacy. An advocate is assigned, and that advocate is usually up said student' butt with requests for more doc, and updates.
Mr. B - yes, I really did it. Felt good, too.
Crankyprof - the class is huge. I don't know if she's still in there or not. I might recognize her if I saw her again, but I might not.
Hannah - yes, I am happy to reschedule for medical problems. All I ask for is advance notice (call me before the quiz or exam), and provide me with some documentation. In smaller classes, the documentation is not necessary. But please, tell me in advance. Don't struggle through the quarter and then tell me about it at the end.
AP, once again, you are my heroine.
In my head, I have added, "...take it another quarter *when it is more convenient for you.*"
I heard the aftermath of what must have been a similar exchange, from the Other Side.
The student who'd had her plans upset figured the crux of the matter was envy resulting from the teacher's relative poverty. Quoth she, "It's not MY fault I have more money than she does and can afford to go to Bermuda!"
Hannah...
At the LSU where I received my PhD, the response would have been that perhaps you have too much going on in your life to be enrolled in school. Most professors are always willing to accomodate students who have legitimate issues; however, after a certain point the accomodations are unreasonable and the student with the problems may be better off taking a semester off or reducing their course load for the semester.
I had an extremely stressful semester the second semester of my sophomore year. I dropped down to tweleve hours (the minimum required to maintain full time status) and finished the semester with a 2.5 GPA which was the lowest GPA I have EVER carried. I then had to take a full course load all of the remaining semesters to graduate on time (my scholarship was only good for four years). But, had I not dropped down to twelve hours that one semester, I would have likely flunked out of college altogether.
"Don't struggle through the quarter and then tell me about it at the end."
I understand how this can be obnoxious. However, as someone who has dealt with a lot of problems throughout her entire life, I tend to put off telling anyone that I'm struggling for a variety of reasons:
a) You think that I'm looking for an excuse because I've been missing class and attendance is part of the grade.
b) I don't want you to know that I'm crazy. Yeah, I just missed two weeks of class because I was involuntarily committed to a psych ward. Will you think that I'm "making up" my craziness to get out of school? Will you think of me as a less dependable student? a lesser person? now that you know that I'm insane?
c) I don't want to hassle you with my problems. I don't want to be that annoying student who corners you during office hours and starts sobbing at her shitty life. I don't want you to have to deal with extra paperwork on my behalf, because I couldn't pull my shit together long enough to get through your class.
Having "special needs" is embarrassing. Imagine having to admit all of your faults and flaws to a stranger and than possibly having them judge you a lesser person because of it.
Anyway. Sorry for ranting. :O
Hannah, your problems are more common than you think. I assume you are having trouble in more than just one class. You need to talk to the Dean of Students or your Disability Office. They can coordinate efforts among all your professors so you don't have to tell all of them what's going on.
I'm a nice person, despite how I might come across in this blog. If you need someone to talk to, I can do that. But, as my student, if you wait until the end of the quarter, I can't do anything for you. I would rather hear your story now and make reasonable accommodations for you than watch you struggle and fail and have to say no to you at the end.
Mental illness is as much of an illness as mono or appendicitis. Reasonable professors will not think you are a loser because of it.
No, I suppose you're right. It's my own personal struggle -- that I should be "normal" despite everything. It seems stupid on my part that I cannot deal with the tiniest thing, or so it feels like.
It's /embarassing/, like I've said, to ask for a day's extension on a paper because I haven't been able to get out of bed for the last month. It's always in the back of your mind: she probably thinks "why can't she suck it up and get along like everyone else?"
You always think that you'll get it together at the last minute. And when you don't, it's frantic. I've never thought that anyone would take pity on me, but I do feel terrible (especially in my smaller classes) that I've been "slacking off" on someone elses' time.
Hannah, I started off feeling like you (in my 1st year) - didn't want to admit that it was harder/took longer for me to do the work (despite the fact that it took until February for my computer equipment, screen reading and dictation software to come through(!)).
I felt very bad about asking for extensions in my first year, and in my second...
The thing is that AP is right - it's much better to build in some flexibility at the start of the course, and pace yourself than try and get it all done at the last minute - that just doesn't work as you get into higher level work (I'm not entirely sure how the US system maps across to the UK one, but I do know that the undergrad. degree I'm doing now maps across to a postbaccalaureate degree in the US (whatever that may be ;) ).
You might also find that it helps to challenge your negative thoughts and look at the evidence behind them. For example, if you automatically think, 'I've been slacking off', then you may want to ask yourself why you think that, and what an alternative interpretation of the reasons you think you've been 'slacking off' could be.
(In my case it's usually because I haven't been able to sit up properly etc - but MH issues are just as valid).
I also make sure that my individual lecturers know - saves embarassment on both sides.
You are my hero.
If it wouldn't upset my husband so, I would marry you.
Hannah: Go to your school's disability services office. They can help you arrange for accomodations, while keeping the nature of your condition private.
I suppose the talking to individual lecturers part really only applies if you are likely to say/do (or not do/say) something.
For example, I was taking meds between Jan and August last year that had the effect of making me fall asleep for 2 hours each morning and each afternoon. As we had lectures between 9-1 and 2-5, I knew that that would lead to me getting kicked out of class in short order unless I explained. If we're yawning some of our lecturers will throw us out (fair enough), so I didn't want to risk it.
You seem to have a lot more formative and summative assessments throughout the course in the US than we do - so that probably makes it different too.
Hmmm I see at least two people with PhDs posting comments who seem unable to spell "accommodation." It's a bit disconcerting.
Depends on what they have a PhD in, maybe? I'm sure there are many English PhDs who can't add fractions.
Whew, I'm glad it wasn't me, this time. I never get accommodation right the first time.
Well, anonymous, I wish that had some bearing, but both adding fractions *and* spelling "accommodation" (think: "accommodate" can accommodate two c's and two m's) is junior high level stuff, at the latest.
I'm sure that they *are* junior high level stuff. So? Why should someone who's done a PhD be any better at spelling than anyone else? I've never seen any graduate course offered in my discipline in spelling, and any document which I handed in would be spellchecked. Some people could even *gasp* have a learning disability which makes spelling difficult, and *still* manage to complete a creditable degree in something which doesn't require a lot of spelling.
It's probably me because I openly admit I can't spell worth shit! However, I know I can't spell worth shit so when I send an article off for review, I usually (a) send it through the spell checker again and (b) spend several hours with a dictionary eyeballing the article to make sure the electronic spell checker didn't miss anything.
Unfortunately, very few online forums have spell checks and these same online forums are not important enough for me to spend time using a dictionary to see if I spelled something right. So, sue me!
For those of us with a BA or above in English who can spell, but who may have trouble with fat-fingering words, the latest Firefox browser has a magic spell checker. That would be a thing that magically checks your spelling, not a thing that checks your magic spells.
I teach at a small community college part-time. Spring break doesn't always line up with the local public schools. So it's common for students to take not only the spring break on the college schedule, but then the spring break on the local school's schedule as well, citing time with family or some such. I got tired of it, because I'm there every day and they're constantly disregarding the syllabus, attendance policy, etc.
One student was bold enough to say, "You don't understand because you don't have kids."
I responded, "Do you think your kids will understand when they're older, and you tell them you flunked out of college because Disneyworld mattered so much?"
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