For teachers and students

[bitteroldhag 0]

musicmom-- Public schools are mess. Any student can make a complaint and the school board will always assumes the student is right. How ridiculous! There are about 1% of teachers who deserve complaints. The rest are just trying to help students I wouldn't teach in a public high school for a million dollars a year. Good for you for trying.

[Musicmom 0]

Thanks for the support. It's been a long road, especially with my former administrator giving bad references to everyone. To hear him say it, I'm the worst thing that ever walked the earth, even though I have a dozen letters to the contrary. Oh well.

[kity 2]

I am a teacher and student. I teach 6-8th grade English Language Development; and English as a Second Language to adults at the local junior college; and Master's level classes to teachers getting their Master's in Education (this is online and I just was hired 3 days ago!!!)

I am also a student of sorts. I have completed all my course work for my doctorate degree, and am nearly finished w/ my dissertation. I was slated to be finished April 07, but ran into a snag and now am hoping to finish August or September. My doctorate degree will be in Organizational Leadership!

Well that is my story and my introduction! Look forward to reading more here!

Pamela

[bitteroldhag 0]

Kity -- Super duper! I'm all for ESL teachers. You are so important! I suspect you won't believe that but it's true. Good luck on your doctorate. It's hell getting a doctorate, but it's worth it in the long run. You are definitely a winner!.

[bitteroldhag 0]

Wheetsin, I love you. You state the real reason to be an English major -- you can communicate in writing! We have noticed that students who are studying business and other majors at our university are not required to be able to communicate in decent English. I think this affects their ability to be hired. I remember being in a bar in the 1980s and talking to an accountant who was bewailing the inability of the new hires to write. He pointed out that accountants don't just do the numbers, but they write the annual reports, and the crop of graduates at that time couldn't do that. I'm afraid that hasn't improved. People just don't understand the importance of clear written communication. Thank you, even if you aren't a teacher.

[anonemouse 1]

You guys might get a kick out of this. I gave my students one last assignment, which counted for 40% of their last quiz grade. All they had to do was write about their favorite non-local animal. I wanted them to give me the common name of the animal, the scientific name, and a picture of it. I also wanted them to write a paragraph describing the animal, its habitat, and any special physical or behavioral adaptations that the species has. What did I get? A few good papers and a whole lot of crap, that's what. Would a bunny rabbit or a Siberian Husky or a Guinea pig be your first thought when someone mentions "non-local animal?" Several of my students didn't even bother to disguise the fact that they copied and pasted the material. One even left the phonetic spelling of the common name and a bright blue link in the paragraph. I expected a hell of a lot better from college students.

[bitteroldhag 0]

Laurend -- Boy, you have a lot to learn. College kids don't care. They're interested in two things: the opposite sex and booze and/or drugs. Is that three things? I know because that is what I was interested in when I was an undergraduate. I always try to remember what it was like to be a popular girl as an undergraduate. But if it makes you feel better, I assigned a research paper in which the students were supposed to discuss something particularly American in American literature. One girl discussed sex. I pointed out to her that sex probably was not particularly American, but I doubt if she gets it. It's not too hard to see what she's interested in.

[Wheetsin 714]

I have a question for teachers, this may show my ignorance for your world. And I don't mean any of this as "bragging," it's just the sequence of events that unfolded and left me curious.

I'm working on my 2nd master's, scheduled to finish Fall 08. In both programs I kind of did my own thing. Never really got "into" the conversations, and approached everything with my cynic's eye. In both programs I had professors encourage me to publish my writings (papers I submitted for class, etc.) I never took them seriously, even though they said "I'm being serious." I just never figured my stuff was good enough, and they were being nice or something.

I just got off the phone with the coordinator for my current MS. Not a teacher, "just" a coordinator. She asked me what my graduation activity was (for this program we have our choice of final projects - thesis, portfolio, comprehensive exam, or research project -- all of which have oral defense components). I had signed up for the comprehensive exam because a thesis doesn't interest me much, I never considered my projects worthy, etc. Anyway, this coordinator starts going on and on about how good my work is, how I need to start getting my writings published, and specifically how my toolkit was awesome.

This struck me as weird. The "toolkit" was a final project for the class that just ended Sunday. I'm taking this program online, so we submit our work and get feedback electronically. Our toolkits were submitted in private areas where (supposedly) only the professor and TA can get to. So I was like, "Oh you saw that?" And she went on and on about it, AND THEN started talking about things I had submitted for other classes, like 2 years ago.

So what happens behind the scenes? Are students often talked about? I'm wondering how the heck this lady is familiar with my work, when in theory she should have nothing to do with it and really have never seen it.

The project she references for this last semester was something I did in wiki, so my professor could have sent out the link, I guess. Do professors actually "share" student work that way?? I have no idea! But it's kind of bugging me. I feel almost violated in an academic sense. Yes, I'm the kind who doesn't like anyone reading my writing or looking at my art, and I sort of trusted these things stayed between the professor and the student. :tired

[anonemouse 1]

Look at it this way, Wheetsin, your professor or advisor or whatever was bragging on you. I'd take it as a compliment. I doubt they would do that for an average or mediocre student. You must be talented if you have several professors pressuring you to have your stuff published.