Hope for the (Near) Future
Don't worry. No political rant this time. :)
I went into the office today to start getting ready for the new semester. It was my only free day this week so I wanted to get as much done as possible. After a few snags (e.g., lost syllabi), I had a very productive day. There were a couple of things that did surprise me, albeit it pleasantly.
The first had to do with a number of wandering students. That is a typical sight because a number of students tend to wait until the very last minute (literally) to register for classes. However these weren't that lot. Instead, as I discovered, they were "mapping" out where their classes were. They were actually taking the time to see where their classes were so they could find them on the first day without being late! OMFG! What a concept (attach sarcasm here)! One of the things that frustrates me to no end during the first week of classes is the stream of late students going "sorry, couldn't find the classroom." I've even learned to wait 15 minutes before starting during that period to deal with them.
The second thing was that my online students are already participating and the semester hasn't even started yet! It's just the introductory discussions but it's nice to see people showing an interest. And what's even better? They realize that there is more work in online classes than in face-to-face ones. That means they might actually pass my class! While this is only my second year teaching online, I have come to the firm conclusion that most students (at least at the community college level) sign up for online classes for all the wrong reasons. They think that not having to go to school means that the class will be cake. I always have to remind students that the opposite is true as they are having to teach themselves the material. I provide all the stuff they need to learn but they are the ones who actually have to do the learning. However, most of that group never learns that lesson and I have to endure the "she's a bitch," "don't take her if you like your GPA" comments on RateMyProfessor.com.
I also got a non-student related surprise: a co-worker's daughter is selling Girl Scout cookies. Oh, I am in heaven! Every year I buy like ten boxes of the cookies to savor over the next few months (if they last that long). I am heartily addicted to all of the peanut butter ones. And no, it won't throw off my diet. After looking up the nutritional information, I found out that one serving of my fav cookies equals 3-5 points. This means I can enjoy a couple of cookies and not suffer without them. Though I may not buy as many boxes. They are so good!
I went into the office today to start getting ready for the new semester. It was my only free day this week so I wanted to get as much done as possible. After a few snags (e.g., lost syllabi), I had a very productive day. There were a couple of things that did surprise me, albeit it pleasantly.
The first had to do with a number of wandering students. That is a typical sight because a number of students tend to wait until the very last minute (literally) to register for classes. However these weren't that lot. Instead, as I discovered, they were "mapping" out where their classes were. They were actually taking the time to see where their classes were so they could find them on the first day without being late! OMFG! What a concept (attach sarcasm here)! One of the things that frustrates me to no end during the first week of classes is the stream of late students going "sorry, couldn't find the classroom." I've even learned to wait 15 minutes before starting during that period to deal with them.
The second thing was that my online students are already participating and the semester hasn't even started yet! It's just the introductory discussions but it's nice to see people showing an interest. And what's even better? They realize that there is more work in online classes than in face-to-face ones. That means they might actually pass my class! While this is only my second year teaching online, I have come to the firm conclusion that most students (at least at the community college level) sign up for online classes for all the wrong reasons. They think that not having to go to school means that the class will be cake. I always have to remind students that the opposite is true as they are having to teach themselves the material. I provide all the stuff they need to learn but they are the ones who actually have to do the learning. However, most of that group never learns that lesson and I have to endure the "she's a bitch," "don't take her if you like your GPA" comments on RateMyProfessor.com.
I also got a non-student related surprise: a co-worker's daughter is selling Girl Scout cookies. Oh, I am in heaven! Every year I buy like ten boxes of the cookies to savor over the next few months (if they last that long). I am heartily addicted to all of the peanut butter ones. And no, it won't throw off my diet. After looking up the nutritional information, I found out that one serving of my fav cookies equals 3-5 points. This means I can enjoy a couple of cookies and not suffer without them. Though I may not buy as many boxes. They are so good!
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