A Crazy Cat's Life

Sorry I have not written in a while.  As we are entering the last month of the semester, the figurative shit is hitting the fan for both students and professors. While I appreciate the fact that students struggle at this time of year, they never really understand how much we do as well.  As drop dates loom, I am put in a difficult spot.  While I am told to never "tell" a student to drop a course, I am a big believer in being honest with them.  I have had too many students claim that they did not "have a clue" that they were failing when they receive their final grades at the end of the semester.  So, when the drop date nears, I go through my grade books and put students into three categories: those who are passing, those who are in danger of failing (the 45-65 range), and those who have no chance in hell of passing (less than 45 category).  Then, I send out e-mails to the students in the latter two groups letting them know where they stand. This is wher...

Yesterday, as I was procrastinating about grading papers, I came across two very different yet similar things that I found quite fascinating and yet relevant. On the PBS website, I found an article called Do You Live in a Bubble? which is about the fact that many upper class White Americans are out of touch with the lives of the rest of America.  This has been one of my biggest issues with the 1% in that they think everybody has the same opportunities and they do not realize the amount of privilege that they have.  As there was a quiz in it, I decided to take to see where I fit in. My result was a 49.  According to the key, I fit somewhere in between the following: 42–100: A first-generation middle-class person with working-class parents and average television and movie going habits. Typical: 66. 11–80: A first-generation upper middle-class person with middle-class parents. Typical: 33. I found this to be fascinating but not for the reasons you may think. Yes...

It's that time of year: right after midterms and Spring Break but just before the final withdrawal deadline.  It is now that students are realizing the "oh fuck" of their shitty semesters. I have one student--let's call him Bill--who is in danger of failing.  He has claimed to have some issues with his family that have affected his academic performance.  Now considering that I have been the epitome of "shit happens" lately, I'll give Bill the benefit of the doubt.  It's bad enough that he has missed six classes already this semester (roughly 40% of the semester so far) without a single e-mail or comment from him regarding said absences.  This is a stickler for me because I always talk about the importance of communication with me.  Hell, if you put forth some effort, you'll find I'm a big softie (shhh...don't tell anyone).  However, I really really hate it when students disappear and then feign family issues or some other kind of excuse...