Again with the better

Kayla was right; there was no need for my panic of Monday. Well, maybe a little, as several students weren't there today, and it is entirely possible that the novel (or the addition of the glossaries and plot summary to the journal/logs) scared them off--but if that's the case, better to lose them now. It's also entirely possible that they'll show up again next Monday. We'll see.

But the students who were there today did a fine job; they got most of the salient points (many on their own, others with some prodding by me--but that's OK), and they had good questions--though they were weirdly more reticent about asking the questions. One student who has been on the thin edge all semester suddenly is alert and contributing, much more lively than I knew was possible. She's delighted because she's getting it; as she left class today, she said that books are easier for her than short stories. (Me too.) I also have graded her poetry paper, and although she missed doing the first version (so had to do the rest of the steps on her own, with no input from me), she did a much better job than she did on her first paper. Progress. She's still going to have a hell of a hard time passing, given how deep the hole is that she dug herself into at the start, but I'll do what I can to encourage her to keep on learning and growing.

And the young man who started with the chip on his shoulder actually beamed today, great big all the way smile--more than once. I love successes like that.

There was one student there today who is still teetering on the brink--and who met me as I was walking in to class with a sob story about how his pack was stolen today, and it had everything in it, all his books, his homework, everything. The story may be true, but it's the second time this semester he's had an excuse of that sort, so I think it's unlikely. And even if it is true, he hadn't done his homework: if his pack was stolen today, he should already have done the reading, and he clearly had not. I've been anticipating his implosion for some time, and I think it's only a matter of time.

I'm not always right about that, however, as evidenced by a student from last semester. Kayla and I were walking to class, and I finally realized that someone was yelling my name: the young man had been teetering on the brink most of the semester, but he gutted it out--and passed. He may even have gotten a C, just because he managed to turn in enough work of just sufficient quality. I don't know that the young man in this semester's class can do that: he's missing enough work now that I don't think his grades will compensate for the zeroes he's collected.

I also notice that at least a couple of the students who got early warnings have gotten religion. One who was chronically late is suddenly always there on time; the one who is suddenly lively has also suddenly started turning in work. Sometimes a little fear works wonders.

I'm glad I ended the day with the good class, as the start of the day, finishing up the grading for Nature in Lit, was truly painful. The papers were so disappointing across the board that I've decided I'm going to require that each student meet with me for 30 minutes after the break: I have an appointment sheet set up, and I will tell them exactly how to prepare for the meetings. As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that I've given grades that are too generous on most of the papers, and I need to go back and be more honest in my appraisal of the work. The C- grades I gave are actually D's--if that. I can't think of any other way to get through to these students that they are not cutting it other than to make the grades hurt, and force them to do the work to improve. I have a feeling that some of the students will jump at the chance to meet--and may want to meet with me more than once, which would be great. But even if not, the meetings have just become mandatory.

I've not looked at the mini-papers from the Native American Lit students, but I suspect they're better, at least somewhat. Assuming they are, I will offer students the chance to sign up for an appointment (or more) with me, but I won't require it. In fact, I see no reason I couldn't make the same offer to the students in 102, assuming I have appointment times left. I don't want to chain myself to my desk for six days, but if it's optional, not everyone will go for it--and if the attrition rate is what I think it might be, there wouldn't be that many appointments even if everyone did take me up on the offer. I'll see what the sheet looks like after the lit class students have filled in appointments. If there's still a lot of space, I'll make the offer to 102. If there isn't, I won't.

But the entire process, everything I've just written about, truly would be much easier if I didn't want to teach, if I were willing to merely go through the motions. Well, shoot me: I care. I think what I do is important.

Getting back to the 102 class (to end on a positive note), I started a new procedure today: at the start of class, I distributed green and purple pens and told students to put away any other writing implement. I then said they were free to add as much as they wanted to their journal/logs and to their glossaries--but I wanted to be able to tell at a glance what was from class and what they'd done on their own at home. The results are pretty revealing, though not surprising: a fair proportion of the students turned in assignments that were either mostly or entirely green or purple. A lecture will ensue about the necessity to do the work at home prior to class, to the best of one's ability. But I think I'll continue with this procedure: I'll carry the colored pens around with me--but I'll also note if anyone has done homework in green or purple (and if so, I'll be sure to give that person the other color).

I've got a good sized stack of various assignments to mark, and I'm thinking about the order of attack: I'll either do mini-papers for Native American next, or I'll do homework for 102; the big papers for 102 move to the bottom of the stack. I will return those before the break, but maybe not until Wednesday next week. I can only take so many at a time. We'll see how much I plow through tomorrow--and I know I'll get a couple more mini-papers and who knows what else from the Nature in Lit students tomorrow morning. But they're going on the very bottom of any stack there is: I'm not busting a gut for students who won't come through on their end of the bargain.

So there.

I take a deep restorative breath, and start to let go of the work part of today. Tonight: dinner out, then dance class. And tomorrow is, as always, another day.