I'm losing them

Dammit. The 102 class is shrinking alarmingly. There are maybe 14 or 15 students left of the original 28, I think it was--and we haven't even started on the novel yet, or the second paper. However, the ones who are left are doing well together, I think. One of the groups was a bit flat--I'm not sure what was wrong with the chemistry there--but the others were fine, and one was terrific. There are three students who are about on the same level in terms of intellectual chops as well as dedication to adacemics; they were in a group together today and it was really lovely to watch them work. We did spend a good portion of the period going over the nuts and bolts/technicalities of the next paper, so I had to sort of hustle them through the remaining poems--and as a consequence handed them more, elicited less, than I think is ideal. But they got them, which is the main thing. One of the better students--very quiet but a decent thinker and writer--wasn't there today, and I'm a bit concerned about that. She did contact me by e-mail, so I reminded her that the paper is due Tuesday and directed her to my faculty home page to find the assignment. I almost sent it to her as an attachment but then decided she needs to take at least that much responsibility for herself.

The Mystery class is holding pretty steady. One student withdrew today (a good plan, as I think she's been lost since the beginning), and at first I was very worried, as more than half the class was missing--but I should have expected that: a paper was due. By the end of the period, almost everyone was there, papers in hand. We watched more of the movie--and their responses are becoming more audible: more laughs, gasps, and so on. We'll finish it up on Tuesday and then radically shift gears into The Big Sleep. I sent the students a link to a video of a performance of Firesign Theater doing "Nick Danger, Third Eye"--which I still find funny. I don't know if they will. I'd love to find some results of "write like Raymond Chandler" contests, but nothing is cropping up. Well, it will be very interesting to see how they respond.

I did collect their first real essays today--and they already were talking about when the deadline is for revision. I don't want to chase them out of the class with draconian grading, but I also don't want to mollycoddle them. When I start reading them next week, I'm sure I'll make some kind of decision on that.

I suppose I should mention that I made something of an ass out of myself at the Academic Standing meeting today. I had raised the issue of plagiarism and the policy--because no one I know seems to be sure exactly how to handle issues of plagiarism. I was sitting one row over and one seat behind from the Dean of Students, who was clearly pissed off in the extreme that I was bringing it up. Well, turns out there is a policy, and she swears we get an e-mail about it every year (I swear I've never seen one, ever). I know there is a policy for the students, letting them know that plagiarism is an academic offense, but I have never seen anything official about procedures for handling it. In any event, after the official meeting was over, I talked to the dean, and by the end of our conversation, she had lightened up significantly and was smiling at me, so apparently I'm forgiven. But I am going to do a little research into the procedures--and resurrect our departmental policy (which I know we created years ago)--and circulate that information to at least our faculty. Apparently, according to the dean, we're the only department that ever, EVER, raises the issue of plagiarism to her office. Other kinds of cheating come from other departments, but plagiarism only from us. And I was happy to learn that students sometimes are suspended for plagiarism. Not as a standard rule, but it is a possible consequence--and I didn't think it ever happened. The upshot is that she's mollified--I'm not going to throw bombs into the system and am more than willing to admit that I'm simply an ignorant dope about this--and I'm mollified because I realize her office actually has some teeth, and will use them.

But for now, I admit: I am beyond exhausted. I don't know whether what I've just written makes even a shred of sense, but I can't bear to go back over it. I need to grab my bags and get out of here. This weekend, I have to finish that book review (it's due on Tuesday)--but beyond that, I intend to do a lot of resting. I may pay for it next week, but I refuse to take work home this weekend. The book review will keep me busy enough.