So young, so earnest, so ... slow

It's been a day of keeping careful control of my patience while dealing with students who are very young, very needy--and extremely slow on the uptake. I am more able to keep my patience because they are so obviously freshly hatched and wobbly, but it is a challenge when every explanation is followed by, "Wut? I don't unnerstand...."

It started with a young woman in Advisement. She was the hardest, partly because she's not my student but more because she kept going around the same circles--and changing the parameters. "All I care about is what classes to take in the spring." "OK, so here's..." "But don't I need a master's degree to get into law school?" "No, you don't, because Law is a ..." "I want to get my undergrad in psychology." "Ok, well look into what the requirements..." "So I want to take classes that will get me the psychology degree." "Do you want your associate's degree first?" "Yes." "OK, so here's..." "But this is all stuff I took in high school." "I think there are some differences..." "Don't I need more science?" "Well, yes: you need a lab and a non-lab science..." "But will those help with my psych degree? Because what I really want to do is teach." "I thought you wanted to get a law degree." "After I get an MBA." "Why do you want the MBA?" "Because don't I need it to get into law school?"

If you want to run around barking, you can imagine how I felt. It went on for, I kid you not, at least 40 minutes. Forty. Four Zero. Round and round and round....

I don't remember if I saw any other students in Advisement. I may have, but she took the bulk of the time when I was seeing students and not working on my own stuff. Oh, and I didn't mention: she said she just wanted someone to pick for her; she didn't want to have to choose courses. I told her, "Welcome to being an adult." She thought I was kidding at first, until I essentially told her that she'd better grow up and fast.

But I didn't strangle her, even a little.

Both my 101s met in the Library today, for their "information literacy" sessions. The first one was more efficient and clear for the students, but at least five students were very late--one of them one of my favorite students in the class. (Oh, I remember now: I saw him in Advisement, too. That was actually fun.) One of the students couldn't remember his password to log on to the campus computers. He'd texted his mom, but she wasn't answering. He looked on the verge of tears, and said, "I know I'm going to get in trouble..." I asked him whether he could learn what he needed to by sitting next to someone and watching or whether he'd do better by himself. He thought he'd do better doing the driving, but he needed to call his mom (not just text), and he was afraid I'd be mad if he went out of the class to call her. I said, "Well, College Student 101: It's time to start remembering your own password. But go ahead and call your mom." "You won't be mad?" (Inside: not any madder than I am already.) "Not in this case, no. Don't make a habit of this, but right now, go ahead and call her."

When he finally got back and logged in, I had to walk him through about 14 steps to get to where the rest of the class was--and I know he won't remember any of them, because they went by too fast. He's just lost, poor little lamb, and I can't do much to save him: "Leave them alone, and they will come home," but I don't think there will be any wagging tails. I'll be relieved if he figures out how to get, well, anywhere.

And there was another lost lamb in the second class. That student also has a vision disability, so part of what was happening was that he couldn't see the computer he was sitting at and couldn't see the projected images from the computer the librarian was working on. I found that there was a computer that had a "zoom" function, and we fiddled around with the screen settings so he could see at least a little better, but he was not absorbing anything, and I mean anything, the librarian was saying. I grant you, the librarian was pretty confusing to just about everyone, but most of them could at least follow the keystrokes and "click here" things--and the issue wasn't entirely visual with this student. Even talking to him about things, it's clear that he computes slowly and not very well. And my stuff is complicated and I work fast. Not a match made in heaven, unfortunately, but I'll do what I can to help all the lost lambs.

The best news of the day was that I did get everything marked to return to the 101 students. There is a fighting chance I can get the homework marked for the SF class tomorrow before class, too, which would be great. That would then free me up to grade discussion boards, on which I am woefully behind. But c'est la guerre.

Now, however, I need to make sure I have rounded up all the stuff that goes home with me (water bottles and the like) and I need to go make horrible noises on a stringed instrument. And I suddenly realize I am overwhelmed with gratitude that I have the time, money, and interest to put myself through the wonderful torment of learning to play the fiddle at my age. I'm rather proud of the way I live my life outside of work, quite honestly, and I am not unhappy with how I deal with the work component, either, despite all the bitching in this blog.

More tomorrow, good lord willin, and all that.