About students--the perils of electronic files

Yeah, see: it's about me and the keyboard.

When I marked essays by hand--writing comments and noting problems with the mechanics in pen on the page--there were limitations in how much I could say and how quickly I could say it. I still spent way the hell too long grading essays, but I was kept at least a little in check.

But with a keyboard under my fingers, all bets are off. I am a very wordy person anyway; I talk a blue streak, and I'm even worse when I'm writing using a keyboard. (If you haven't, you should see what a "brief" email from me looks like.) I except the "keyboard" on my phone, which doesn't really count, as I can't use all ten digits the way I can on a computer keyboard, but when I can type the way I was taught in junior high (and perfected as an undergrad and even more when I worked as a secretary), it's off to the races.

Which, of course, means that a. I provide comments that are way, way, way too long for the students to absorb and 2. I spend way, way, way too long providing them. And I don't quite know what to do about that, as all my usual solutions don't seem to work: setting a timer (I ignore it for the first two and then just stop setting it), drawing a line (because I keep reading after the line, and I find more that I really just have to point out), whatever.

So of the approximately 13 students who are likely to submit an essay at some point, eight have actually done so (they were due yesterday)--and it still could take me most of the week to get them evaluated and back to the students. Which is not optimal to say the least; I know they won't do their revisions until the nth hour in any event, but I don't want that to be my fault.

It's a dreadful thing to say, but we all know it's true: I'm relieved that at least one of the essays is so ungodly bad that I won't have to do much at all. The student has falling into the trap of "plagiarizing" because he didn't use quotation marks, even though he's tried to give credit to the sources; his essay has absolutely zero attempt at correct formatting; his ideas are all over the map. There's another student who used quotation marks correctly, but Turnitin helpfully points out that more than 30% of his essay is quoted, which is problematic for other reasons, mainly that whole "you actually need to have an argument" thing.

And I grant you that the one essay I graded probably is a sort of worst-case scenario: there's enough going on that it's worthy trying to get the student to do better, but it's bad enough that there's a whole lot for her to do.

In any event, I'm going to take a break--after having graded only one essay!--to catch up on other stuff I need to grade from last week, which also will help me take attendance for last week.

But oh, I didn't mention the student who sent me an email at 5:30 last night asking where he could find the article he needs to read so he can write his essay. Uh, that would be the one you need to find doing your own research?? He even took the quiz about doing research, so I don't understand where the disconnect occurs in his mind--and of course he hasn't answered my email, because my response wasn't instantaneous (I only got his message and replied today, early afternoon NY time).

On the other hand, I did talk with the student who didn't realize she'd already taken and passed 101, and we sorted things out; she'll withdraw after spring break, so she won't have to finish the class and her financial aid won't be affected. That's a positive sign. (And I just remembered that I need to contact another student who said she was going to withdraw but--as far as I can tell anyway--hasn't yet.)

Well, this is how this particular cookie will crumble. We roll along, doing what we can and knowing that many will fall by the wayside before it's all over.