Please don't ask insulting questions. The ones I'm thinking of are "Is this going to be on the test?" or "Did we do anything important on Friday?" or "Do you care about grammar on the paper?" or some variant. If it's covered in class or the materials, it's fair game for the test. As for the second, well, no, we though instead of having class, we'd have a big party because you weren't there. And no, we don't care about your grammar! Turn in a big steaming pile of rhinoceros doo-doo! We don't care! Why would we care?
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Don't Insult Your Teacher
RightWingProf comments lavishly on a post I linked to, and added this tidbit, which should every student should hear:
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7 comments:
For some reason, I don't get "Is this going to be on the test?" a whole lot. However, I do frequently get the "Did I miss anything ['important' is sometimes added] on ____?" or its equally amusing cousin, "Did we do anything on ____?"
My response is typically one of two things: "Yeah, we sat around and ate donuts and talked about you," or "Yeah, we sat around and flicked boogers at each other."
That usually stops the kids in their tracks for a moment while they try to figure out what I mean, and then I remind them where they can always find the daily agenda and homework (on the class web page.)
The grammar one cracks me up too, and I generally don't even dignify it with an answer--the kids just get a Look (a Capital-L Look.)
That's a unique insight into what students think. Again, if you want students to do well, give them problems that will be useful to solve :)
I especially like the "Is this for a grade?" questions. My response can range from a simple Evil Teacher Look to a sarcastic "no I am assigning it because I want time to work on the NYTimes crossword during class..." I also love it when kids get into my class and assume it's recess or party time. Imagine the shock and awe of learning that I assign a research project and expect them to do it for a Summative grade.
I also like it when students ask the following in regards to a test:
"Is it open book?"
"Can we use our notes?"
"Does this test count?"
"Is there going to be a retest?"-there's confidence for you.....
its so good to hear other teachers getting the same things as I do and having the same responses "evil teacher look" and "sarcastic response" Ha! Gotta love students!
I do not know whether or not th previous posters teach at public or private schools. However, the same sort of mediocrity on the part of students is perpetrated at the private schools.
I have taught at both public and private schools and they share the same attitude. And that attitude is that they are better than everyone else. I am sure this plays into the whole concept of self=esteem at all costs, but it also sets kids up for some serious surprises when they move on to college. A couple of examples-I taught at a highly rated Catholic school. Whenever there were incidents such as graffiti or break-ins in the area, the general opinion of the parents, students and teachers was that it was the "public school kids". Never mind that one of the biggest pot dealers in the area was in my homeroom-I had friend on the police force who pointed him out. In wealthy public schools, you get the same type of thing. When a student from a school in our area got stinking drunk, paid $8 to ride a friends motorcycle without a helmet and died as a result, the epithet R.I.P.----- was on cars at ALL of the local public and private schools. The bottom line is that no school is exempt from the party animals. And that parents would rather not know what their kids are doing.
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