I realize that this semester I have not been putting my all into my introductory classes. I don't particularly care, and I'm tired of fighting my lazy students who believe a college degree is an entitlement and that I should give them all an A for breathing and showing up to my class have the time. No more essays, no more papers this semester. Exams are all multiple choice because that's what they want. Ironically, they will find out, students in my classes do worse on the multiple choice portion than on the essay portion of the exam.
On the first day of class, when I asked students how many of them were paying attention to the presidential race, out of 35 students only 2 raised their hands. Something in me snapped. I was stunned. Here was the most interesting presidential contest in my lifetime, and no one was tuning in. I thought to myself, "These idiots don't have the right to an opinion." Rather than do my usual give and take lecture-discussion hybrid, I decided that I would lecture the entire semester.
On the first day of class, when I asked students how many of them were paying attention to the presidential race, out of 35 students only 2 raised their hands. Something in me snapped. I was stunned. Here was the most interesting presidential contest in my lifetime, and no one was tuning in. I thought to myself, "These idiots don't have the right to an opinion." Rather than do my usual give and take lecture-discussion hybrid, I decided that I would lecture the entire semester.When I lecture, with little interruption, I can just fly through the material. For two days in a row, I let the class go early. One day, 45 minutes early--the next 20 minutes. Yesterday, however, some of the student actually decided to engage me during a discussion of civil liberties. I decided to indulge them, and I got some really great questions. Maybe these students weren't so bad after all.
About five minutes before the class ended, however, some of the students who apparently didn't care for the discussion or for the learning that was going on, began to pack up their supplies. I was taking questions right up until the end of class, and started to go just a bit over the class period. To my surprise, students just got up and walked out.
I couldn't believe the little shits and their gall. I stopped my thought in mid-sentence and said, "Don't I have any authority here? We are not done class--do not just get up and walk out. That's rude and disrespectful."
I think I'm going to show up 15 minutes late to class next week. I obviously have more important things to be doing than to waste my time with these jokers. Better yet: I'll just pack up my things while students ask me questions next time.
