Homework on the First Day of School |
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On Wednesday, I learned that all students, no matter what age, have one thing in common: they love to complain.
Wednesday night was orientation for the online college comp I teach. In the 2 ½ years I’ve taught community college, I always face an initial skepticism from my students – many of whom are non-traditional, adult students – because I look about 19 (compared to my well-earned 26).
Beyond the initial “I thought she was a student” murmurs, that talk usually subsides once they realize
1. I know what I’m talking about and
2. I’m in charge of their grade.
I assumed we’d reached that point by the end of the class – we’d gone through the syllabus, had a chuckle during the “please don’t plagiarize because prosecution is one Google search away” speech and were wrapping up with a few “fun,” short assignments for Friday.
While most of the students looking over the reading exercise on Obama’s inauguration speech, a middle-aged man in the back raised his hand and said, with a scowl on his face, “You want us to do all that for Friday – a day and half from now.”
When I said yes, he continued to try to convince me of how unreasonable I was being while looking at me with an expression that said “I can’t believe this little girl is giving me homework on the first day of school.”
Obviously, I didn’t back down, but he did convince me of one thing: I may be young, but I was definitely the grown up in the room.
Share your stories about complaining students in the comments section!
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