Today

We had some good presentations today in class. They have actually learned that they're supposed to teach something.

One taught a little about symbolism, using Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. I heard some interesting things. For one, most have never seen the original trilogy. I'm not kidding. Most of them like these prequels because for some it is the only Star Wars they know. One girl had never heard the familiar phrase, "Luke, I am your father."

It's always fun this time of year as the students scramble to get late work in to raise their grades. I am still working on my late work policy, but this year it is simply late work coupons. They get 4 for the semester (which magically works out to how many major assignments that I give, basically one a month). I don't care how late they are as long as the bloody work gets in. This way Johnny's mommy can call and ask, "What can Johnny do to raise his grade?" I then say maybe two, and only two, assignments, the big ones. Classwork helps them do better on these major assignments and I really only have to grade one paper. And now the laundry list for Johnny is really short, but still tough because these are major assignments.

So I made a final drop dead due date of Friday, June 10th at 2:30 pm. You should have seen the work pouring in that last week. Even my honors kids were turning stuff in. It's amazing what a deadline does. I told them in class that if they would turn stuff in after 2:30, "I would laugh at them and call them silly names." They got the point.

One boy, actually quite bright but a slacker supreme, tried leaving an essay on my desk after I left on Friday. I returned it with another terse statement about the deadline. He is freaking out because that means he has a 79.3% C+ in the class, not a B (when he could easily get A's if he were to apply himself). I'm going to give him the C too, just to teach him. That's actually the best lesson he'll learn this year.

I have tried making sterner deadlines for items earlier in the semester. Stuff still comes and goes. I have tried taking off points for being late, but they still don't turn stuff in because they figure, "Why bother?" because with points off, they still do terribly. They don't realize that an F+ is better than a ZERO yet. They don't understand the math. This way, when they slack off for the first month or two (or three), there is still a chance. And some take that chance. One regular slacker managed to do enough to pull out his 60.0% D-. It's passing anyway! (Unfortunately, it is the same diploma as a B or A- student, but that's another topic entirely.)