Venting, aka My Rant
I have two Core Humanities discussion sections. Usually, things go fairly well. Today, not so much. Frankly, my first section sucked so bad. It made me utterly irate. Their readings were relatively short, a total of 29 pages, many of those pages being less than half a page. Because of this, one would think that the students would finish the readings and be prepared to discuss them, correct? Think again.
Because I was starting the class with evaluations, I wrote four questions on the board so that when students were finished with the evaluations, they could start thinking about their answers until everyone in the class had finished and I returned to the room. I thought my questions were good. Some were though-provoking, while others were give-aways, so that the students who are less adept at critically thinking about the texts could participate by summarizing the texts.
I was disappointed in the students today. A number of times, after calling on certain students, they admitted to not having done the readings. Actually, a couple of them tried to hide this fact by saying that they hadn't gotten to a particular author. I pointed out that each of the questions asked about a number of authors, so if they did any reading at all, they should be able to answer the question in part. They admitted to not doing the reading at all. I asked them why they came to discussion if they are not prepared to discuss, because discussion is a give-and-take. Yes, they can get ideas from their peers, but they also have to have ideas to give back. Finally, I called on one student who was obviously not paying attention. He said that he wasn't listening to me or his classmates, so he couldn't answer the question. I told him that in that case, he should leave. He laughed. I didn't return his laughter, and I continued to look at him. "Are you serious?" he asked. Oh, yes, indeed. He remained in his seat. I looked at the class and told them that next week they better be prepared, but as for today, class dismissed. I did not hide my disgust.
The moment, however, did have its positive side. One student stayed behind. He told me that he thought the questions were not only relevant, but inspired a lot of thought. He said he is often disgusted by his classmates, and he is tired of having some of them rely on him for help. (He is the best student in the class, and I have noticed others look to him when they do not want to speak in class.) He said that he can see the same behavior in lecture, when many of them are on facebook the entire time. He didn't understand how the other students would not allow themselves to comprehend that their university education, unlike a vocational school, was about a well-rounded education, and as much as they might dislike the idea of Core Humanities, it was a part of the overall goal for their education. (We tangentially spoke about budget cuts and how this affects that goal.) He said he thought that I handle less-prepared students really well. He then read the questions I had written on the board and then we had a one-on-one chat about them. My anger dissipated a bit, because this is obviously not only a student who cares about the class, but also who cares enough to try to show me that my attempts are not in vain.
When my next section showed up, I told them that I was not in the best of moods. I gave them the short version of the previous section's behavior that day. They assured me that in contrast to my earlier section, they rocked and I would have good results. The outcome of my second section? Yeah, same questions, and they rocked the casbah. (Does anyone know what the heck a casbah is???) I told them this at the end of class. They said they were happy to make up for my previous section and that I could now enjoy the good weather with a good mood to match it.
Two shining moments to one bad. Not a bad ratio.
Finally, if my questions are too difficult, I'd appreciate your feedback.
1. How is the reading by Sartre a response to the devastation caused by WWII? Also, is existentialism an optimistic or a negative idea (or both, or neither)?
2. Gandhi, James, Fanon, Kincaid: Discuss their responses to (post)colonialism. How and why are their responses different?
3. Using Gandhi & Fanon: Should the response to colonialism (decolonization) be violent or peaceful? Why? (Also, do you view Gandhi's response as non-violent?)
4. James, Gandhi, & Kincaid: How similar (or dissimilar) is their rejection of the colonial culture? Also, how does each explain colonial influence on their culture?
Because I was starting the class with evaluations, I wrote four questions on the board so that when students were finished with the evaluations, they could start thinking about their answers until everyone in the class had finished and I returned to the room. I thought my questions were good. Some were though-provoking, while others were give-aways, so that the students who are less adept at critically thinking about the texts could participate by summarizing the texts.
I was disappointed in the students today. A number of times, after calling on certain students, they admitted to not having done the readings. Actually, a couple of them tried to hide this fact by saying that they hadn't gotten to a particular author. I pointed out that each of the questions asked about a number of authors, so if they did any reading at all, they should be able to answer the question in part. They admitted to not doing the reading at all. I asked them why they came to discussion if they are not prepared to discuss, because discussion is a give-and-take. Yes, they can get ideas from their peers, but they also have to have ideas to give back. Finally, I called on one student who was obviously not paying attention. He said that he wasn't listening to me or his classmates, so he couldn't answer the question. I told him that in that case, he should leave. He laughed. I didn't return his laughter, and I continued to look at him. "Are you serious?" he asked. Oh, yes, indeed. He remained in his seat. I looked at the class and told them that next week they better be prepared, but as for today, class dismissed. I did not hide my disgust.
The moment, however, did have its positive side. One student stayed behind. He told me that he thought the questions were not only relevant, but inspired a lot of thought. He said he is often disgusted by his classmates, and he is tired of having some of them rely on him for help. (He is the best student in the class, and I have noticed others look to him when they do not want to speak in class.) He said that he can see the same behavior in lecture, when many of them are on facebook the entire time. He didn't understand how the other students would not allow themselves to comprehend that their university education, unlike a vocational school, was about a well-rounded education, and as much as they might dislike the idea of Core Humanities, it was a part of the overall goal for their education. (We tangentially spoke about budget cuts and how this affects that goal.) He said he thought that I handle less-prepared students really well. He then read the questions I had written on the board and then we had a one-on-one chat about them. My anger dissipated a bit, because this is obviously not only a student who cares about the class, but also who cares enough to try to show me that my attempts are not in vain.
When my next section showed up, I told them that I was not in the best of moods. I gave them the short version of the previous section's behavior that day. They assured me that in contrast to my earlier section, they rocked and I would have good results. The outcome of my second section? Yeah, same questions, and they rocked the casbah. (Does anyone know what the heck a casbah is???) I told them this at the end of class. They said they were happy to make up for my previous section and that I could now enjoy the good weather with a good mood to match it.
Two shining moments to one bad. Not a bad ratio.
Finally, if my questions are too difficult, I'd appreciate your feedback.
1. How is the reading by Sartre a response to the devastation caused by WWII? Also, is existentialism an optimistic or a negative idea (or both, or neither)?
2. Gandhi, James, Fanon, Kincaid: Discuss their responses to (post)colonialism. How and why are their responses different?
3. Using Gandhi & Fanon: Should the response to colonialism (decolonization) be violent or peaceful? Why? (Also, do you view Gandhi's response as non-violent?)
4. James, Gandhi, & Kincaid: How similar (or dissimilar) is their rejection of the colonial culture? Also, how does each explain colonial influence on their culture?