Yeah, no, Monday didn't get much better...

[icewolf]

My entire building is overheated, and, oh yeah, most of my English 101 students skipped.

Watch me go medieval on their collective behinds here.

Any suggestions on a suitable punishment? I'm leaning toward docking everybody who didn't show to class a letter grade on the paper they thought was due today.

**Edited for clarity and mood 4/24/2006, 1438**

Comments

[frumple.livejournal.com]

That actually sounds reasonable to me. Remind me sometime to tell you of some students I had when I was TAing in grad school.

[http://users.livejournal.com/charlotteb_/]

Er, boiling in oil is passe, right? Especially what with the overheating and all.

Although, I originally misread that and thought you had 97 students skip class (101 students-4 who showed up). So yours is bad, but I thought it was worse.

[(Anonymous)]

Oh.... yeah, that took me a half-dozen extra parses.

[noncalorsedumor.livejournal.com]

Heh. Awesome. :-D

I'm a fan of the punitive pop quiz. However, I haven't had my lunch yet, so that might be too cruel (or just unsuitable--being hungry makes me stupid).

[margoeve.livejournal.com]

I'd give a quiz on the lecture material for today.

Or give the students who showed up extra credit.

You have a clear attendance policy, right? A contract at the begining of the semester saying what is expected of them?

It's college, not kidergarden. They don't want to show up, they can deal with the consequences of missing out. Getting pissed at them doesn't help and doesn't get them to not skip in the future. However, I've found that not caring what they do gets more people to show up. You don't get a bonus for passing them.

[icewolf010.livejournal.com]

I've never had a "contract," but I have a clear attendance policy on the syllabus, yes. And today's situation has the summer session's syllabus edited already: no show on the day a paper is due, one letter grade off automatically.

This particular group, the EGL 101 class, has just been a group of frelling slackers all semester. With about four exceptions, they do just barely enough to skate past. They were all practically napping in my face in class on Wednesday, and yes, my volume and energy were UP.

I know it's college and not kindergarten, but I want them to see some sharp short-term consequences for their actions, as opposed to the far off, theoretical consequences of the final grade.

Sadly, for me, not even the illusion of not caring is an option. Wish it were. (This does not mean I will not gladly--nay, gleefully--fail their sorry behinds when final grades roll around.)

[severus-bracae.livejournal.com]

Well you could always have them spend a class period with me. Or would that be considered cruel and unusual punishment? *GRIN*