Favorite student emails

[FishProf]

Hello Dr. Fishprof,
I am interested in your [Behavior of Underwater Basket Weavers] course during the summer I semester. I do have a family vacation planned from June 12th - 23rd. If this prohibits my ability to succeed in your course please let me know. I am willing to make up any work and or complete any work while on vacation as well.
Thank you,
STU

Hmmm.  Six week filed-based course in which we meet 2x a week = 12 class meetings, and you are going to miss 3.  Yes, that is going to make it hard to succeed.

[the_geneticist]

Hello Dr. Fishprof,
I am interested in your [Behavior of Underwater Basket Weavers] course during the summer I semester. I do have a family vacation planned from June 12th - 23rd. If this prohibits my ability to succeed in your course please let me know. I am willing to make up any work and or complete any work while on vacation as well.
Thank you,
STU

Hmmm.  Six week filed-based course in which we meet 2x a week = 12 class meetings, and you are going to miss 3.  Yes, that is going to make it hard to succeed.

I never understand *how* the student plans to make up that much class in that short of a time (let's ignore the fact that your class has an essential field component).
They don't seem to understand that they have to work twice as hard to just barely get caught up.  That's challenging enough for an online, self-paced class.  Basically impossible for an in-person course.

[secundem_artem]

By the time I was an undergrad, I was no longer vacationing with my parents.  Seems like a lot of kids are not willing to fledge and leave the nest.

[poiuy]

No opening greeting.

"Could you at least please grade the part of the assignment? Partial credit is better than no credit, please I'm so sorry for not turning it in by the due date. I had a 17 page paper due last week and a 15 page paper due last night so I've been burnt out completely. I've attached the partial assignment if you do choose to grade that part."

No closing.

Yeah, OK. It looks like Stu prioritized papers for their other classes rather than this one. Plus the paper was scaffolded over the semester to complete in steps to avoid the last minute rush. Plus multiple reminders given about time management and due dates.

I accepted the partial paper, gave it the grade it earned, and applied a late penalty.

[downer]

I'm not going to lie you have been one of my toughest professors! I feel that's a good thing because it challenged me to do better however like I said before I still feel I'm not a C+ student in these types of classes.

I am a bit concerned about this student's other professors. But maybe it's me.

[Langue_doc]

I'm not going to lie you have been one of my toughest professors! I feel that's a good thing because it challenged me to do better however like I said before I still feel I'm not a C+ student in these types of classes.

I am a bit concerned about this student's other professors. But maybe it's me.

Stu's writing suggests that C would be a very generous grade.

[FishProf]

Prof,
Why did I get a zero on the exam?
Stu

I don't have an exam with your name on it.  On any page.
FishProf

[the_geneticist]

By the time I was an undergrad, I was no longer vacationing with my parents.  Seems like a lot of kids are not willing to fledge and leave the nest.

Why not?  Many families still travel together, even when everyone is an adult.  Parents can typically fund a better trip than a student can afford on their own. 

[mythbuster]

The ones that boggle my mind are the vacations that include the entire first week of the semester. Given that our schedules are posted 2 years in advance- they really should know when the semester stats.

[fishbrains]

If I were Lord-God-King of the universe, all schools at any level receiving any federal funding would be required to have the same summer break, fall break, winter break, and spring break, so family members can take vacations at the same time. However, for better or worse, I am not at that level yet.

[Hegemony]

If I were Lord-God-King of the universe, all schools at any level receiving any federal funding would be required to have the same summer break, fall break, winter break, and spring break, so family members can take vacations at the same time.

This is what happens in English primary and secondary schools. It means that everyone knows when families can go on vacation, and prices are raised accordingly. Which means that families take their kids out of school during term-time, so they can actually afford to go to the Lake District or on that quick jaunt to Paris. So ... not a good strategy after all.

[fosca]

The problem with this coordination is that college semesters aren't always as long as primary/secondary school semesters; my college coordinated this, but it meant spring break (which followed Easter) was sometimes just a couple of week before the end of the semester, which wasn't optimal for everyone without kids.  Spring semester is long anyway, since people are still worn out from fall semester, and not having a break for that long was really tiring.

Then again, since I taught at a spring-break destination, a good number of my students wouldn't return after spring break anyway (why attend class when you can make lots of money working), so maybe they were maximizing attendance? 

[apl68]

If I were Lord-God-King of the universe, all schools at any level receiving any federal funding would be required to have the same summer break, fall break, winter break, and spring break, so family members can take vacations at the same time.

This is what happens in English primary and secondary schools. It means that everyone knows when families can go on vacation, and prices are raised accordingly. Which means that families take their kids out of school during term-time, so they can actually afford to go to the Lake District or on that quick jaunt to Paris. So ... not a good strategy after all.

I've heard of that issue in Britain. 

In our town, it's apparently pretty common for families to treat the final week or so of K-12 school as optional at most.  I don't recall that ever happening when I was growing up.  We were in school up to the end, of course, since our mother was a teacher, but the non-teacher's-kid students were there too.

[fishbrains]

Yet more evidence of why I should never be made Lord-God-King of the universe, alas.

[the_geneticist]

Student is shocked, I say, shocked that I wouldn't let him participate when he arrived 20 minutes late for lab. 

He tried arguing with the TA, TA sent SUS to me, I said he was too late to participate & to email me.

Hello, I am the guy that you didn't let in the lab today. Is it possible that you can send me the make up online, thanks.
[Super Upset Student]

At least he said thanks at the end.