Topic: Bang Your Head on Your Desk - the thread of teaching despair!

[Sea_Ice]

There have been so many examples of the decline in reading & verbal comprehension amongst the younger set that I hate to add another.  This also doesn't quite belong here, since it wasn't in a teaching setting - but it does relate.

Scenario:  I was looking for a specific condiment in an ethnic grocery store (b/c it would not be considered exotic there, so I expected a choice of brands) and the shelves in the relevant section were empty, except for an extremely expensive brand.  So I left without buying anything.

However, as the checker wasn't busy, I mentioned - 1) what I'd wanted; 2 - stated that they had no stock on the shelves; 3 - asked when they expected new stock to arrive.  Seems straight forward, right?  Checker and the two other employees in the area quickly attempted to help - by doing things like:  asking exactly what I'd wanted (I just told you...); going to check the shelves (I said they were empty...); looking the (generic) item up on their phones (after I told you exactly what I needed???); asking exactly which brand I'd expected to find, etc.  It took a couple repetitions of "when do you expect to have new stock arrive / have the shelves restocked" before they told me that restocking usually happened on (X & Y days) - days that happened to be the previous and current days.  I smiled and promised to check back in a few days...

<Bang!!>

[ciao_yall]

There have been so many examples of the decline in reading & verbal comprehension amongst the younger set that I hate to add another.  This also doesn't quite belong here, since it wasn't in a teaching setting - but it does relate.

Scenario:  I was looking for a specific condiment in an ethnic grocery store (b/c it would not be considered exotic there, so I expected a choice of brands) and the shelves in the relevant section were empty, except for an extremely expensive brand.  So I left without buying anything.

However, as the checker wasn't busy, I mentioned - 1) what I'd wanted; 2 - stated that they had no stock on the shelves; 3 - asked when they expected new stock to arrive.  Seems straight forward, right?  Checker and the two other employees in the area quickly attempted to help - by doing things like:  asking exactly what I'd wanted (I just told you...); going to check the shelves (I said they were empty...); looking the (generic) item up on their phones (after I told you exactly what I needed???); asking exactly which brand I'd expected to find, etc.  It took a couple repetitions of "when do you expect to have new stock arrive / have the shelves restocked" before they told me that restocking usually happened on (X & Y days) - days that happened to be the previous and current days.  I smiled and promised to check back in a few days...

<Bang!!>

Sounds like they tried to be helpful but didn't have access to the magic ordering system for the store.

[Sea_Ice]

There have been so many examples of the decline in reading & verbal comprehension amongst the younger set that I hate to add another.  This also doesn't quite belong here, since it wasn't in a teaching setting - but it does relate.

Scenario:  I was looking for a specific condiment in an ethnic grocery store (b/c it would not be considered exotic there, so I expected a choice of brands) and the shelves in the relevant section were empty, except for an extremely expensive brand.  So I left without buying anything.

However, as the checker wasn't busy, I mentioned - 1) what I'd wanted; 2 - stated that they had no stock on the shelves; 3 - asked when they expected new stock to arrive.  Seems straight forward, right?  Checker and the two other employees in the area quickly attempted to help - by doing things like:  asking exactly what I'd wanted (I just told you...); going to check the shelves (I said they were empty...); looking the (generic) item up on their phones (after I told you exactly what I needed???); asking exactly which brand I'd expected to find, etc.  It took a couple repetitions of "when do you expect to have new stock arrive / have the shelves restocked" before they told me that restocking usually happened on (X & Y days) - days that happened to be the previous and current days.  I smiled and promised to check back in a few days...

<Bang!!>

Sounds like they tried to be helpful but didn't have access to the magic ordering system for the store.

Yes, and yes.  But, I got the unmistakable impression that they only heard the informational part, not the question.  Once I got them to stop running in circles and focus on my question they immediately had a useful answer.

This seeming inability to deal with more than 1 or 2 bits of information / tendency to focus on only the first part of a prompt / inability to comprehend a clause or any complexity in a statement / etc. are all becoming increasingly common.

[apl68]

There have been so many examples of the decline in reading & verbal comprehension amongst the younger set that I hate to add another.  This also doesn't quite belong here, since it wasn't in a teaching setting - but it does relate.

Scenario:  I was looking for a specific condiment in an ethnic grocery store (b/c it would not be considered exotic there, so I expected a choice of brands) and the shelves in the relevant section were empty, except for an extremely expensive brand.  So I left without buying anything.

However, as the checker wasn't busy, I mentioned - 1) what I'd wanted; 2 - stated that they had no stock on the shelves; 3 - asked when they expected new stock to arrive.  Seems straight forward, right?  Checker and the two other employees in the area quickly attempted to help - by doing things like:  asking exactly what I'd wanted (I just told you...); going to check the shelves (I said they were empty...); looking the (generic) item up on their phones (after I told you exactly what I needed???); asking exactly which brand I'd expected to find, etc.  It took a couple repetitions of "when do you expect to have new stock arrive / have the shelves restocked" before they told me that restocking usually happened on (X & Y days) - days that happened to be the previous and current days.  I smiled and promised to check back in a few days...

<Bang!!>

Sounds like they tried to be helpful but didn't have access to the magic ordering system for the store.

Yes, and yes.  But, I got the unmistakable impression that they only heard the informational part, not the question.  Once I got them to stop running in circles and focus on my question they immediately had a useful answer.

This seeming inability to deal with more than 1 or 2 bits of information / tendency to focus on only the first part of a prompt / inability to comprehend a clause or any complexity in a statement / etc. are all becoming increasingly common.

I think I understand what you're getting at here.  It's as though growing up in a world where everything--school, work, entertainment, and even social interaction--has to be mediated through computers is creating people who can only think in an exceedingly linear, flowchart manner that gets easily derailed.

[the_geneticist]

Yeah, a while back (before Covid) they started doing the late-add thing by putting these students into our internet courses because they thought it would be easier for students to catch up in an internet class--even if they had never taken an online class before. I $hit you not.

It took a somewhat ugly meeting between the Senate and higher-ups to change the practice. T seeo the admins' credit, they did stop the practice.

Online classes are great IF:
stu has a new-ish computer & reliable internet
stu is self-motivated & organized

Online classes are a terrible idea for intro classes and doubly so for student who are already behind.
My department is pushing for more online classes, especially for summer quarter ($$$).
I will not put freshman labs online.  Yes, I am willing to die on this hill.

[EdnaMode]

**snip**
I will not put freshman labs online.  Yes, I am willing to die on this hill.

I won't either and I'll be dying on that hill right beside you.

[the_geneticist]

Summer grades are in!
How long until I get the first question/complaint/begging email?

[Parasaurolophus]

This is the first day of classes. I had one 101 class today.

One student showed up.

[FishProf]

This is the first day of classes. I had one 101 class today.

One student showed up.

So, pop quiz on Friday?

[waterboy]

Will it be a 102 if two students show? 103 if 3?...

[Parasaurolophus]

This is the first day of classes. I had one 101 class today.

One student showed up.

So, pop quiz on Friday?

I sure am tempted!

Will it be a 102 if two students show? 103 if 3?...

ROFL!

[FishProf]

I had to help a freshpeep who couldn't find room 178.  Because there isn't a room 178 in the building.

She was confusing HI-178 with [Building]room 178.  I got here to the right room only 10 minutes late but I don't think she understood what happened.

[darkstarrynight]

I wish this was not true, but as I am grading internship site plans for students in my graduate level internship course, a student copied another student's bizarre formatting and exact language for a completely different internship. That is so lazy, and now I get to deal with academic integrity issues at the beginning of the semester.

[Chemystery]

Today was the third day of classes.  We are still getting emails from various offices with statements they want us to put in the syllabus.

I would like to thank all the admins for helping students understand where the school stands on deadlines.

[Langue_doc]

Today was the third day of classes.  We are still getting emails from various offices with statements they want us to put in the syllabus.

I would like to thank all the admins for helping students understand where the school stands on deadlines.

Aren't you required to hand out/post online the syllabus on or before the first day of class?