posted
That's the sound that I heard this morning, when I was SUPPOSED to be teaching my class. Of four students that are in my class, not one of them deigned to show up this morning.
Yes, it's 8 AM, it's early, and it sucks. If that's such a major problem for you, don't sign up for the freakin' class!
quote:Originally posted by Megan: Yes, it's 8 AM, it's early, and it sucks. If that's such a major problem for you, don't sign up for the freakin' class!
Well, now you know why I didn't sign up for your freakin' class. Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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Yes...but if you HAD signed up for it, you'd have shown up, right? And not left me sitting there with lesson plans for an hour-and-twenty-minute class just going to waste?
posted
I teach sophomore-level ear-training. All the ear-training classes at IU in the summer begin at 8 AM.
And, actually, lots of regular classes in the school of music during regular semesters begin at 8 AM, as well.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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You need to take a little time to relax and not let this ruin the rest of your day. Try Tai Chi. Or Chai Tea.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Naa, don't give them zeros on today's pop quiz. Give them for next class period's pop quiz that asks them to review this class's discussion.
Posts: 216 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
I didn't take 8 or 8:30 am classes on purpose. While in college, I was incapable of functioning at that hour. Often, I was incapable of getting out of bed and being a decent human being at that hour. I only took one 8:30 am class and it was only offered at that time and was a requirement for my major.
I missed a lot of classes. It was a subject i liked (medieval lit) and a professor whom I liked as well (I'd also had her before). It was hard. I actually had to speak to her about it and let her know that it wasn't her or her teaching or the subject material. Because of her grading policy, my grade suffered due to my absences (2 points or something for each unexcused absence over the 2 freebies). That class was one of my only two C's in my college career.
So yeah. Don't take it personally when it's an 8 am class.
Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
Except that tomorrow is exam review and hearing day, which means no time for a pop quiz. Plus, it isn't a discussion class, really; it's a skills class, which means class is about developing the skills they know and learning new skills that they don't. Very hands-on, like charms class at Hogwarts. Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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My ears are usually up that early. My brain usually wakes up a little later.
I understand your irritation! I think you should prepare a little lecture to tickle their naughty ears with.
Posts: 3771 | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
Oh, I know it's not personal. It's just very, very frustrating to prepare for a class and have not one person show up for it.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
If the class is a practical hands-on (and ears-on), then policy should dictate that attendance is necessary or grades will suffer. Let this be their problem, not yours.
Kids today! They're not like we were when we were that age. When I was in school we appreciated and respected all our teachers, and would never consider being truant. We understood that education was a privilege and we were grateful for any opportunity we had to glean from our professor's wisdom.
But today, with their crazy hair and their crazy clothes, and that noise that they call music. There is no respect any more!
[Excuse me -- I lost control and just started channeling my grandfather. And out of respect for my grandfather, couldn't bear to erase his rant]
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote:If the class is a practical hands-on (and ears-on), then policy should dictate that attendance is necessary or grades will suffer. Let this be their problem, not yours.
I agree, and that's why I'm leaning toward giving zeros for the missed quiz, since the pop quizzes are how attendance is getting into the grade.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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Maybe they're like me and can already wiggle their ears. They figured they could skip the first few classes.
Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
That's hilarious Megan - early-morning ear-training must be a world-wide constant!
When I studied opera at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, we had our ear-training (which by the end included full orchestral dictation) at 7.30am.
I couldn't count the number of times in my first year I just didn't bother going to bed, prefering instead to turn up drunk. It's funny too: I always did a lot better when I was still drunk in that class than stone-cold sober...
Posts: 2245 | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Ear-training is also known as aural skills; it's a series of classes taught to music majors that involve things like sight-singing, transcription of music, recognizing sonorities and intervals, etc. Fundamentally, we're teaching people how to hear things in the context of a tonal key (until atonal ear-training, which is a class I don't teach).
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Troubadour, I can't speak for other places, but here they're held early so as not to conflict with other classes, lessons, and rehearsals.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
I guess that was the reason when I studied as well.
I don't know about you, but my study at what was the premiere vocal conservatory in the country left me with absolutely no sympathy for the wussy students of today.
I now work in the private education sector, and I think some of them are quite shocked at just how brutal I can be with their assessment. They somehow think that just because they paid for it that they are automatically granted the qualification they're studying for.
Oh I so hate grade-grubbers.
Posts: 2245 | Registered: Nov 1998
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In first year maths at Uni, there were two streams - 8 am and 9 am. I was forever thankfull I drew 9 am. Of course, that was before I learnt the joy of skipping classes...
Posts: 4393 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
Unicornwhisperer, I might buy that...if it were sunny here. Fortunately, it's cloudly and blessedly much cooler than it has been.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
oh me too, I helped fill water bottles for 130 rabbits yesterday, they get two a day, that have to be frozen for four hours.
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
If pop quizzes are how attendance gets into the grade and they all skipped yesterday when there was supposed to be a pop quiz, then of course you should give them all zeros for the quiz. If three had shown up, wouldn't you have given the quiz and given the fourth a zero? No different.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Megan: Yes, most definitely give them zeroes on that quiz. You would do the same if only one missed--so why not if all of them miss? -Katarain
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
The trouble with Dags' idea is that they are unlikely to actually learn anything from it. (Fun to think about, though. )
Just matter-of-factly give them pop quizzes with a zero. If you have papers prepared for next time with big red zeroes on 'em, might be the best way to get their attention.
Is there any possibility that all four will actually drop the class? Or is that not allowed once the term has begun?
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
My senior seminar in French had three students. Also, I liked my teacher. So it really pained me when I had to miss class. But sometimes you just have to miss class, you know? I'm OK with grade penalties because of it, but I figured that if I'm old enough to come to class on my own free will, I'm old enough to decide when I need to miss class to work on something more pressing. And that happened a lot.
It was funny, though, because one day in that seminar class, our prof was going to let us go early. "I feel so bad for keeping you ten minutes late every single day, so I think I'll let you out a half hour early today." Then she paused and thought. "No," she said definitively, "you all skip class often enough that I don't feel bad about keeping you late. You owe me."
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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posted
Yes, Annie, sometimes you have to miss class, but missing class on a regular basis can, and in this case does, carry a certain penalty. They're all going to get zeroes, and I'm not going to review any of the stuff that I was going to teach yesterday (I can't; I don't have the time). I've taught twice this semester to one student. All four students have a tendency to come late, in spite of my giving extra credit incentive for getting to class on time (forget early...on time, that's all I ask). Basically, this is just sort of the straw that breaks the camel's back.
I get so annoyed when people miss class and then expect me to spend class time bringing them up to speed on the stuff they missed. If you missed class, you're responsible for what you miss, not me.
rivka, it is allowed, but there are only two and half weeks left in the semester. Anyway, two of them will likely do just fine, and I'm not so concerned about their grades (the one zero on the quiz won't really hurt them that much). The other two, though...well, time will tell.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
I had originally thought that today was the first class of the term. If the semester is almost over, they're fairly unlikely to drop the class.
I'm actually fairly impressed that the class didn't get canceled (by the university) when so few students enrolled. I had it happen once or twice at UCLA, and that was for classes with 10 or so students enrolled.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
The summer ear-training classes generally have very low enrollments. However, due to the EXTRAORDINARILY low enrollments this summer, they're cancelling these classes next summer, which I think is basically a good thing. They really aren't classes that fit well into the summer term.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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