Friday, April 29, 2011

End of Semester Correspondence

I wonder why some students choose the end of the academic year to get on a prof's nerves in the most inventive ways imaginable. It has to be pretty obvious that a professor will be extremely thankful to anybody who doesn't waste her time in any way and might even cut such considerate students some slack. Apparently, most students don't see it this way because I keep receiving emails from students that would try the patience of an early Christian saint. Here are some examples of what I've been dealing with in the past two weeks.

A) Dear Professor Clarissa, You said that today is the cut off day for the lab and I know that the lab is worth 25% of the final grade. I haven't done any lab since the beginning of the semester and I'm getting kind of worried. Should I worry about it or is it OK?

B) Dear Professor, I'm writing to tell you that you are the bestest, most amazing prof ever. I absolutely LOVED your class this semester. Your lectures are always so interesting and fun!!! I know I missed 11 classes this semester (out of 24) but I know that if I'd been there I would have loved them. So I hope that you don't hold my absences against me.

C) Hi. I'm wondering what my grade is at this point. Please send me what my grade is before the final exam. I need to know how much to prepare for the final exam. Thanks.

D) Dear Clarissa, I know you talked about the final exam in class today but I wasn't listening. Could you tell me what it is you said?

E) Hi prof, I know I missed the oral exam today and I'm sorry. Is there any way I could do a makeup exam and submit it to you by email?

F) Dear professor, I know that I spoke a lot of English during the oral exam today and that resulted in a very low grade. I just wanted to explain to you why that happened. I really love Spanish and want to learn it but speaking English is so much easier! So that's why I spoke it during the exam.

G) Hey Clarissa, thank you for giving us this great study guide for the exam in our literature course. I find it very helpful. The only problem is that I can't find the answer key. Did you forget to hand it out or did I misplace it?

I've been trying to figure out which one is my favorite but it's too hard to choose one. Which one do you like the most?

16 comments:

Amanda said...

F. It's the only one that doesn't have naive stupidity as a cute excuse.

Anonymous said...

C) has some plausibility as a legitimate question. Depending on how clear your grading scheme is, e.g. how much participation counts and how clear it is where s/he stands on it, the student really may be asking for information and not a favor.

Clarissa said...

The annoying part of the C) email is the suggestion that one only studies for the grades. Also, the idea that I will calculate final grades twice for all students when they can just as easily do it themselves is annoying. If they are too lazy to get out the calculator, why am I supposed to be wasting my time on this?

Clarissa said...

And F) bugs me because I repeated I don't know how many times that there will be no English during the oral exam.

Anonymous said...

E) Hi prof, I know I missed the oral exam today and I'm sorry. Is there any way I could do a makeup exam and submit it to you by email?

Submitting an ORAL exam via email takes the cake.

Clarissa said...

Maybe I should allow it. Just to see what the student will send in. :-) :-)

Anonymous said...

These are hysterically funny LOL

Anonymous said...

B and C were hilarious.

Anonymous said...

Couldn't he send you a voice recording?

Clarissa said...

Yes, a recording of him talking to himself. That would be one original exam. :-) :-)

Pagan Topologist said...

I encounter A) or something similar on a regular basis. I am going to vote for A). I don't even get annoyed by it; the others do annoy me a bit. A simple answer to A) sufficeth, methinks.

Pagan Topologist said...

I think giving an oral exam by phone is interesting, if you can be sure who the person on the phone actually is.

Clarissa said...

Yes, A is real cute. And it's a good student, too, but the group dynamic of this weird class spoiled her.

Natasha from Russia said...

Cheerful children.
And how many years to your students?

Clarissa said...

I'd say they are between 20 and 22 mostly.

Natasha from Russia said...

Like adult people, and conduct as teenagers.