How much does it bug you when students can't even get it together to spell your name right on their papers?
I get this so often. It pisses me off! I may have a name that's a little unfamiliar to you, but come on!! It's there on the syllabus for you to see, and in any number of other documents I've given to you.
Today's example is a travesty that bears so little resemblance to my name, aside from the first letter, that I feel like failing the student just for that.
It's just such sloppiness, such direct evidence of a lack of effort.
Sheesh.
9 comments:
That bugs me, but what really bugs me is when they biff their _own_ names. When they do that, you _really_ know how little effort they put into your class...
Wow, it's like I'm entering a whole new dimension.
Students are suprising.
When they do that to me, I put a big circle around it and in big letters write, "This is not my name!" followed by a frown-y face. Usually they don't do it again. I honestly think that they're not used to people reading their work carefully, and so they don't bother to pay attention to details like that.
That happens to me all the time - annoying!!
My last name is often spelled incorrectly. And yes, it bugs me too.
On the bright side, at least they're butchering your name, and not listing a different professor entirely ...
So, being stupidly idealistic, I have this "writing intensive" format for my third year political philosophy course this term. My students hand in two short comparision papers and I comment all over them. Then, they hand in a short essay on a topic of their choice. I give an anonymous copy of their essay to a student with a contrary argument or, failing that, a very different topic. They then write short constructive responses to the papers they've read. Then, finally, I bundle up my comments and their fellow student's comments and hand back their original essay for revision and expansion, based on the two sets of comments they've received.
Now you'd think that an exercise like this would result in papers that are a pleasure to read, and to an extent it does, but generally only from those students who probably didn't need this exercise in the first place. The students who take this seriously are the ones who are interested in the readings and who put some care into their writing. The students who probably could benefit a great deal from this are, alas, typically the ones who don't take the exercise seriously, and who keep handing in the same unedited, late night drunken unresearched rubbish for each assignment.
... but at least they haven't butchered my name ... yet.
Well... I teach in an elementary school where the freakin' principal - PRINCIPAL - can't even say my name correctly. On the PA system.
At the beginning of the year I do a mini-lesson with my new students on how to say my name, stating specifically that they are never to refer to the principal's pronunciation for guidance. I have had one-on-one tutorials with the principal, I have sent him emails breaking down my name into manageable, um, what are they called again? Oh yeah, syllables. So yes, I feel your pain, honey.
I hate this, too, and it bugs me even more when students email me with the wrong name. The fact that our email system truncates my last time doesn't help - students often assume that *that* is my last name. But an even bigger peeve is students who mispell the names of authors they are quoting! Come on! You must have the book right in front of you to get the quote!
ok, that's my end-of-semester rant! :>)
Sounds like I have touched many nerves!
Anon 1 - that's terrible! Really shabby.
Anon 2 - I hate the misspelling of the author's name, too! So, so much. One of the essays I read this time had an author's name spelled three different ways. Charming.
Loren - I applaud your great assingment - that sounds really ambitious! Even if it's not working in all cases - it must be useful to some of them! It is making me think about how to incorporate writing-intensive components into a theory class.
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