Semester End

The end of the semester can get a bit crazy.  Stress wears you down, tempers flare, and all you want is for it to be over.

Yesterday I finished grading my students' final reports.  I uploaded their corrected papers and entered their grades.  Last night around 9:30 pm I got a slightly irate email from a student who was not pleased with their grade.  The email was a bit of a rant really. "I changed so much and I did SO much work!" Thinking that maybe I was a bit harsh on grading I went and checked his paper.  And then I went a bit ape.  

I understand that my class isn't the only one you have.  I understand that the end of the semester gets crazy.  I've been there.  I've been there for 6.5 years- 12 trimesters, and 5 semesters.  I GET IT.  Here is what I don't understand - I spent a lot of time grading all of those papers.  I talked to them about it in class - how to get those points on the last report.  Some of the points my irate student lost were on grammar.  I pointed out what needed to be changed in his first two reports.  I spoke about them in class because many students did the same thing.  I waved my arms emphatically in the air stating I would take off points.  When he didn't change anything in the last report to that effect, I didn't give him any points in that section.  I sent this student his paper again, this time with a step by step explanation of what was expected in each section (basically the same as two documents I had already sent out before they wrote their papers).  I have to say that at least this student wasn't completely irrational.  Once he saw what was expected he admitted that he didn't understand the topic as well as he had thought.

One irate student down, who knows how many to come.  They have their lab exam tomorrow and I know I will be helping some of them with the questions (they get them ahead of time) during my office hours today.

Knowing that I wasn't always the most awesome student myself during college I want to thank those students who came in for help, who turned things in on time, who asked pertinent questions (or hell, just asked anything to do with the general area of our current topic), who kept up on the class lectures, and made lab more enjoyable.  I don't mind nosy students, I don't mind quiet students, rambunctious students, goofy students, serious students, or the I-could-care-less students.  I mind when you don't do the work then expect me to pat you on top of the head and give you a gold star (aka an A).

I'm procrastinating again.  I've gotten very good at it.  I've also gotten very good at freaking out. :)  My lease is up in 3 months, my job ends this month, and I can't get a job in my field until I get my degree.  I can't get my degree until I finish my paper and I can't finish my paper until I can do some sound analysis, which I can't do until I have the Cesium-137 dating back.  See how I can spiral? I'm trying to nip this in the butt by doing important parts that need to be done, but don't need statistical analysis or interpretation, like my methods section! Woo!

This was me in 2007 with piles of sources on the lab bench the day my honors project was due.  I'm hoping I can finish this time without killing myself.