comp12

To follow up, Thanks for everyone's comments. This is a humanities context. It is a freshman composition class, where the goal is less to prove mastery of discipline/content, rather to produce persuasive writing. We do have a thorough rubric. It is clear the emphasis is on argumentative strength and original analytical rigor. Most students are, indeed, STEM students, who are used to things like "correct answers" and "mistakes." There is nothing that these students love more than receiving "corrective feedback" and to model their papers off of "perfect" essays. Most have solid command of thr mechanics of writing, and the English language. Many have trouble in moving beyond a middle-school level Five-Paragraph-Essay.

Very doubtful.

Ugh, how do you respond to this question? And, how do you respond to the even more rage-inducing, follow-up question that usually comes right after: "What do you want me to do SPECIFICALLY? I want to fix each of my specific mistakes, so that I can get an A." The following is a conversation that's happened multiple times this year: STUDENT: So, I got your comments and feedback on my draft. But, you didn't tell me, what grade would you this draft if it were the final assignment? ME: Well, that wouldn't be a fair thought experiment for either one of us, because it ISN'T the final draft. The key for the moment is to think about the potential ways you could improve it during the revision process. STUDENT: Yes, I understand that. But, I just want to get a grasp on your evaluation and grading philosophy. Can you tell me what grade you personally would consider this draft? Also, while I understood the feedback you gave and the questions you asked, can you give me some ACTUAL, specific, step-by-step instructions on what mistakes I made, and how I can fix them, in order to get an A? ME: ........[facepalm] WAIT, SO YOU WANT ME TO REVISE YOUR PAPER FOR YOU, IS THAT RIGHT?

How about this one for you guys: Let's say you teach a class that involves writing / creative projects / other open-ended assignments. How do you deal with THAT student who always comes in to ask the infamous question: "Here is my draft. If I hand this in, what grade would you give it?" I figure by now I ought to have a repertoire of canned responses up my sleeve on how that is not an acceptable question to ask.

Any ideas for a lesson plan involving incoming freshmen in a section of 30 students? Being that it's day one, I'm not going to bank on a lot of kids having read their readings beforehand. Being that there are 30 people and only 50 minutes, it's not practical to do a round of detailed personal introductions. Does anyone else have ice-breaker exercises they like to use for large'ish classes and young 18-year old college students? Of course, since it's day one and these are freshmen who don't yet know the typical university infrastructure, I'm sure to spend time explaining lots of these details, like how to read a syllabus, what are their requirements, etc etc. But what suggestions do you have for 1st-day icebreaker activities? Thanks!

Also - discounts can come in handy for nights out on the town...especially for venues and places one might not have gone otherwise. Nearly every single arts organization--museums, symphonies, ballets, opera, theater, etc--have student rush rates that are many fractions of face value admission. These organizations are always hungry for younger audience members to establish repeat patronage.

When I started, I did the whole attempting to mark in as few sittings as possible thing too. Then I sound that I was going crazy. And that students whose assignments were towards the end of the pile showed a correlation to lower grades So now, I make conscious efforts to space them out.

On desk: Laptop and mouse, single-serve coffee maker, a travel souvenir that doubles as a paperweight, a bookends set that keeps thr books I'm currently reading. On shelf: the rest of my "library," the pods for said coffee maker, boxes of tea bags, some trail mix, the regular stationary stock, an archive of student papers and exams which I keep for a semester afterward

Don't fall behind! Don't get sick. Don't procrastinate grading midterms and finals if you're a TA! Don't get ambitious planning your "spring break."

AND, the world observes a moment of silence for another Mr. Nice Shy Guy, who has once again gotten beat to the punch by Mr. Outgoing Funny Bro

They are no longer sold in the US, but I swear by my Senseo machine for single serve coffee. They go for cheap on the used eBay market. You can only buy pods in big suburban centers like Walmart and online, but it easily tops Keurig for me, or you can make your own pods. No plastic capsule waste, no cleaning up grounds and filters. It's a pressurized system, and delivers nice strong drinks with a great thick layer of creamy faux-crema, which no drip system can ever accomplish. Plus, the pods come cheaper than Kcups, Verismo, CBTL, and T capsules

I don't think it's too formal. I shan't ever use 'em.

Okay, back from the sidetrack Adding to the OP's list of DON'Ts: Don't "borrow" the stapler sitting on another student's desk when s/he's not there. Get your own. Same with post-it notes and paper clips. If he IS there, don't even ask him to use it, because he won't say no. Then, soon you'll be freeloading all your stationary from him the entire year. And he won't like it. Don't live in the office. If you need to stay until 2AM working, then it's perfectly fine. But if you're gonna stay until 2AM watching Youtube and using Facebook, then just go home. It's a communal work space, not your apartment. No yoga mats, no taking "naps" on the couch. Don't bring all your toiletries/combs/toothbrushes to the office for regular "all-nighters" Don't go on Skype chats at your desk, even for professional/academic conversations. Use the conference room, go outside somewhere, or go home. And some DO's: If you have a stapler, expect to be refilling it very very often. Turn off the lights if you're the last one out. Or if there is any chance you might be the last one out. If there is a shared kitchen space, put your own stuff in ziploc bags or tupperware, and label them. More importantly, throw out your food from the fridge if they're spoiled! Bring layers. Maybe permanently leave a pullover in your cubicle shelf. Ask others before you decide to open/close all the windows and change the thermostat. Buy a Kensington Lock for your laptop if you are going to be using it at this space often.

Hahaha - this isn't so exclusive to office spaces, but to life in general. I always secretly hated that person. You know, the one who shows up at the last day of class, or if it's someone's birthday, or to celebrate someone's accomplishment, or whatever...and goes OH MY GOD OH MY GOD, I MADE CUPCAKES FOR EVERYONE!! THEY ARE MY GRANDMA'S SPECIAL FAMILY RECIPE! TOTALLY VEGAN! COMPLETELY GLUTEN FREE! AND LOOK I MADE THEM INTO HEARTS AND BUNNIES AND LADYBUG SHAPES ESPECIALLY FOR U GUYZZ! PLEASE, EAT THEM ALL, EAT THEM ALL! No, I don't want to eat them. I don't like cupcakes. No I don't have to be an evil, heartless, cruel monster to not like cupcakes. No, I don't care if they are vegan and gluten-free. Cupcakes just don't appeal to me.

This is a good topic. At my department, we have a huge (like, a building) space set aside for the graduate students. It's dirty, old, run-down, out-of-the-way (not very close to the actual physical department) space, but it's there nonetheless, which is not to be taken for granted given the real estate problems on campus. The students 'self-run' this space. The desks are "modular" so those who want to use to the space can move the desks around and build their own cubicles. Some like it cafeteria-style, others go into reclusive corners. We have a kitchen space for shared coffee, tea, microwaving, and it works well, although it gets dirty during certain peak times. I don't share my desk, although some do. I think the key is: keep a mini-shelf / storage container / safe and put all your files and books in there. Close it when done and put it to the side when you leave. Are there any common areas not assigned to a specific student, but are usable by everyone? If so, I may grab my files and bring it there. Or, is it rare to have everyone in the office at the same time? Perhaps you could just take your books to another student's desk when s/he is not there. If he comes in, of course you'd have to vacate. The key to all this, is to reduce clutter. Have a safe box or a plastic container or something, and keep your files in there, rather than the preexisting fixed cabinets. In a shared deskspace, you may enjoy the ability to get up and move with ease. My own cubicle is pretty cluttered by now, with just about my entire library of books checked out, and plenty of folders of notes and essays. Then again, I don't share my cubicle, so this is pretty much my permanent office setup for the rest of my graduate career on campus.