(no subject)
Aug. 16th, 2004 06:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
onefixedstarI spent another day apartment hunting with limited success. We've only looked at about ten or twelve places so far, but it feels like more. I think I'm going to swallow the illegal security deposit and apply for the one really nice place that's still available. And then hope that the utilities don't kill us.
As a reminder of my fast-approaching departure from my current residence, I've been told that I need to be here from 1-4 on Wednesday for a pre-inspection of my unit (as opposed to the actual inspection, which takes place after I move out). I'm a little irritated by the whole thing. As a grad student I can be here during the day on a weekday, but it's rather presumptuous of them to assume that we can stay home from work for this. I'm also irritated that I'm irritated, because usually little things like this don't bother me. (My best self certainly wouldn't be looking forward with such delight to informing my landlords that they owe me $90 in interest, or be so annoyed by students emailing me for extra marks.) I suspect it's the result of stress, but I need to do better.
I just received yet another email from a student who thinks he deserves a perfect mark for his tutorial participation. I gave out three tens, and I've had about six other students email me to say they think they deserve a ten. If I gave all of them what they're asking for, more than ten percent of my students would end up with perfect marks. That seems excessive to me. I'll check with the other TAs and see what they think.
I have to apologize for the mundane and sometimes depressing content of my posts lately. I don't have time these days to do anything exciting or thing and write about the things that interest me. That will change, I hope, come September.
As a reminder of my fast-approaching departure from my current residence, I've been told that I need to be here from 1-4 on Wednesday for a pre-inspection of my unit (as opposed to the actual inspection, which takes place after I move out). I'm a little irritated by the whole thing. As a grad student I can be here during the day on a weekday, but it's rather presumptuous of them to assume that we can stay home from work for this. I'm also irritated that I'm irritated, because usually little things like this don't bother me. (My best self certainly wouldn't be looking forward with such delight to informing my landlords that they owe me $90 in interest, or be so annoyed by students emailing me for extra marks.) I suspect it's the result of stress, but I need to do better.
I just received yet another email from a student who thinks he deserves a perfect mark for his tutorial participation. I gave out three tens, and I've had about six other students email me to say they think they deserve a ten. If I gave all of them what they're asking for, more than ten percent of my students would end up with perfect marks. That seems excessive to me. I'll check with the other TAs and see what they think.
I have to apologize for the mundane and sometimes depressing content of my posts lately. I don't have time these days to do anything exciting or thing and write about the things that interest me. That will change, I hope, come September.
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Date: 2004-08-16 08:25 pm (UTC)I just got a second email from a student demanding that I justify his mark. Apparently he didn't like my first explanation. The problem, of course, is that I'm always slightly worried that one of the students might have spoken up and I just forgot. In this case, I have no record that he ever spoke, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen somewhere. Assigning participation marks is a pain.
no subject
Date: 2004-08-17 04:38 pm (UTC)This guy's whining. Buck up. You gave the grade for a reason. Would you feel comfortable writing a reply telling him all the things that were wrong with his participation? I think it might be telling that you don't remember him talking...
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Date: 2004-08-17 07:13 pm (UTC)The problem with participation, of course, is that if they receive a low mark, it's generally because I don't remember them talking and so I have very few comments to make other than "speak up!". My little niggling fear--the reason that these complaints get to me where complaints about essay marks do not--is that it's possible that I did miss participation by some of these people, and I don't want them to suffer for my incompetence. But you're right--he's whining, and I did give the grade for reason. Which I've explained to him in detail. Enough is enough.