Students do NOT care

MY students, that is. Not all. I started TAing for a non-majors science class this spring. I understand that none of these kids like science at all. But these kids just DO NOT CARE. 7 out of 60 just decided not to show up for the first exam. If I were the prof I would have told them tough luck. BUT the prof said he doesn't need to see proof of being sick or anything....they could all just take it anyways. One girl even admitted that she was sick the last week of class so she didn't show up to the exam. Didn't say before hand "hey, I was sick and was wondering if I could take the exam late?" or anything. Just an email AFTER the exam was over.

So....because I'm the TA I have to administer the make up. I emailed everyone last Friday asking for a time and nobody responded. So finally I emailed everyone again saying "MAKE UP EXAM TODAY" and only 1 out of the 7 showed up. 2 more emailed me AFTER the fact (not giving a reason) saying they couldn't show up.

I'm so tired of these people not taking accountability for themselves and their education. I watch them during class playing on their iPhones. Only a couple people pay attention and show up regularly. And then they act like it's our responsibility for them to do well. I'm sorry but if I tell you when to be there.....friggen show up. Or at least get ahold of me BEFORE the exam!

It's like they just don't give a crap. And the worst part is that the prof let's them get away with it! I NEVER missed an exam as an undergrad except when my grandma died. And even then I called the guy and took it in advance before I left for the funeral.

ARGGG!

What grade is this? Undergrad (university?) Seriously, if it's a bunch of first years, then the harsh reality is that they're going to regret acting like that sooner or later.

Can you talk to the prof of the class and explain the situation? Some people deserve "F"s if they don't bother to put in the effort.

salukigirl, the fault for this is with the professor. He is letting those students get away with it. If he had a hard and fast rule that they couldn't miss an exam and still get credit for the class, then they wouldn't. I'm afraid you're stuck with the guy, though. Hopefully next class you TA will have a prof with a little more backbone.

Yeah, I refuse to ever be a TA.

Wow, I thought my students were bad when I did the TA thing...most of mine showed up, and most did the work, but the work itself in some cases wasn't that great. You could tell who was putting in the effort, and I definitely saw improvement over the semester(s), but there were a few who just couldn't be bothered past the barest response to the assigned work. Also, I was astounded at the sheer lack or disregard of language abilities--I had to go through the fundamentals of writing a paragraph with a few of them, and those were the few who actually cared...

My biggest nuisance in terms of having to be the "attendance officer" was this one guy who would leave the room, ostensibly to use the facilities or smoke, and disappear for the remainder of class. I pulled him aside and asked him if he cared at all about his education, and he said: "Yeah, but this class is only a requirement. It's not what I'm here for." I told him I understood, but did he want to take it (or something similar) again? Just 'cause you show up for the first twenty minutes doesn't mean you were here for the full two hours. He said: "I thought no one noticed when I left." He was over six feet tall, sat at the back of the room nearest the door during every class, and let the door slam whenever he walked out. I told him it was his choice--take the class or take the F. It worked. He stopped disappearing, or at least made shorter "bathroom runs" than he had before.

When I think about it, there were other reasons the students' work suffered. The prof for that class was not a good lecturer, and her material was too advanced for them (way too much theory for what was advertised as an intro class--she never gave them an overview or any fundamentals). She had an annoying habit of telling them to google stuff instead of answering their questions or providing good source material. I would have wanted to leave had I been one of those students, to tell the truth.

salukigirl, your students are majorly inconsiderate to the point of being obnoxious, but you know that already. Is it possible the prof is accommodating them so he still has a job next semester, i.e. fewer D's and F's doled out to students? Is he new at his job? Is he of the same approach to one's obligations as the students...?

It's unfair this all falls to you, salukigirl. I would ask the prof if he feels your time isn't valuable to the point it could be wasted administering a make-up test to one student. Better still, do you have limits on the hours you work as a TA? We were only supposed to do x hours per week so it wouldn't interfere with our studies. Of course, my first prof, the one described above, didn't seem to care about that either.

Good luck!

The students probably have personal issues they're struggling with. It's not a personal affront to saluki on purpose. They're dealing with their own ****, whether it is immaturity, mental illness...ect. I can't tell you the number of times i've offended professors because I didn't do papers. I CARED, I just, it was part of my mental illness. :/

I was a college professor off and on in different schools for 20 years, and I couldn't believe how students acted either. Depending on the school, some students were more serious than others overall, but I do agree that part of the problem could be the prof's fault. I know if the profs don't have an attendance policy or if they are lenient in other ways, then the students will take advantage of that. I saw some students who I thought were just immature and in college because their parents wanted them there and/or the students didn't want to be in the work force. And, yes, some students did have personal problems, but I did try to be understanding if I knew what was happening.

Is this a freshman class? Of course, that's where the most immature kids will be. By the sophomore year, some will have flunked out. One year makes a big difference! (And maybe their parents see their freshmen grades and read them the riot act.)

This problem was gotten worse over the years, I'm sad to say. Some schools are so desperate for students that they will take almost everybody, and the profs are at least subtly pressured to be lenient, because the schools are concerned about enrollment.

Just some thoughts off the top of my head.....I can certainly sympathize!

It is a 100 level so it's only to fill a science requirement but most are not freshmen. I did talk to the professor and he agreed that I have done all I can do and to not give any more mercy. He said I shouldn't have to deal with it and that if anyone else comes to me, send them to him.

I used to work in the zoology office at my last uni and I remember this one kid who was taking a freshman level bio class thru a prof whom I had for a previous class. I know the prof personally and he is super nice, easy to work with, very accommodating and genuinely cares about his students.

This kid never showed up, missed the first exam and the prof kept telling him if he didn't do the work he would fail.

Well I get a call from his angry mom in the office! She is complaining that this prof was singling out her child! I wanted to say "how is your kid? oh yeah...in his 20s. Stop enabling him!"

Personally, if I were paying for my kid's college and they failed a class....they would be cut off. I would refuse to pay for my kid to go and throw away an education! But this woman was defending him!

I have calmed down now. I was pretty upset when I wrote that. The rest of the kids who missed the exam approached me today and I guess they have a different email other than the school one we have (also not my fault but still). So they are taking it Thursday morning before class.

And I gave an opportunity for extra credit today since less than half the class shows up. So the people who have regular attendance actually get rewarded for it. And maybe they will tell the others and motivate them to come. Who knows. I can only do so much. I have definitely gotten a taste for teaching though. It has taught me a lot even in a couple short months.