Hello everyone:

I started a new teaching assignment today. I’ve been an adjunct professor for 12 1/2 years now, but today was the first time I stood in front of a class as an Associate Professor. What an experience! I have moved out of secular colleges and into the world of full time residential work at a large Christian university. Let me tell you about the young people I met today.

They were all “bright eyed and bushy tailed” as my mother used to say. None of them had eyes dulled by relaxing cigarettes or made drowsy by an early visit with adult beverages. They were polite and paid attention in class. They were enthusiastic, pleasant, and greeted one another with joy.  In one of the classes, two of the fellows offered to open our class meeting with prayer. In the other, a young man happily stepped up to do the honors.

When a student asked a question, they all responded non-verbally with great interest. They were genuine, the real deal. How refreshing! Folks, I have been standing in front of students since 2006, but this instructor, who is not easily impressed, was totally wowed by these young people. The future of our nation will one day be in their hands. I am duly impressed.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Hello everyone:

For those of us living in a northern locale, snow days are a real possibility, much like hurricanes are for the southern climates.

You know the drill, my friends. The weather folks’ voices become increasingly shrill one week, four days, two days, one day out of an event. Even if the weather charts show that the storm may miss you by a country mile, they still tell us that things are going to be absolutely horrid. Or not.

Please don’t get me wrong. Some of my favorite people have been weather folks, and some of them are incredibly accurate, like my old buddy Doug Hill was when he worked in Washington, D.C.  WJLA isn’t the same without him. (But I digress.)

Let me tell you a quick story: I was teaching in southern Maryland, driving one hour each way to get to and from school. A snow day that didn’t happen came up and I drove to school as usual. A certain student didn’t show up for class that day, even though the rest of the class did. When she finally returned to class the following week, she told me that they had had a tremendous amount of snow in her town, even though the rest of the area was virtually untouched. What she didn’t know was that I drove through her town to get to college. There had been no snow. None. Not a drop. Oops!

So what are you, as a student, to do? Folks, please go ahead and prepare for your class, regardless of what the weather predictors say is coming at us. Make sure everything is up to date and ready to go. Don’t face the professor with a shame-filled face and explain, “But they said…”  The instructor is not going to look at you and say, “Oh, Johnny. I understand, you poor little thing. Of course you may have extra time.” Welcome to college, folks.

Yes, the storms sometimes do actually come. Sometimes they are worse than anyone imagined. But just keep in mind: What’s the worse thing that could happen if you are totally prepared for class and it is cancelled? You have a day off to sleep in, goof off, or work ahead…Your call.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Hello everyone:

You may have read an earlier blog posting about getting the professor to cut you a break. Yes, it still happens but colleges are getting  a whole lot wiser and it might not happen much longer.

I was reading a textbook today where a young woman told her professor that her mother had died and that was why she missed the final exam. The instructor, asking for no proof of said passing, cut the young woman a break so that she could complete the semester successfully. Two weeks later, guess who he met at the grocery store? Dearly departed mom, well and whole. The lady in question hadn’t even had a head cold when she was apparently pushing up daisies.

One semester, I had a class of eighteen students. Guess how many of them had family emergencies on the day of a major project? Seven. That was just shy of 50% of the students, all of whom had very good reasons why they hadn’t come to class. My favorite excuse of all time was when one of those recalcitrant students said that her whole family had taken Grandma to the hospital because she was in pain and might, you know…. Tests showed that Grandma was constipated. I wonder if they all hung around for her treatment. The student didn’t make it to class that day, so you never know. Maybe the family was extremely close….but that’s quite gross. Disgusting, actually.

So, perhaps you may get lucky and, with enough proof, get the prof to let you slide on one assignment, but don’t plan on it being more than that. And there’s no guarantee that you’ll even get one second chance. The advice from here: do your work and do it on time.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Hello everyone:

It’s the end of December as I write this, and students are almost finished with their winter break. You may be greeting the new semester with a great deal of happy anticipation or with a huge feeling of dread. Let’s work on making it the former, not the latter.

Okay, so let’s take a quick look at your schedule. What’s on it? Do you have a boatload of classes that you have to take or are there a couple that you took because you thought they would be interesting? The funny thing is that the classes you dread, like the public speaking courses I teach, can actually turn out to be your favorite classes of all time.

Many semesters, students have written on the note cards I give them for a brief survey at the end of the first class that they absolutely, no way in heaven (or thereabouts) want to be in my class (it’s not personal, it’s just that they dislike public speaking and do not, under any circumstances or by any stretch of the imagination, want to be taking my class).

I understand, as do most of your professors who are on the lower-level-core class cycle. But you know what? With the right professor and the right attitude, you can not only make it through the course but you can excel. Talk to your professor about your concerns. No, you can’t write a paper instead of speaking in the public speaking class you are taking, but read the syllabus and see if you are going to be easing your way into the course.

Things might not be as bad as you are expecting, and you might end up loving the course you dreaded so much that you decide to minor in the subject (I’ve seen it happen!).

Good luck with your new semester!

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Hello everyone:

Sometimes circumstances make it difficult to met a deadline. You need a break. Emailing the professor as soon as you can will sometimes lead to a good result. Waiting until one week after the semester is finished and asking the professor to excuse your tardiness and shoddy work on the grounds that you will have to pay for the course, which will utterly ruin your life, is not the time.

Case in point: I recently had a student who barely showed up during the term and then, a week after the course ended, asked me to let him submit something a week and a half after the term ended, so that he wouldn’t have to pay for the course. If only I would raise his final grade by four undeserved points, his life would not be destroyed forever.  Nope.

Another case in point: A student who had been struggling very hard, who had documented reasons why her work suffered during the term, asked for a break. She got it.

The deal here is that sometimes bad stuff happens that is beyond your control. Other times, a student is just lazy and feels entitled. Guess which one the professor is responsible for? Unless the instructor hit the student with his or her SUV, it is never the professor’s fault. Just sayin’

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Hello everyone:

Okay, you’ve worked hard all semester but you are up against an unforgivable deadline at the end of the semester and your work isn’t done. What can you do now?

Understand that the professor has deadlines as well. We have a certain date by which we must post our grades. If we are well-organized, we are ready to post before the last day of class or thereabouts.

Your request for more time might not be met with rejoicing, especially if we have to hold up all of our grades for you. But perhaps there is a tiny bit of wiggle room there. Ask. You have nothing to lose.

I had a couple of students this past term who had met with disasters during the very end of the semester. I knew they were probably being truthful because of the work ethic they displayed all semester long (a lesser student woudl not receive the grace I am preparing to tell you about).

One student had a major catastrophe due to weather and the other had his car broken into and his computer was stolen (he sent me a copy of the police report and he was an outstanding student).

I gave both of these fellows a one-day extension, which was just enough time for both of them to successfully complete the final report and get it submitted. I was still working on my final grades, so I had a little leeway.

The lesson here is: be a good student, document your trials, and throw your situation on the mercy of the professor. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

P.S. But don’t even ask if you are a certified member of the “Excuse of the Week Club.”