Classes started. 500 happy students, eager to learn.
50 minutes, times 2, covering two fun examples, and one too-long syllabus. Blah.
4 TAs, and two TA meetings.
7 graders, three grader meetings.
2 very tired legs. Mine.
Three reams of paper to print all those copies of the syllabus. Next year, they're downloading it online and reading it on their own.
Do you think they'd read it on their own?
Would you read it on your own?
You probably would, but there will be a couple of people who don't realize everyone else is turning in homework until about midterm.
Of course, that's probably true whether or not we go over the syllabus.
I think I have lost even my two readers who care about this sort of thing.
4 comments:
I'm giving an online syllabus quiz this semester on what I think is generally misunderstood (like they can't use online translators). I also think sometimes that the syllabus is as much for the teacher's protection as it is for the student.
Welcome back to school! And yes, I think they'll download it and read it on their own. Your students are righteous and obedient. ;)
syllabus day was boring and only really made for the kids who don't read it anyway. Post it and see what happens.
I read both printed and online syllabi. I had some who emailed it to the students before class; we decided whether to print it or not. How else am I to know major events? It's boring and some can be shorter, but nobody can say, "I didn't know!" (I like the idea of a quiz.) I agree it's for the protection of all involved. The similar high school disclosure requires both the student's and their parent's signature. I found out from some new teachers that they never read their own kids' disclosures; just signed them. (When your kids have eight classes and eight disclosures each . . .) They admitted they didn't realize that their signature acknowledges that they know the teacher's policies and course of study. The district reading list and those disclosures with parent signatures backed up my choice of novels for my class AND my policies. ("You fail because here, in detail, is what plagiarism and cheating mean and the consequences for both. And here are both your and your parent's signature which means you both understood this.") Your students should be happy—at least you're letting them know what's going on!
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