Can Someone Explain?

So today a student comes up to me and asks me for the “list of assignments we’ve had so far so [he] can make them up.”  Now, there are times when this might not be a totally absurd question.  For instance, after a brief absence, the reason for which I’d been made aware.  But, as they say, context is everything.  Today is March 26.  Classes began in January.  Said student, while occasionally popping into class to say hello, has yet to hand in any work.  In fact, today was the first time I’ve seen him since ten days before Spring Break, which was last week.  And yet, he was absolutely floored when I informed him that I was no longer accepting any of those pre-Spring Break assignments.Now, I don’t mean this to become an anti-student rant of the kind a not-to-be-named-or-linked-to blog is becoming infamous for.  I mention it more as a way to try to understand it.  This student is in the class I referred to in the previous post.  He is not the only student in this class who has remained on the roster and attends (if somewhat irregularly) without doing any work.  He is one of only two, however, who has approached me at all about the fact that he hasn’t done the work (the other spoke to me on Monday, had work in hand, explained her situation, and we negotiated a solution). I guess my question is this: Is this all simply high school behavior, or is it something else? Is it some kind of collective denial that transcends the classroom, kind of like the Republicans thinking we are winning the war in Iraq? How can a group of students believe that they can pass a course when they have not done the work for more than half of the semester?  Each semester, I have one or two of these, but this semester, it is half of this class.  And even though I’ve said to them, more than once, that they should withdraw, they keep coming back to class, but not with any work.I’m just baffled. 

I haven’t posted in so long, and the only explanation I can come up with is that I’ve been thoroughly depressed, not in the time-to-get-the-meds-checked sense, but over the political scene, the house situation, my college, my students.  But Spring Break is here, and I think I can start to exorcise some of these demons:

At the risk of alienating my small readership, many of whom are Clinton supporters, I  think that the self-serving, conniving actions of the Clintons are despicable, and if Hillary receives the nomination despite Obama’s being the leader in terms of the popular vote and the pledged delegates, race relations in this country will be dealt a blow that will take many years to overcome.  And certainly, John McCain will be our next president.  I have been feeling the same kind of despondency I felt in 2000, only this time is worse because it is the Democrats doing it to themselves.

We have not yet had an offer on our condo.  This isn’t surprising, given the housing situation, but that doesn’t make it any less difficult.  I have a significant other whose worldview is “It’s just money,” but that doesn’t work for me as I watch the dwindling balance in my checking account.  The new house is looking fine, but every time we turn around there’s something else that needs fixing.  We are now talking about maybe not moving until classes are over since it looks like it will be at least another month before the contractor is done.  This state of limbo is not good for me.

On campus, the deans multiply like bunnies.  We’ve got assistant deans who have assistants who have assistants.  And. nothing. gets. done.  We have a new dean of students who is a disaster.  The students are afraid of her, the staff are afraid of her, the faculty think she’s a joke, but no one will do anything about it.  I was just elected to the college senate, which I’m sure will prove to be a source of infinite frustration.  What was I thinking?

I’ve got one class that I can’t understand.  Half of them just blew off their first paper.  Handed nothing in.  Nada.  I’ve never had that happen before.  I’ve had students not hand in a paper and then never return to class.  Or come and talk to me about an extension.  But these students simply did not hand in a major paper and said nothing about it to me.  It is now Spring Break.  I am no longer accepting that paper.  What are they thinking?

And The Wire  has ended.  Sheee-it.