Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Oh, irate Student, you make my day wonderful.
Student sends furious email demanding to know why the "novel" that must be read over the weekend is not available in the University Bookstore. Student further goes on to rage several other local bookstores, investigated by Student, also do not have the novel. Not only that, fumes Student, not only THAT, but the course syllabus does not even LIST the novel as one of the textbooks Student is required to buy.
How, the Student demands to know, just how did this apparently non-required book suddenly become something the Student has to not only purchase, but also must have the entire book read by Monday? And on top of that, Student has to find it on their own because it's not even in the bookstore!
Obviously, we instructor types are sadists at best, and probably incompetent father-rapers at worst. (Student does not claim this, but I feel this is implied.)
CowardlyAcademe responds with a quite chipper note the gist of which runs thusly: the piece you must have read by Monday is not a novel, it is a short story, and, as the syllabus indicates, it is available in the online course reader (which Student has already had to use to access several readings).
It's the little sparks of joy like this that make up for the monotony of grading. It brings a tear to my eye.
How, the Student demands to know, just how did this apparently non-required book suddenly become something the Student has to not only purchase, but also must have the entire book read by Monday? And on top of that, Student has to find it on their own because it's not even in the bookstore!
Obviously, we instructor types are sadists at best, and probably incompetent father-rapers at worst. (Student does not claim this, but I feel this is implied.)
CowardlyAcademe responds with a quite chipper note the gist of which runs thusly: the piece you must have read by Monday is not a novel, it is a short story, and, as the syllabus indicates, it is available in the online course reader (which Student has already had to use to access several readings).
It's the little sparks of joy like this that make up for the monotony of grading. It brings a tear to my eye.
