Upside: I've lost a total of 59.5 lbs

DAMN, Aimee! Since when? How'd you do it?

Dude, she SO cheated. Had this surgical procedure and lost about 8 pounds of it in about an hour.

When you get a job, if you don't show up, you're not gonna get 30% of your paycheck, just because $0 is mean.

Yeah, but if you only work one hour, you're not going to get 50% of your paycheck, either. So I'm thinking it would have been more logical to adjust it that way. In any case, I'm not actually agreeing with it. But a whole bunch of teachers voted for it, and it seems unlikely that they're all touchy-feely non-accountability suckers, so I'm trying to figure out the thinking behind it.

ETA: Part of it, I think, is the whole problem with grades, that they carry a significance severely out of balance with how seriously kids are capable of taking the work. I'm not sure that was an actual sentence, but regardless.

Hello, Bitches! I am back at my desk after two weeks of vacation. I have made it through half the email and have avoided picking up the phone to get my messages. Maybe after the next cup of coffee.

Important things I learned while on vacation: Lilty is lovely, Princess Tickybox has the most adorable cheeks, and Plei and Jilli have bogarted all the beautiful.

A few odd pics, but not of the Buffistas, because I am hopeless with a camera and I haven't gotten everything developed.

I will never catch up with two weeks of postings, so hugs and glitter to those in need, glitter and hugs to everyone else.

Back to figuring out what happened while I was gone!

Instead of a "no zero" policy, they should probably be sure to weight different assigments according to their importance.

This exactly. Not giving 0s for work not turned in, IMO, creates weird expectations for kids when they get out of school. One missed homework assignment shouldn't bring a B student to a D because homework assignements should be weighted differently than term papers or tests or big projects. One missed term paper could absolutely bring a B student down to a D.

I'll accept late work (with points taken off for lateness) any time. I'll work with kids to help them out. But, I will not give work not turned in anything but a 0.

And yet more picture spam from me (as part of the ongoing Make A Photo Album For Bro's Wedding project) --

Freshman year of college, Why An All-One-Length Bob Is A BAD Idea (and please do not speak of the dress; it was 1990, damn it): [link]

homework assignements should be weighted differently than term papers or tests or big projects.

This isn't standard?

I don't understand how this is an issue. Do teachers not set their own grading practices anymore?

(eta: Good to see you Sparky! Great pics)

Hey, Sparky!

Instead of a "no zero" policy, they should probably be sure to weight different assigments according to their importance.

I'm not sure if this is universal, but the majority of my teachers did that. Homework might be scored out of ten, where a test would be out of 100.

I can understand why zeros are problematic mathematically, but at the same time ... it seems terrifically unfair that a kid who tries her hardest and just doesn't understand a concept could get the same grade as a kid who completely blew off the assignment.

Do teachers not set their own grading practices anymore?

I don't know about other universities, but here we have a manditory curve that we have to apply and and adminstration that butts in to keep the students (who will someday hopefully get rich and donate a lot of money) happy.

Hey, P-C!

Sparky!! I was just wondering this morning when you'd be back!