Rick, any other professors out there, do you think students have gotten worse about taking advantage of their professors?

Definitely worse. But it's more the attitude that they should be able to get out of stuff for a whole multitude of reasons (sister's cousin's dog's funerals, traffic court, interviews, etc.) that really bugged me.

My dad is convinced his students are getting stupider. Or at least, they start college less prepared than they used to.

I think generally there's a growing sense of entitlement which doesn't exactly butter my muffins.

they start college less prepared than they used to.

This is definitely true. A regular part of my job was teaching students how to write (not just how to write in French). And I don't mean nuances, I mean things like "you should have paragraphs".

I think college/graduate school has come to be seen as a commercial transaction, i.e., students feel like they're paying lots of money and thus buying a degree rather than earning one. As if they feel they're paying my salary and thus the boss of me, more so than I felt 12 years ago when I started working for universities.

I know back in the '80s when I was at Marquette, we definitely were aware of the cost of getting that degree, so we didn't feel like we had time to splurge on getting worked up about protesting, screwing around, or other ways that the Boomers spent their college time in the '60s and '70s. (And we were criticized by those Boomers for not being more combative--they said that we were lazy and/or mercenary, when we were really just trying to get through school in as short a time as possible.)

But, we were still earning the degree, not buying it from the school. The teachers were in charge, and even though I hated that stats prof, I didn't protest his decision to turn my name into the dean's office, because I was in violation of the attendance policy, so I felt I should have to pay the price, as stupid as I thought that policy was.

Some professors do require documentation of a funeral, but because I am occasionally fortunate enough to have a Kathy or a Shrift in among the rabble, and because I don't want to alienate the few bright minds who make it all worthwhile, I just accept whatever students tell me.

Bob Bob is still idealistic enough to let this stuff bother him. Once he gives up on the jerks he can start being surprised and delighted when he finds a bright, inquisitive student in the mix. Cynicism is oddly liberating that way.

Of course he could take a job at Reed or Oberlin or one of a few other places where the student culture embraces thinking for its own sake.

I get the kids who can't do the lighting call they committed to 2 months ago because they have a paper due tomorrow.

Of course he could take a job at Reed or Oberlin or one of a few other places where the student culture embraces thinking for its own sake.

I have to admit that (despite my initial revulsion at the thought) I grew to love the "no exams no grades" credo that they had at Bennington.

My niece is going to be Cinderella [link] for Halloween and I'm thinking of sending a costume for my nephew. What could be be that would coordinate?

A pumpkin?

Hey aurelia - didja' get a car? How are the kitties?