Not down with this, in case you wondered.

One of the great things about being a psychology major was that when life got extra crappy and I was taking a class with my advisor, he let me make up an exam.

The only time I asked for extra credit after the fact to increase a grade was one term in Calculus (I started out as a Chem. major). I'd had a nasty respiratory flu that hung on so long and hard that... well... one of my other profs for a large general requirement class took random "attendance quizzes". I missed 9/10 of them but I got As on the exams and he sort of was relieved when I wasn't there, coughing up a storm, so he threw out the attendance quiz grades for me (I did not ask for that, he just automatically had mercy on me). To keep up with Calc, I hired a tutor, and I managed to earn a C. Which that prof then proceeded to dock down to D because of poor attendance. (He knew darn well I was sick, when I was sent for a chest x-ray to see if it was pneumonia, he said, "I hope it's pneumonia - because they can do something about that.") Of course, this was the guy that docked someone else in another section for attendance when the guy went to his father's funeral. At any rate the extra credit was to get back my C.

Hell really is Calculus story problems.

I asked for extensions all the time. Some professors gave them readily, some gave them with a letter grade penalty for every day, and some refused. I never argued about any grades, though and it never would have occurred to me.

The only time I asked for extensions or exceptions was finals week one semester. The week DH died. I had actually missed my finals and went to see the professors. One said forget it since he was going to drop the lowest grade anyway and I had an A. The other one said he would just hold my grade until I was ready to take the final. I went ahead and took it right then.

My kids on the other hand! I fought with teachers far too often for help and extensions and extra credit. I apologize! Seriously, I was wronger than a wrongheaded thing to fight for them this way. They didn't develop the responsibility gene and did get the make excuses gene and it is all my fault! If I had to do it over again I would let them sink so they would learn to swim. Live and learn. So sorry, teachers!

Also, if you don't care that people go hungry and die, you're an asshole.

Right? But it's part of my job that I not say that to his face. He's more likely to figure it out on his own if I just let him write the paper.

I asked for extensions fairly regularly when I was in college, so I am very generous about letting students have them if they ask ahead of the due date. And my policy is that I don't care that much why they need it since I'd rather hear a truthful "I let my 2 midterms overwhelm me" than a lie about a death in the family. That doesn't mean students never lie about crap like that, but I figure liars gonna lie anyway. I'd rather be able to support the ones who actually need it.

I think the one big extension I needed was I had to miss a midterm that took place right after I had been in a car accident and I had suffered an undiagnosed concussion, because back then they only diagnosed concussion if you blacked out. But my professor took pity on my bedraggled self and actually let me take it orally so I wouldn't have to write for an hour.

Way back when I was in college, I knew a woman who was, to borrow a phrase from Terry Pratchett, as self-centered as a gyroscope. (She probably still is; I've been ignoring her Friend requests.) When she told me she had gone to a professor after the final and informed him that she had to have a B in his class, I was astonished. Such a thing had never occurred to me. He gave her the B. I assume that, like many others, he was hoping that giving her what she wanted would make her go away, but that was like paying the Danegeld.

I never asked for an extension. I'm not sure I knew they existed. But I skated through school on my native smarts and figured I was the problem if I wasn't able to do the work. The only time I asked for anything special was in a stats class, when I asked not to be in a group with my ex/ongoing/what-month-is-it-are-we-dating boyfriend, because I seem to have a type for men, and bossy know-it-alls is it, and I wasn't yet up to coping with them as well as I did in the end.

I missed three weeks of problem sets junior year because I was having a career crisis. Which feels so ridiculous now but that is being 20. Came out of with a decision to become a teacher, best decision I have ever made, so worth it.

Some professors were lenient. Some weren't. I did three problem sets and a final exam in a week for three of the classes and got As and Bs. Got a D in the other. No arguing.

But it definitely is not Kids These Days. It is a combination of culture of the school, culture of the students, and so forth. Some schools probably have more assholes than others, but I would bet that the vast majority of Kids These Days aren't assholes no matter where the school.

In other news, I don't know if I over indulged at Friday night Buffistas last night or if I'm actually coming down with something, but I have been feeling like absolute crap all morning. Lots of nausea, little bit of vomiting, dull headache, and no appetite. Feels like a hangover but I swear I did not drink enough to have a hangover 15 hours after bedtime. Shame because there's a lot I have to do so now after my nap I probably have to be very productive and won't be able to go to dinner tonight with other Buffistas.

My secret fear is that I somehow gave food poisoning to my entire guest list last night, but wife and kid seem fine so leaning towards no.

Oh no, Gris! I'm sorry you're feeling so terrible. If it helps to ease your mind, we're all fine over here. Are you a definite no for tonight, or is there still a chance you can make it?

The city spelling bee is on public TV here. It's kind of fascinating to watch, but also kind of stressful. The winner of this goes on to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.