I get papers: open thread October 1, 2007
Posted by Evil Bender in Blogging, education, language and lit.trackback
…stacks and stacks of papers. And sometimes, despite my sincere attempts to get students to critically evaluate what they’re going to say, despite peer review and conferences with me, they still manage to say things that destroy their credibility, tank their essays, and make my brain explode. A highlight from this last batch:
Plate techtonics[sic], Darwin’s evolution theory, Lamarckism, and phlogiston theory were all widely held to be true by a consensus of scientists, but later proven false.
Naturally, no evidence was offered for the downfall of plate tectonics, let alone evolutionary theory. Almost like the student doesn’t know what he’s talking about. What’s really bad, though, is the above is from a paper denying human-caused global warming. Way to establish scientific credibility, eh?
This was terrible in a whole different way:
By all means I am NOT a racist person, but just about every other country has a national language and everyone knows that Americans speak English, so why is it that when you call a business or look at signs, there is an English side and a Spanish side [sic]. Even when you buy a bookshelf or something else along those lines that you have to put together, the directions are in both English and Spanish. Like I said, I am not racist. I just don’t want to have to keep pressing 1 for English when we are in America.
It must be tough pressing one–illegal immigration is a huge problem, after all. I would also like to advise English-only advocates to learn from my student’s misstep and make sure you don’t make grammatical errors while arguing for the importance of English.
So that’s my life at the moment. What’s the word from y’all?
So how do you handle something like that? Do you just tell the student they are flat wrong and let the grade reflect that, risking being accused of attacking their religion or what? I mean, what’s the diplomatic way of saying “I know this is merely a reflection of your deeply held religious beliefs, but the overwhelming evidence shows that the things you state here are so far from right they’re not even wrong.”
Um wow. What was the rest of the essay about…er…either one. They both look fantastically bad from the get go.
“I’m no racists, but those damn mexicans are ruining everything”
He’s a shoe-in for the Young Republicans. Hell, either one of them.
May the record show- I spent my day picking out matching hot pink+black laminate countertops and base-mold for glamorous-hair-dresser who never grew up.
… in short, the architectural version of your papers.
While our jobs are in many ways different, one notable similarity seems to stand out. We may both do our best to encourage good choices and good practices toward the achievement of (what could be) an artistic objective. Still, the other party has the ability/right to insist upon a course of action that (obviously to us) will result in an object of lesser (lousy) quality.
I am struggling with how to approach this in my job. (Such as, right now as I eat my dinner) … How much to push for the end result that I know will be better? It is their paper, just like it is their building. They have to live with it, not you.
Another example from the last week: I can’t convince my parents that modern art is what they should appreciate over picturesque landscapes involving a coyote wearing a bandanna. I can’t improve their taste by bludgeoning them over the head with how bad they are at art… My best option seems to be a course of continually inviting them to appreciate better things. After years of despising modern art, they were really into the series of video-art installations we went to.
I can’t ever make a good project come about by beating clients up with how bad their ideas are. In the end it never works. I (and I think you also) are highly trained facilitators as it were. In the end it is their dream and their work. We can help them mold that into a increasingly beautiful thing, … but if they don’t want to do that… then they get what they get. Whether the resulting judgement is immediate (an honest, impartial grade) or revealed over time (a salon that scares clients and baby jesus) … it is their doing.
There is a place for definitive statements. (eg, you can’t have a sentence run on for an entire paragraph, people in wheelchairs must be able to use the bathroom, etc) … but if they wish to argue that plate tectonics is stupid… let them. It isn’t remiss to mention that their tactics might not go so well. That aside, it remains their work, not yours.
Oy. Send ‘em both down the crapper.
I will have to agree with Gye’s last statement. While in Art school, we are taught the fundamentals of the medium in which we wish to express our message. Ultimately, it’s being able to convey an intended message to a wide audience through mastering the fundamentals of the medium. If we do not understand the basics, our message is left to be misinterpreted and lost to the viewer.
After mastering the technical aspects one can create their work in the best way possible, with little left to interpretation. Not everyone would agree that the subject matter of the work was in line with their belief system, but through the mastery of the medium, the message and meaning was passed on.
I suppose the same could be said with mastering English. If someone were to present a well thought out thesis displaying mastery of the English language, I might be compelled to give it some serious thought and possibly engage in a healthy debate on the subject matter. Despite the fact that it pains you to do so, it ultimately is your job to help them convey their message in the most concise way.
Blame their parents. kids get most of their viewpoints from their parents. Although sometimes a teacher will come along and open a whole new world to them. If you can get through to one–I suppose it’s worth sifting through the regurgitated thoughts of their parents.
Test. Seems I’m getting eaten by the filter. That or I halucinated commenting on two posts that didn’t show up.
If Madagascar USED to be part of INDIA, then HOW is India STILL AROUND?!?!?!!!!????? THEREFORE, THE GODLESS THOORY OF PLATE TEKTONICS IS WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALL YOU EVIL ATHEISTS WILL BURN IN HELL…… (P.S.- this was a parody)
Hail
What do you think about this? When it happens?
Hi
What do you think about this? When it happens?