Sighing. Just, sighing.

So, I had a paper due in one of my classes today.

This is a paper that was announced on the first day of class (18 August). It was discussed in some detail in the first lab meeting of the class. I reminded the students of its due date last week, and I reminded them again on Friday.

There are 19 people in the class. I received 10 papers and one "oops, it's at home, I forgot to print it out."

HOW? Just, how? I had NIGHTMARES (I still sometimes do) about being a student and totally derping on something I needed to get done. But how? I nagged these people endlessly about the due date of the paper. I know all of them were there on at least three of the days I remarked about the due date.

I hate being nagged at but maybe to some people it's not nagging? I don't know. I don't know how to deal with this. Maybe they thought because I allowed an "optional rewrite" that the paper wasn't REALLY due today? I don't know.

I set due dates based on when I can schedule time for grading. I always SAY I won't accept late papers, I think this time I will actually do that.

Because, seriously? A month is not enough for a lightly-researched 3-5 page paper? I've done last-minute small-grant applications ("They don't have enough people competing for money, your chances are good") in like three days and been successful. I don't RECOMMEND writing stuff at the last minute, but.

Seriously, this is one of those things that makes me wonder if I need to find a new line of work. What, I don't know; as I've said my set of "real" skills is pretty limited and unless I'd be willing to take a couple years of low to no pay while I apprenticed at doing something else (my latest crazy work-in-retirement scheme: learn how to tune pianos and become a piano tuner, because that seems like fairly low-stress work and I know the man who tunes my piano is in HIGH demand and he must be approaching retirement age....)

But really. If this is indicative of the coming generations....I don't know. Maybe I throw up my hands and stop having papers as a requirement. (And then the 'errorists' win).

I also had to call out a student for talking in class. Not whispering, talking at conversation volume. And this is someone who is taking the class for a second time.

I may be approaching the point where I just can't, anymore. Like I said, I don't know what else I'd do but I wonder how much longer it will be before I either start screaming at students in class or wind up just walking away and keep on walking and never come back.


Edited to add: I find myself thinking of Rev. Bretz, now. He was the one who always used to jocularly tell me to "teach 'em good!" (Oh, he knew the correct, grammatical way to say it; he was being funny) and how he told me to "keep fighting against ignorance." But some days, it feels like a fight that's very hard to win. And that it's maybe not so much ignorance I'm fighting, but laziness. (My biggest "problem" with some students: I know they're smart, but they seem to want to do the bare minimum of work possible. That's not how you get a good career, especially in today's climate. )