The Journey with Trine

This is Week 6, just two more to go.  The time has gone by quickly, and overall I have enjoyed the challenge.  But I know, for certain, that this is the last class I will teach.

That sounds so final.  And it sounds so uncharacteristic for me. 

I love teaching. I enjoy planning and executing a class.  I like success of my students. Seeing light bulbs pop on or sensing their pride in their achievement is wonderful.  Plus teaching at the college level has been fulfilling in that adults are setting goals and striving to reach them.  Some face challenges of working or home life and try to juggle so many things while working on their degrees.  Helping them reach their goals is very fulfilling for me.  

But I am done.

Why?  

I missed Landon's 2nd grade program and Tessa's pre-school Chicken Bash and program the week before Thanksgiving.

I spent an entire Wednesday prepping for a class- adding items to Moodle and printing pages so they could be copied.

I have spent a few hours this morning doing the same thing - prepping for class tonight and adding links to Moodle for submission of assignments for next week.

Then there are the 'things that never change.'  

Late papers accompanied by many excuses. 

Plagiarism - copied passages from publishing websites that were supposed to be summaries by the students about their sources  

Papers submitted with no cover pages

Papers submitted which do not follow the criteria for the assignment

After an assignment is graded, a message from the student who just happened to discover that she had submitted the wrong file---after she received a low grade on her first submission. 

A student who complains to the site director that I am not helping her and that she is so confused and that her email for help wasn't answered.  When I forwarded the email to the site director, she realized that all it asked was if I had graded an assignment she (the student) had submitted late.   No request for help.  And when I came in early for office hours, she asked nothing.  Now she is dropping the class because she is sinking too far and can't get help to get out.  Really.

No more. Much as I enjoy the 'teaching' part of it, I don't miss the complaints, the excuses, the lack of responsibility that college students tend to espouse.  

Thankful for the opportunity?  Yes.

Regretful of the decision to teach again?  Not really.

Will I do it again?  No.