Aren't students charming?

I love teaching. Don't get me wrong. It is my passion and the thing I want to do for the rest of my life. However, I cannot stand college students who take everything for granted and feel that they are entitled to everything. Spoiled brats and rudeness are two qualities that I hate the most!

Did anyone ever talk back to their teachers? I would never dream of being rude to a teacher the way one of my students was rude to me today. He didn't bother reading the absence policy and figured he didn't have to come to class, so apparently that's my fault? Uht - grow up and attend the class. Education is not his right. If I were his boss, I'd fire him, hands down. That's what some of these kids don't get. They should treat their education like they were going to work.

So my absence policy: If they have more than three unexcused absences (my alarm didn't go off at 11am, I had a hang over, etc.,) I lower their grade. Period. It is stated clear and simply on the syllabus, and I spent at least 5 minutes on it the first day of class going over this.

Then, God forbid, I should make them write a 1 page essay for Friday. Yes, that's right. I said 1 page - whoop de freakin' do. They start whining, "but I've already had four writing assignments this week." Oh please, cry me a river. How whiny and spoiled can you get? I said a few words to them (which I can't remember now, but they sounded like parenting) and followed them up by, "I won't stand for whining over stupid things in this class."

What I really wanted to say was, "Ok, you don't want to write a short paper. How about you go to the spine surgeon with me tomorrow and we take your spine apart and fuse it. Then we'll give you something to whine about." I admit that is being self-centered, but I'm a little edgy and teary because I've worked so hard for 15 years to avoid surgery and tomorrow may be a turning point. Plus, I'm in a whole lot of back pain right now, and because of the big storms, I can't roll my bag like I usually do because there is too much snow. So I carry my bag, and of course, now I hurt.

How was that for whining? Do I sound like my students? :)

I really do love most of them, but sometimes they just need tough love, or a swift kick in the you-know-what.