Again!

Okay, I really have to stop responding to the limp noodle hand-raise.

Twice last week, I called on students who weren't raising their hands because I can't freaking tell. One of the student's hands really looked like it was raised and that one was particularly annoying. Since she stayed in that position after I called on her and she told me she didn't have her hand up, I asked the class to turn around and tell me if it looked like her hand up. Nothing better than getting the students to gang up on one of their own.

What's the deal...

...with the trend for students to "raise" their hands by leaning their elbow on their desk and putting their hand in the air? Sometimes, they barely raise their hands off the desk. I can't tell you how many times I ask students if they're raising their hands when they're not because I can't tell the difference anymore between a student who's raising his/her hand and a student who is playing with his/her hair or pencil or the air.

I blame me, though. If I stop responding to students who raise their hands this way, they'll learn that they need to stick that puppy straight up to be recognized.

They think if they ask, they'll receive.

My students' exam is scheduled for 3:15 this afternoon. At around 11:00 this morning, a student came to my office and asked if she could take her exam at a later date. She wasn't sick. Her grandmother hadn't died last night or this morning. Nothing. She just wanted extra time to study. Needless to say, I denied that request.

And, of course, she asked me the chapters that the exam--in 4 hours--was going to be covering. I do not see this going well for her.