my students

I know, sometimes I gripe about them, but some of them are pretty good.

One of them made me laugh a little this morning. I require a Big Scary Research Paper in one of my classes; it is worth about the same as an exam. Every semester I offer the students the chance to write a "good first draft" that I will comment on and return to them for their rewrite - sort of a free-bee chance to improve their grade. I usually get a few takers (though most often it's the people with A/B papers ANYWAY who do it).

Well, one of the guys in my class did that this semester - way early. Handed in a good first draft (he said he wrote it over Spring Break - I guess he had to be in town for work anyway). It wasn't perfect but it wasn't bad either. So I put some comments on it and gave it back to him.

"Can I do another, or is the deal just one per student?" he asked.

It took me a moment to figure out what he was asking. But then I laughed and said, "No, only one shot at handing in a draft per student." He laughed and said he figured that was the case, and thanked me for looking at the draft.

But that's just so funny - this is someone who's a graduating senior, has already been accepted to professional school, he could just totally blow the thing off and accept a C for the class. But here he's asking for more input and trying to work harder.

****

Oh, and another thing: they have a big end-of-year faculty banquet here. Yeah, it's free food but it's also an evening spent in a stuffy room where you hear people ramble on about their "accomplishments," some of which are really pretty minor. Because, you know? I don't need someone telling me I should be proud of what I've done. I usually don't go.

I'm especially not going this year.

It's a themed party.

a 1970s themed party.

It is being recommended that we dress in 70s style outfits.


I am heartily sorry but I really have no desire to go to a party, with all the people I work with, from everywhere on campus, and sit in an overheated room for 3 hours and listen to speeches after eating rubbery chicken while wearing some kind of polyester monstrosity.

What is more, I don't even HAVE any 1970s inspired clothing. I was 10 in 1979 and even were the clothes I wore at that time appropriate for an adult to wear, they wouldn't still fit me. I have no desire to go out and purchase something specifically for a "70s party."

I know, I know, I could do the back-to-the-lander-hippie thing with jeans and a t-shirt with some kind of "message" on it and put my hair in twin braids, but meh.

(maybe I could have a tie-dyed t-shirt made with the words "Down With False Nostalgia," or, better yet - look up the name of some disastrous trade/foreign policy from the 70s, and have "Down With [that policy]" on a t-shirt. But meh, more effort than I want to go to for an evening of sitting in a room watching people pat themselves on the back)

I really have no desire to relive the 70s, even for a night. My memories of the 70s consist mainly of being teased in school, of spending a long time in the backseat of my dad's car waiting in gas lines, lots of snow, really ugly clothes, and having my dad holler at my brother and me "turn off those lights! Do you think we're made of money?"