Quickie break

Had to get out of class for a while. I spent about 7 hours yesterday grading patterns at home (taking a pattern and making it one size bigger, then one size bigger again, etc.) and now i'm in class for another 4 doing the same thing. As we speak, blood is splashing from my eyes onto the keyboard because I am SO OVER IT. Gaaa.

Some woman from the group that accredits schools stopped into class earlier. She was very pleasant and had a short list of questions she asked the class in an informal manner while we all made even more patterns. I know she was expecting to hear a certain number of complains about the school, but I think I was just as startled to hear the nonstop stream of venom spewed. What really blew me away was when she asked the class, after listening to a steady tirade of gripes, was how many students would recommend the school to friends/incoming students/etc, and only two out of 15 raised their hands. She stood there silently for a brief moment, an oh-my-god-what-do-i-say-now smile frozen on her face, and then she blinked, said "Thanks for your time!" and bolted as gracefully for the door as she could.

I was amazed!! I had no idea the school was not that popular! Of course I was one of the two that raised their hands, as most of my negative experiences here have been self-inflicted, like being a perfectionist, a procrastinator, and mother to a child. I will agree, there are faults to this school. There are some teachers, who while very smart, should not be teaching. They could offer more classes at any given time. Administration is difficult to get a hold of. True, true and true. Most of the people who spoke up are also people who are pretty smart/apply themselves, etc, so I can't totally chalk this up to a bunch of slackers. But I also cannot shake the feeling that these people are YOUNG and have a much different expectation of what school is or how it operates or what the real world is like.

When I was in my early 20s, I had similar attitudes as well, so I get it. And I'm gonna make myself sound really old here, but I think society also trains kids in school to be fed information, and not to work for it yourself. Granted, I agree that in a class there should be balance between the two. But I also feel that in the real world you need to a) pay attention when the teacher talks, b) take notes, and c) maybe not party every night. Sometimes you've got to make sacrifices to get stuff done. Duh.

I know one teacher in particular drives people nuts. She's really popular, and everyone likes her from a social standpoint, but they think she's a super crappy teacher because she gives you an assignment and then kind of walks away while you do the work. Now, keep in mind that if you have any questions, she will happily come by and work with you. And yes, maybe when she sits at the end of the work table and reads Vanity Fair, it doesn't look so great. But I've never walked out of her class not having learned a ton. In fact, She's one of my favorite teachers period the end.

Arg. I just got really angry listening to this handful of students doing nothing but bitch and not offering a single good thing to say. I'm gonna go cruis around and see if I can find this woman and give her maybe an older perspective on the school.

Darn whippersnappers!