A few notes for the end of the semester: tough love edition

1. If you haven’t gotten an A on any of your assignments, why would you think you can still get an A in the class now? And, uh, don’t tell me you will work harder on your final paper if you have a chance at an A; that will not persuade me to tell you there’s a chance at one. Also, if you’ve gotten Cs on almost everything and I’ve reluctantly told you the best you might be able to pull off is a B, why would you try to talk me into a B+? It’s not a negotiation.

2. Dropping your mother off at the airport and picking up your sister at the train station are not valid excuses for missing class.

3. No, I’m not coming in on Thursday. Yes, I feel a little guilty about it, but you’ve had all semester to come see me and you haven’t, so you can go to the writing center now. Plus I don’t feel like making a two-hour trip in so that you can not show up for the appointment we made. I will be taking a breather before grading 60 papers and calculating final grades, thanks.

4. No, I can’t “give your paper a read” if you email it to me before it’s turned in. I already read your draft. Now you need to take charge!

PS: It is hot as hell in my office — no AC — and my business school students are wearing cologne in honor of their final presentations, which is making me choke.

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