The Grace Period Has Ended

I think I'm a pretty good TA, for the most part. I'm friendly, and I enjoy helping students out during my office hours or after class. And I think, for the most part, my students like me. I like to think so, anyway.

But I think a few of them probably hate me right now, and will immortalize me as "that blankety-blank TA."

My students got their papers back today. The papers that I graded. I think I did a decent job; I graded as fairly as I could and I felt good with the scores I gave them. But that doesn't mean everyone will be happy with the grades they got.

I could feel the tension in the room as I handed their papers back. Some of them were holding their breath (I know I do it, too, when I'm waiting for a graded paper), and they would either let out sighs of satisfaction and/or relief; or their breath would suck in quickly, as they were dealt the blow of a low grade.

I've been on that end before. It's not fun to get a score you don't want.

And I know what ensues. Curse the class. Curse the TA. Curse the TA's dog. I am probably the subject of many dorm-room rants right now.

The Era of Good Feelings has ended.

But I have other things to worry more about than freshmen cursing my name and my posterity.

I'm studying for a German test right now and I have a Gulliver's Travels presentation and an English 295 research paper on Mildred Pierce, and a History test to study for, too. Too much to do and too much to enjoy than to worry about irate freshmen (although it might be rather funny to listen to their rants, I think . . .).

Time for Deutsch lernen.