Right now, I’m trying to herd 8 students taking an independent writing class into two regular meeting times, that is, I’ll run two review sessions per week with four students (ideally) in each one. It ought to be a trivial scheduling exercise, right? Except nothing is working so far. I had some of them send me their schedule, and the problem became obvious. They’re working too hard!
Most of them have collegiate athletics in there, with nearly daily practice times. Some are taking two lab courses. Some are double majors, or at least working on a minor on top of their biology degree. I’m looking at these solidly packed calendars and wondering how I’m going to fit my class in. Madness grows.
At the very least, I’m feeling exhausted looking at all that they’re cramming in, and feeling guilty that we charge them lots of money to work this hard.
Probably not.
“… I find by sad Experience how the Towns and Streets are filled with lewd wicked Children, and many Children as they have played about the Streets have been heard to curse and swear and call one another Nick-names, and it would grieve ones Heart to hear what bawdy and filthy Communications proceeds from the Mouths of such…”
A Little Book for Children and Youth – Being Good Counsel and Instructions for Your Children, Earnestly Exhorting Them to Resist the Temptation of the Devil, Robert Russel
1695
At least the students will be well prepared for working two jobs while paying off a student debt to a predatory corporation with so high interest rates that the debt never shrinks..
I am also a college professor. I always had part time work in college, including being a TA and RA in grad school, but didn’t put in nearly as many hours as most of my students do, and have done, for years. I’m a music teacher so my students also have to igure in practice and rehearsal time. They look exhausted half the time.
II am ashamed that my generation (boomers) was unwilling to tax itself to provide an affordable education for our children and grandchildren like ours did for us.
The athletic ones are already working the equivalent of a 40 hour work week just by being on a team. Which is how they are trying to avoid the student loan money pit.
Student loans used to be affordable because the federal government serviced the loans themselves. Then Republicans got the bright idea of “outsourcing” the servicing of student loans to private banks and the wheels came off. It is the most risk free investment a bank can make, since the federal government backstops any loss and the banks get to keep the interest. Which is why they charge a lot of interest on student loans.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/103rd-congress/house-bill/2055#:~:text=Student%20Loan%20Reform%20Act%20of%201993%20%2D%20Amends%20the%20Higher%20Education,a%20four%2Dyear%20transition%20period.
Here in Australia higher education has been so systematically defunded that unless students have wealthy parents they all have full time jobs and try to fit full time study around that.
https://www.when2meet.com/
useful tool for scheduling!