"What Have Millennials Ruined Today?" Game, presented by Charleston Chew™

[Flex]

Minor bit of context (not that it might add anything). Guy's a football player from the US. Presumably some kind of scholarship involved. But my experience with student athletes is that there's no middle ground—they are either hyper responsible toward their studies or they are are the laziest, blow shit off, beg for a pass at the end types. And, unfortunately, my courses, because they have "fun" subject matter, attracts a lot of people who think it's conducive to lazyitis. I wish I could be more like gkbill, but deep down I'm still libertarian with school and so I'm rarely confrontational. My big error in all this was not tackling it earlier, just reminding people not to use their phones in class or to start each lecture by asking them to put their phones away, but instead let it mushroom into this situation. That part is on me. But it's making me look forward to December break more than ever before.

Make him write an essay on Jock O Rama in order to get a passing grade.

Addendum: essay can be titled "Jello Sure as Shit Had My Number"

[gkbill]

Minor bit of context (not that it might add anything). Guy's a football player from the US. Presumably some kind of scholarship involved. But my experience with student athletes is that there's no middle ground—they are either hyper responsible toward their studies or they are are the laziest, blow shit off, beg for a pass at the end types. And, unfortunately, my courses, because they have "fun" subject matter, attracts a lot of people who think it's conducive to lazyitis. I wish I could be more like gkbill, but deep down I'm still libertarian with school and so I'm rarely confrontational. My big error in all this was not tackling it earlier, just reminding people not to use their phones in class or to start each lecture by asking them to put their phones away, but instead let it mushroom into this situation. That part is on me. But it's making me look forward to December break more than ever before.

Hello,

I can appreciate having a libertarian attitude - but are you helping the student by having this viewpoint?

I teach at a small liberal arts school - student-athletes are tremendously important as (overall) they are retained at a higher rate than regular students and they (overall) have better academic performances (you can question their motivation - do I want to learn or do I want to stay eligible?). I would much rather have some student-athletes in class rather than have no student-athletes. Athletes understand "you practice, you get better, you get more success" and quite often this transfers to the classroom in that "You study (practice), you get better, you get more success". Your experiences may differ. It may help that I have an athletic background and that buys me some credibility.

[Dr. Medulla]

Minor bit of context (not that it might add anything). Guy's a football player from the US. Presumably some kind of scholarship involved. But my experience with student athletes is that there's no middle ground—they are either hyper responsible toward their studies or they are are the laziest, blow shit off, beg for a pass at the end types. And, unfortunately, my courses, because they have "fun" subject matter, attracts a lot of people who think it's conducive to lazyitis. I wish I could be more like gkbill, but deep down I'm still libertarian with school and so I'm rarely confrontational. My big error in all this was not tackling it earlier, just reminding people not to use their phones in class or to start each lecture by asking them to put their phones away, but instead let it mushroom into this situation. That part is on me. But it's making me look forward to December break more than ever before.

Hello,

I can appreciate having a libertarian attitude - but are you helping the student by having this viewpoint?

Were I a high school teacher, I would take a different approach. But these are adults taking my class voluntarily. My instinct and by pedagogy, I have to give people room to move and to think, so to speak. It works very well for those who want to try, encouraging and rewarding them by following their own interests and ideas, to believe that they can actually do this stuff. If I start going down the road of more restrictions and actively seeking out violators, my fear is that I start shutting down that atmosphere that benefits others. Yes, there is a line to walk between the two, but it's easier said than done, and much harder for someone who just doesn't gravitate to the firm hand. You have to stay within yourself, to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. It's not a one-size-all method. It's also worth appreciating that I'm a sessional instructor, not tenured faculty, and that lack of job security, even if only unconsciously, affects approach.

I teach at a small liberal arts school - student-athletes are tremendously important as (overall) they are retained at a higher rate than regular students and they (overall) have better academic performances (you can question their motivation - do I want to learn or do I want to stay eligible?). I would much rather have some student-athletes in class rather than have no student-athletes. Athletes understand "you practice, you get better, you get more success" and quite often this transfers to the classroom in that "You study (practice), you get better, you get more success". Your experiences may differ. It may help that I have an athletic background and that buys me some credibility.

That speaks to my comment about my observations to student athletes are either very disciplined or very lazy. Some apply their sports habits to the classroom, others divide their lives between sports and everything else.

[Dr. Medulla]

Okay, hilarious update (coda?) to the above story. After the guy walked out of the classroom to deal with that super important text, he never returned. At all. No surprise. Likewise, no surprise that he didn't download the final exam from the course site. What was surprising was that 15 minutes after the deadline, he emails me claiming he's been sick all week plus, for good measure, hasn't been able to access the course site … until just now (qu'elle coincidence!). He really needs an extension for the final because he needs to pass the class and he's worked really hard at it. Just shamefully bad excuse-making that as much as anything pisses me off that he thinks I might be that off-the-turnip-truck naive.

As much as I wanted to go off on him, The Boss has always counseled a neutral tone so they can't say they're being unfairly picked on or something like that. And she is always right about this stuff. You don't want to give them anything that they could try to make trouble with. So I just said that once the deadline has passed, it's out of my hands and they have to see an academic advisor (which is all true).

[gkbill]

Okay, hilarious update (coda?) to the above story. After the guy walked out of the classroom to deal with that super important text, he never returned. At all. No surprise. Likewise, no surprise that he didn't download the final exam from the course site. What was surprising was that 15 minutes after the deadline, he emails me claiming he's been sick all week plus, for good measure, hasn't been able to access the course site … until just now (qu'elle coincidence!). He really needs an extension for the final because he needs to pass the class and he's worked really hard at it. Just shamefully bad excuse-making that as much as anything pisses me off that he thinks I might be that off-the-turnip-truck naive.

As much as I wanted to go off on him, The Boss has always counseled a neutral tone so they can't say they're being unfairly picked on or something like that. And she is always right about this stuff. You don't want to give them anything that they could try to make trouble with. So I just said that once the deadline has passed, it's out of my hands and they have to see an academic advisor (which is all true).

Hello,

If the student is a student-athlete, I'd just say "Hey, I don't make the rules - I just play by them. If you don't know the rules you play by, just ask the ref (academic advisor, registrar, whoever)." Well done in your case.

[Dr. Medulla]

Okay, hilarious update (coda?) to the above story. After the guy walked out of the classroom to deal with that super important text, he never returned. At all. No surprise. Likewise, no surprise that he didn't download the final exam from the course site. What was surprising was that 15 minutes after the deadline, he emails me claiming he's been sick all week plus, for good measure, hasn't been able to access the course site … until just now (qu'elle coincidence!). He really needs an extension for the final because he needs to pass the class and he's worked really hard at it. Just shamefully bad excuse-making that as much as anything pisses me off that he thinks I might be that off-the-turnip-truck naive.

As much as I wanted to go off on him, The Boss has always counseled a neutral tone so they can't say they're being unfairly picked on or something like that. And she is always right about this stuff. You don't want to give them anything that they could try to make trouble with. So I just said that once the deadline has passed, it's out of my hands and they have to see an academic advisor (which is all true).

Hello,

If the student is a student-athlete, I'd just say "Hey, I don't make the rules - I just play by them. If you don't know the rules you play by, just ask the ref (academic advisor, registrar, whoever." Well done in your case.

And that's the thing—you and I have our own rules to follow. While we are granted a lot of latitude in how we run our classrooms, there are regulations that we've gotta follow, and that benefit students as much as anyone.

[Dr. Medulla]

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/p ... 234928763/

One of the ironic things about this story is that Boomers at that age were the ones who were in a hurry to push out the political leaders of their era for being out of touch.

[Silent Majority]

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/p ... 234928763/

One of the ironic things about this story is that Boomers at that age were the ones who were in a hurry to push out the political leaders of their era for being out of touch.

Due to longer lives, my guess would be that the generation of Senators in place in the late sixties were mostly twenty or even thirty years younger on average than the McConnells and Pelosis. The boomer saw those lot as doddering and out of touch - and they were right. This isn't ageism, it's about the moral lobotomy that the longterm job of maintaining power does on a person's beliefs and actions and a culture that doesn't reward a human-focused agenda.

[Dr. Medulla]

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/p ... 234928763/

One of the ironic things about this story is that Boomers at that age were the ones who were in a hurry to push out the political leaders of their era for being out of touch.

Due to longer lives, my guess would be that the generation of Senators in place in the late sixties were mostly twenty or even thirty years younger on average than the McConnells and Pelosis. The boomer saw those lot as doddering and out of touch - and they were right. This isn't ageism, it's about the moral lobotomy that the longterm job of maintaining power does on a person's beliefs and actions and a culture that doesn't reward a human-focused agenda.

I agree completely, and if they can be the ones to drive the stake in the Boomer heart and then burn and bury the head and body, they will have served their society well.

[revbob]

https://nypost.com/2023/12/28/lifestyle ... n-say/amp/

[Dr. Medulla]

https://nypost.com/2023/12/28/lifestyle ... n-say/amp/

[Dr. Medulla]

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/ ... h-property

Okay, then, quit your complaining, you rich avocado toast bastards.

[Flex]

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/ ... h-property

Okay, then, quit your complaining, you rich avocado toast bastards.

I've read stuff like this before and I'm a little skeptical in a couple ways:

1. Obviously this applies only to those in the cohort who stand to inherit property, I only scanned the article but I could see the wealthiest minority inheriting a lot that skews the results for people who stand to inherit much more modest amounts (or nothing);

2. This assumes property won't be sold to pay for elder care, I think? Just my own personal experience, I guess, but so far everyone in my family who's passed away has had to end up selling their house to pay for nursing home care. No one's ever ended up with much of a windfall in the generational wealth transfer department. Maybe that changes as the boomer generation sloughs off the mortal coil, but in a little skeptical that a lot not this generational wealth won't be used to support the elderly over the next couple decades.

Addendum: this isn't meant as a "woe is our generation" post particularly, I'm just a little skeptical that this wealth transfer will quite be as advertised.

[Dr. Medulla]

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/ ... h-property

Okay, then, quit your complaining, you rich avocado toast bastards.

I've read stuff like this before and I'm a little skeptical in a couple ways:

1. Obviously this applies only to those in the cohort who stand to inherit property, I only scanned the article but I could see the wealthiest minority inheriting a lot that skews the results for people who stand to inherit much more modest amounts (or nothing);

2. This assumes property won't be sold to pay for elder care, I think? Just my own personal experience, I guess, but so far everyone in my family who's passed away has had to end up selling their house to pay for nursing home care. No one's ever ended up with much of a windfall in the generational wealth transfer department. Maybe that changes as the boomer generation sloughs off the mortal coil, but in a little skeptical that a lot not this generational wealth won't be used to support the elderly over the next couple decades.

Addendum: this isn't meant as a "woe is our generation" post particularly, I'm just a little skeptical that this wealth transfer will quite be as advertised.

Oh yeah, make no mistake, I think the argument from the perspective of generational transfer is horseshit. This has class all over it.

[Flex]

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/ ... h-property

Okay, then, quit your complaining, you rich avocado toast bastards.

I've read stuff like this before and I'm a little skeptical in a couple ways:

1. Obviously this applies only to those in the cohort who stand to inherit property, I only scanned the article but I could see the wealthiest minority inheriting a lot that skews the results for people who stand to inherit much more modest amounts (or nothing);

2. This assumes property won't be sold to pay for elder care, I think? Just my own personal experience, I guess, but so far everyone in my family who's passed away has had to end up selling their house to pay for nursing home care. No one's ever ended up with much of a windfall in the generational wealth transfer department. Maybe that changes as the boomer generation sloughs off the mortal coil, but in a little skeptical that a lot not this generational wealth won't be used to support the elderly over the next couple decades.

Addendum: this isn't meant as a "woe is our generation" post particularly, I'm just a little skeptical that this wealth transfer will quite be as advertised.

Oh yeah, make no mistake, I think the argument from the perspective of generational transfer is horseshit. This has class all over it.

The boomers will be able to die happy knowing they left nothing for anyone except the richest amongst us.