Evening Class
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MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
So I walked into my evening class Thursday night to find that it’s mostly comprised of middle aged women. There’s maybe two girls who look to be my age or a couple years younger and the rest are all adult women – some of them have grandchildren! One in particular has 21 grandchildren, actually. And I’m supposed to teach her Microsoft Excel.
As might be expected, the students don’t seem to have a great deal of respect for me. They’re something of a boisterous bunch – they mocked me about both my age and my obvious nervousness and asked me if I’d graduated from high school yet. Honestly, I’d prefer that the students are comfortable with me and such, which they definitely seem to be, but I am concerned that they’re not going to take the class very seriously. Alas, I suppose they can take it seriously when I start to give them back failing grades!
At any rate, I don’t mean to be whining about it – if I were them I’d probably be amused/insulted by someone half my age teaching a class to me too. And they actually seem to be a relatively fun bunch. Plus, I don’t think it’s going to be a very difficult class to teach at all, since I’m basically just there to answer questions.
I hate individualized attention from professors. I’d rather just be a number. I’ll do what I want, you give me grades, the end. ~I’ll be
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Yep. I’m pretty sure this is what being a junior doctor will be like. Only, you know, with the potential to kill people! I’m sure you’ll be fine if you know your stuff actually, teasing aside.
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My boyfriend is obcessed with excel. You’d love to have him in your class. He even made his christmas list on Excel (you know, instead of just writing it down) Just so he could try some fancy tricks he learned online. He’s a doofus. I know how you feel about being teased, etc. I had to teach renaissance dancing to my class mates in high school once. Yuck. I went home and cried that day. -Lidia
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Hi Matt, Wow, I am sorry that you had to experience that. I got a different reaction when I told adults older than me when I first began teaching. I was the one who was very nervous and always pondered how they must have felt. However, I gave these adults respect because they were usually the best students in the class. Anyway, I gave them respect, and the same goes to them concerning me. <P> I am sure that when you start giving back failing grades they will take it seriously. HOWEVER, watch out! No offense to women, but I understand my own sex better than the male counterpart. Let me tell you…make sure that you put down the law and record everything. The one student who was a bitch to me…was able to use her female persuasion with one of my male students who was currently pissed at me about the wrong thing. That’s when the bullshit started…Again, watch your back my friend….students are a new breed….old and young….and you’re always going to have some punk ass or bitch in the pack… ~Sophia
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they’ll be fine, i’m sure. you just have to act like you know something and be professional at all times. never kid around. at least you don’t have to herd them single file to the bathrooms and the lunchroom, hahaha.
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ryn: don’t give me that shit, how long did it take for you to get around to reading Poisonwood Bible? or Lovely Bones? OH WAIT.
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My uncle teaches computer classes. He once taught at a prison (Which I guess he found fulfilling). I’ve heard similar things about classes he’s taught, where people are quite a bit older trying to learn computer programs. Good luck!
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Thats too bad that they are being like that. I went back to school and I was older than almost everyone of my professors. Yet I still had the utmost respect for them and the knowledge they had to share. And Im pretty sure they will start to take things more seriously when you begin handing out failing grades!!! Get em!!!
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