coyotemike

I hate doing student conferences. They make my butt hurt, they give me a headache, and I often doubt they do much good. I'm of a mixed mind on the whole "General Studies" front. On the one hand, I have such a wide variety of interests that I was sad when I had finished my generals. I loved taking history, sociology, and literature at the same time. Not so much the math or science side of things, but it was good to learn.

On the other hand, there are better ways. We spend 6 hours (2 semesters) teaching writing. But what it turns out to be is 2 different teachers going over the sme things for each student. The first semester is supposed to be basic writing, while the second is research and citation. I don't see why it can't all be taught at once, in one semester. If General Studies could be cut down from 45 hours to maybe 20, college could once again be a 4 year affair. I know that won't happen, as administrators don't like the idea of students getting done too soon. That extra semester or year per student buys a new car for the chancellor to use, lets students pay for skyboxes they can't use, and keeps fast-food close at hand for students who don't know better.

And I have 2 more week-long sessions of conferences this semester