A friend at work asked if I would write something for a ‘letter to myself when I was 20’ project her daughter is participating in at school. I should have been working on a Trib article on the withdrawal deadline, which, by the way, is November 24, but the letter seemed like more fun so I did that first. Of course, I was incredibly profound and erudite and I’m sure college campuses all over the country will be reading my advice. I may also have to go on a lecture tour. Would I need to use vacation time for that?
My awesome advice like: “Don’t become addicted to anything—especially Diet Coke, peanut butter M&Ms, forensic TV shows, or mystery novels” can’t be found everywhere.
In addition: “If you admire something, don’t be afraid to compliment someone. Even a stranger. Chances are they won’t think you are a psycho stalker. If they do, it can all be easily straightened out at the police station” is advice everyone can use on a daily basis.
And who couldn’t profit by: “Don’t let yourself get fat. It’s too hard to go back and undo it.”
It was when I got around to:”Don’t whine about the things you want to accomplish but haven’t and blame it on ‘not having enough time’” that it occurred to me that maybe I could kill two birds with one stone (I never understood that expression. Who really even WANTS to do that?) and incorporate the advice to my 20-year-old self into the makings of a Trib article about the withdrawal deadline, which, by the way, is November 24.
We are always bemoaning the lack of time to get things done. We humans are not as task oriented as we should be. Luckily, someone invented deadlines and most of us respond well to those. We gripe and complain, but we usually deliver on time. We just need a reminder and a nudge in the right direction.
So, on this Monday before Thanksgiving, I’m reminding and nudging you. The withdrawal deadline is this Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. If you have students in your class who haven’t been attending and to whom you don’t want to give an “F” grade, you have until Wednesday to withdraw them. After Wednesday you will need to give them a final grade, most likely an “F”, when the semester is over. If students can never come to your class and receive anything other than an “F”, you might want to keep that to yourself lest you appear on the ‘easy D+’ list’.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Don’t become addicted to tryptophan (yes, I had to Google that), stay out of the police station and don’t get fat!
Deborah Benjamin
Registration and Records
11/22/2010 |