So I am in a horrible mood because I just finished commenting on a huge stack of student papers and no matter how times I go through this process, it depresses me. There so much about the papers that depress me that I don't even the energy to write about it.

Except to say this. OK I came from demanding insane intellectuals one of whom was institutionalized so maybe we should reconsider his value system. And sure I went to one of the most academically competitive private schools and then onto, at the time, a fairly competitive college, but when, exactly, did students lose the ability to handle criticism? I'm not talking about those overwhelmingly negative I just want to make a student cry because I didn't get into art school type criticism. I'm talking about "Look this is what you need to work on if you want to get an A in this course" criticism. I mean, I used to get my papers ripped apart regularly. It never depressed me. I never thought, "Well that's it." I went home and worked and worked until I got an A. Luckily by the time I got though high school I was an ace paper writer, but I didn't start that way and I wouldn't have gotten that way if I couldn't handle some ink.

And no I don't talk to them that way. I give them the "Listen every one of you has the potential to an A on this paper." And I believe that, actually. What upsets me isn't the lack of potential in terms of ideas and ability, it's the lack of motivation.

Freakin' pansies.