A Good Teaching Day

Some days are better than others in the teaching field.  Today was a good one.  Here's an email from one of my students sent immediately after class.  How many of your students are concerned that their three point paper (out of 450 points total in class) was not up to their own standards?

Dear Dr. Kirk,

Please find the attached document that contains the application paper that was due for today's class meeting. I am sending you this copy since the copy that I presented in class was not up to my standards. I had to give you a low standard copy in class because I left it [the revised copy] back at my house and I did not have money in my USF ID card to print at the University.

Thank you for your understanding. Best regards.

<Student’s Name>

Can you see me smiling?  Today was a good teaching day.

Comments

[Michael Wagner]

Few things are more pleasing than to see the emergence of standards in those who learn from us.

Yes, we can see you smiling!

[Delaney Kirk]

Thanks for visiting my blog, Mike. Unfortunately more recently I had a bad teaching day--blogpost to come soon.

[Tammy Lenski, Ed.D.]

Oh, that just warms the cockles of my professor's heart.

The other day I received two papers from a student. Only one was assigned. She'd written two versions of the paper because she had two approaches she wanted to explore. She apologized, hoping I wouldn't mind that she'd written two.

MIND?!?!