Scenes from Grading

Yesterday and today, our students took a final writing exam. Today, the Solipsist, along with several of his colleagues, sat around for about three hours reading them. Herewith, a few highlights.

One of the writing prompts asked students to write an essay discussing some of the challenges faced by people living in poverty. One student wrote (we paraphrase slightly):

"It always makes me want to cry when I see those TV commercials with children hungry and starving. It makes me feel very sorry for them. Then I change the channel."

The other prompt asked students to think about a specific goal they have and to discuss the steps needed to achieve that goal. One of our colleagues made the following observation:

"I find it a little disturbing that so many people who want to be doctors can't spell the word 'career.'"

Another student wrote that, to achieve her goal, one of the steps she needed to take was to "believe in myself."

We know how she feels. The Solipsist often has difficulty believing in himself. Every morning, we have to go up to a cat and go "BOOGA BOOGA BOOGA." When the cat runs away, we feel a great sense of relief.