College professors who cancel classes before Thanksgiving - RANT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am with you on this one. DD is freshman and every single one of her classes was cancelled on M,T, & W. They think they are doing a favor for the out of state kids, but they are not. I rebooked a new flight at a $200 change fee plus the flight cost almost $100 more to fly her home last Friday so she did not have to sit in largely empty dorm for 5 days with nothing to do.

Really concerned that your 18 year old didnMt know how to occupy herself for 5 days without the structure of her class schedule. She couldn’t study, read a book, volunteer, see a movie, go for walks, visit a museum, work out, etc. considering that most kids go almost straight into finals, that was a wasted opportunity to study without distractions.

Oh don’t be so obtuse. When everyone else has gone home to their families campuses can be depressing. I’m sure PPs kid could occupy herself but hanging around by yourself when everyone else is home with their families is no fun.

Besides which, the question isn't can the kid survive, but about respect for other people's time and money.

[Anonymous]

Big deal...but not really

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am with you on this one. DD is freshman and every single one of her classes was cancelled on M,T, & W. They think they are doing a favor for the out of state kids, but they are not. I rebooked a new flight at a $200 change fee plus the flight cost almost $100 more to fly her home last Friday so she did not have to sit in largely empty dorm for 5 days with nothing to do.

+1. Same at an in-state university. nonrefundable tickets for later dates, so had to scramble at last minute when professors cancelled to make arrangements not in sync with the university calendar. So now child can return earlier but by then all the train seats were taken. We ended up driving down and back because everything else was booked.

[Anonymous]

“Scrambling” to find train tickets, driving hours and hours, paying $200+, etc. just so your kid can get home a day or a few hours earlier than planned is really strange to me.

[Anonymous]

I see that you'd like to know ahead of time so that you can plan for it.

However, not once was I bummed that a class was cancelled. Your child is totally fine.

And pp who said their DD had "nothing to do" this week when classes were cancelled, I don't believe that. Hang out with friends. Do homework. Binge Netflix. Read a book. Engage in a hobby. Sleep. A college student could (and would) fill days upon days doing those things alone.

Cancelled classes may be a problem for you parents, but it's pure bliss for college kids.

[Anonymous]

You know, students can decide to not show up and let the chips fall where they may.

[Anonymous]

My parents never knew some of the profs would cancel classes. Why would I tell them? Had time to pack, get ready, finish some assignments and have fun with friends before going home for Thanksgiving. Win win.

[Anonymous]

When I was in college, we all lied to our parents about when we were done so we could go out one more night before going home.

Are you sure your kids really want those tickets changed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am with you on this one. DD is freshman and every single one of her classes was cancelled on M,T, & W. They think they are doing a favor for the out of state kids, but they are not. I rebooked a new flight at a $200 change fee plus the flight cost almost $100 more to fly her home last Friday so she did not have to sit in largely empty dorm for 5 days with nothing to do.

+1. Same at an in-state university. nonrefundable tickets for later dates, so had to scramble at last minute when professors cancelled to make arrangements not in sync with the university calendar. So now child can return earlier but by then all the train seats were taken. We ended up driving down and back because everything else was booked.

I don't understand this. When my professors did this when I was in College, I always found friends, activities, or homework to do until my originally scheduled departure time.

I mean, who are these kids who can't occupy their time without a two-hour scheduled class? I'm seriously confused

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was in college, we all lied to our parents about when we were done so we could go out one more night before going home.

Are you sure your kids really want those tickets changed?

Thank you, yes! Most of us took that extra time to do stuff we wanted to do before we had to go home and deal with parents and family and that nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was in college, we all lied to our parents about when we were done so we could go out one more night before going home.

Are you sure your kids really want those tickets changed?

Thank you, yes! Most of us took that extra time to do stuff we wanted to do before we had to go home and deal with parents and family and that nonsense.

1. Well, actually, my kid sat in an empty dorm that had closed the dining room while wishing he was back east with his beloved cousins. YMMV.

2. The point of the rant isnt whether a nineteen year old can amuse himself for a day or two, but about respect for those who have to plan early and commit resources.

3. The material from the cancelled classes has to be made up. Packing it in after thanksgiving may work for the kids more interested in parties than surviving freshman engineering weedout classes, but it doesn't work for all kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD asked her professors if she could miss Monday's and Tuesday's classes';they were ok with it.

THAT is chutzpah!

I suppose my kid's professors might have said the same, but there is no way my kid would have chosen to miss a class for anything but illness or a funeral. At least in theory, there's learning going on.

When I taught college, I most certainly would have said "sure" if someone asked me because I would expect grownups to make their own beds. I certainly wouldn't have gone out of my way to help make the missed material available. Are you worried about the attendance check or the content?

First, this is almost certainly not true. Second, if it is true, s/he's not doing college right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was in college, we all lied to our parents about when we were done so we could go out one more night before going home.

Are you sure your kids really want those tickets changed?

Thank you, yes! Most of us took that extra time to do stuff we wanted to do before we had to go home and deal with parents and family and that nonsense.

1. Well, actually, my kid sat in an empty dorm that had closed the dining room while wishing he was back east with his beloved cousins. YMMV.

2. The point of the rant isnt whether a nineteen year old can amuse himself for a day or two, but about respect for those who have to plan early and commit resources.

3. The material from the cancelled classes has to be made up. Packing it in after thanksgiving may work for the kids more interested in parties than surviving freshman engineering weedout classes, but it doesn't work for all kids.

They’re adults, not “kids”. Land the helicopter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^ No you don't. It's not high school. College kids who skip class shouldn't expect to have the material re-taught to them. Please let me know where you teach so that I can not send my kid there. I don't even agree with my middle school getting to take "re-tests" when their grades are low. What the heck?

I'm not going to get into why I make decisions after evaluating students' travel schedules or tell you what I teach and why it's important that students are in-class to see demos and learn material (I don't teach in a textbook-based traditionally academic department). But I will reiterate that as the professor I get the make the call when I want to whether that means moving ahead, a cancellation, a make-up, or something else: I'm the expert about how to run my class, I'm the boss here. If you want to micromanage your child's collegiate career based on how professors run their schedules and how that may affect you in a small way, by all means, do that. But you are doing your adult child zero favors by doing so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ No you don't. It's not high school. College kids who skip class shouldn't expect to have the material re-taught to them. Please let me know where you teach so that I can not send my kid there. I don't even agree with my middle school getting to take "re-tests" when their grades are low. What the heck?

I'm not going to get into why I make decisions after evaluating students' travel schedules or tell you what I teach and why it's important that students are in-class to see demos and learn material (I don't teach in a textbook-based traditionally academic department). But I will reiterate that as the professor I get the make the call when I want to whether that means moving ahead, a cancellation, a make-up, or something else: I'm the expert about how to run my class, I'm the boss here. If you want to micromanage your child's collegiate career based on how professors run their schedules and how that may affect you in a small way, by all means, do that. But you are doing your adult child zero favors by doing so.

Amen!