Am I frightening?

[KrazyHorse]

I'm the head TA for a class of 200+ students, meaning I not only get to deal with my students' problems, but also those of the 8 other TAs. It's a ****ty gig, but they were short of TAs this semester, so I agreed to take it on. Now, this is obviously an intro class, and even worse, it's for bio sciences majors, meaning that the kids are both stupid and competitive.

I decided to set up online grading this semester to avoid having to mark assignments every week. Of course, the students are too dumb to register for the course. I have the URL to the login page in 3 separate locations on the course website, yet I'm still getting emails asking me for that info. To every one of those, I responded:

"It's at www.inserturlhere.com. That info is on the class website in 3 places, by the way."

I just got a followup email which said.

"I'm so sorry. It won't happen again. I hope you aren't too annoyed with me"

WTF

Does this kid think I'm so concerned about wasting 30 seconds of my life answering his email that I'm going to flunk him from the class? I didn't even look at the email address when I responded.

Grow a ****ing thicker skin, dude.

[Snotty]

How would we know if youre frightening?

but you know how easy it is to misinterpret tone through text, the guy was probably high when he opened his inbox

[KrazyHorse]

Hopkins kids don't smoke weed or drink.

They're pathetic.

[Aeson]

Probably just embarrassed that (s)he missed such an obvious thing. Scared of how they look, rather than you personally.

[KrazyHorse]

Well, then maybe I simply haven't explained to them how little I care about their class, their educations, their futures or them as people. They're numbers on a clipboard to me.

I don't care if they're child molesters or Mother ****ing Theresas.

[Aeson]

Haha... I'm sure if you explain that to them it will make them feel a lot more at ease...

[Eli]

I'll probably be a TA next semester too. Should be fun, and weird considering that many of the students are friends of mine.

[Pekka]

Well, next time send an e-mail to the mailing list, 'accidentally' of course, as it was 'meant to be personal', that "No son, you can't pass the course by sucking my dick, because I got my quotas and it's been sucked already, so get a new approach *****, I need new rims, I need some games for my xbox.. hey, you're the future hope here, get creative and get me some."

That'll make them embarrased.

[Pekka]

"I'm so sorry. It won't happen again. I hope you aren't too annoyed with me"

This kind of answer, man... he really is either soooo sorry, that he is a loser, or he is making fun of you, in which case he still is a loser.

Saying I'm sorry is OK, but hoping you are not too annoyed.. I mean who does he think he is? Is he your friend? That's personal stuff. Dont' ask me about my feelings *****, you don't have anything on me. I don't know you, I don't like you, so stfu.

[Proteus_MST]

Some people are just a little bit egocentric.

Maybe he was the Class clown and everyone picked on him, or the teacher at school picked on him and therefore he thinks that his teachers/Profs observe every single step he makes.

[Pekka]

Proteus, yeah but it is pretty interesting. We have these people, who are jumpy, thinking that every step of what they do, what they say, how they carry themselves, what they think.. everything is judged. And usually in a negative way as well.

They are very self aware, and they submit to it. But what they don't realize is, that they are not so important, that everyone just thinks about them all the time. Frankly, usually people don't even care enough to judge them.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Pekka
Proteus, yeah but it is pretty interesting. We have these people, who are jumpy, thinking that every step of what they do, what they say, how they carry themselves, what they think.. everything is judged. And usually in a negative way as well.

They are very self aware, and they submit to it. But what they don't realize is, that they are not so important, that everyone just thinks about them all the time. Frankly, usually people don't even care enough to judge them.

DOn't we call such people "teens"?

[Aeson]

That's not true... people care enough to judge other people all the time! (It's what we're doing right now even!)

[KrazyHorse]

I still don't know who he is. I deleted his second email without looking at the address too.

Actually, I didn't even read the whole thing. Just skimmed it...

[Pekka]

So that's how much you care Don't even read their e-mails, jeesh KH, you are frightening!