It pleases me to report that I have been very good and honorable and dutiful today, spending most of the lovely daylight hours at the office grading my freshmen’s papers. What joy, I tell you.
I don’t have any too-terrible debacles to report just yet, but allow me to tell you what ridiculously petty thing is currently annoying me: the unrepentant chowderheads refuse to learn even the most basic MLA formatting. They just flatly refuse.
When they are writing the title of a film or book, they must either italicize or underline it. That’s all. Just either italicize it, or fucking underline it. Pick one and do it. Not hard, see? Well, the reason why you or I might think that it isn’t hard it because you and I, reader, are both functionally literate humans with the power to reason and to remember instructions for longer than half a second.
Next week they turn in their major research paper, and during the draft reviews before the due date I plan on telling them again - for what must surely be the tenth fucking time! - about the title formatting issue, and then, if they get it wrong again, I shall beat them senseless with a baseball bat and feast upon their raw, bloody corpses. What, too harsh?
In happier news, I had a very pleasant and relaxing weekend, before the grading all started, anyway. I spent much of Saturday lounging about and watching We (the cable network for ladies!) and then went out and saw a bunch of local bands. If it’s music you’d like to hear about, though, check here.
So how was your weekend? Are you ready to face work tomorrow, or do you think you’ll need to bring a bludgeoning implement, too?
I’m avoiding the bludgeoning, on account of how I believe in the sisterhood of man and all, but should I have to write one more time “Though book titles are underlined or italicised, short story titles aren’t and should appear in quotation marks”, my right hand will secede from the otherwise pacifist body corporate and I will not be responsible for its actions. Oh no.
I actually do an MLA day in the classes that require it. I also tell them that since I’m taking class time to *teach* them what they could be expected to seek out for themselves, transgressions of said lesson will result in grade decrease. I’m sure you do the same, but I just enjoy reporting that I threaten my students with knowledge that a) they should be responsible for themselves and b) I have already provided for them, ad nauseum. (This may be why I appreciate working in the Writing Center so much. When I tell my WC clients “THIS IS HOW YOU DO MLA/APA/CHICAGO,” they frakking listen and comply.)
Alexis - I know! We need a rubber stamp or something that says that. Also, I need one that says “Discuss the significance of this quoted passage before moving on.” Also! Your comments always get caught in my spam filter. Are you secretly trying to sell me diet pills or lesbian pornography?
Clarabella - I do try to teach it to them, but in that area I am sadly a failure. There is even a section on the grading feedback form where I rate their compliance. It saddens me that I even have to include such nonsense on a grading form, but.