Advice?

[aderam]

I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but I became the responsible one in my classes to whom people go when they need notes, or the page numbers for readings, or assignments, or ... you get the idea. Anyway, one of the guys who asks me for the homework on a fairly regular basis is P. P is kinda weird in that he went to the same high school as me (his twin brother was actually in my grade 11 French class) and this year he's come to the same university as me (half-way across the continent) and is in three of my five classes. I enjoy making fun of him for not getting as good marks as me, because we both know that he could be getting the same marks if he only did more work. I don't really feel too badly about giving him notes or homework, because I do see him on a regular basis and he knows that I'm doing him a big favour. Also I'm making him buy me a bottle of wine, since he offered to buy me one the last time I gave him a large chunk of our homework. I've also given notes and questions to another friend in my Classical Mythology class who got mono in the last month of classes.

On the other hand though is A. A is also in my Classical Mythology Class but I haven't actually seen her since the first day of classes all the way back in September. I know her from last year because we lived on the same floor o residence, and she was pretty cool but we were never really close friends. She, like me, also has a learning disability and since I type my notes we'd agreed that I would e-mail her my notes and she said she'd get me the forms so that Student Services would pay me for the service. However, as I said I haven't seen her for a long time, either in class or out, so I didn't send her my notes and she didn't ask me too either. Around December she sent me an e-mail asking for notes and information on the class assignments because apparently she's really sick and our Prof wasn't answering her e-mails (I'm not surprised about this, he didn't answer most of mine either). So I sent her the information, got an e-mailed thanks and didn't hear from her again until recently when she asked for the assignments for this term, again citing this unspecified sickness as the reason why she hasn't been in class. It's not that I don't think that she's sick, it's not that she doesn't think that this is a big favour (she's offered to take me out to coffee, but I don't think that I really want to go anyway). I just don't know if I think that I should give her the info. Part of me thinks that if she knew that she was too sick to go to class it probably would've been a better idea to take the year off. I mean she wasn't at any of the classes as far as I could tell. Admittedly I didn't go to all of them, nor did I scan everyone in the lecture hall to see if she was there, but she's a red-head and the hall wasn't that full, so I'm pretty sure I would've noticed her had she been there. Right now I'm just ignoring her e-mail and choosing to decide later, but what do you think I should do? I know that our Prof is terrible with communicating (except when he's lecturing, goo lecturer), I've experienced it first hand, but that doesn't mean that I'm responsible for helping A out when he's not doing his job.

So what should I do?

< / procrastinating from working on my Classical Mythology take-home exam>

Comments

[denisia.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. I agree that it sounds like the Prof is not doing his job. He should be answering the emails, and he should be responsible for making sure A has the assignments. Or Student Services should be working with the student to make sure she gets the materials she needs.

Having said that, since the term's almost over, if it were me, I'd just give A the notes/etc. she's asking for. It sounds as if she's really struggling to finish the course...perhaps she thought she'd be able to make it back this term and her illness took a turn for the worse and surprised her. That's happened to people I know.

Good luck on the exams, BTW! :)

After classes end....?

[dragon3.livejournal.com]

I may be looking at this from the other side of the fence, but I'm not convinced that it is Prof's job to dispense assignments other than as laid out at the beginning of the course, and certainly not if A has waited until after the end of classes to go looking for them. If A has a documented medical condition, then it is Prof's job to determine how to assess whether A has completed the course, and be flexible with deadlines and examination procedures.

I deal regularly with students who have disabilities, illnesses, or injuries that require accommodations. If A is trying to make up the course starting now, then A should respectfully request a late withdrawal and take it next year. Prof should be willing to credit her with work completed this year to lighten next year's load.

If A didn't attend lectures or complete term assignments for any legitimate reason, then A should get the chance to repeat the course next year without academic penalties. An illness is a legitimate reason to get a break, but not a legitimate reason to get a bye.

Friends and acquaintances who help A prop up this year without actually learning the material are probably not doing A a favour, as A is bound to stumble in further academic pursuits for the lack of comprehensive background. If A couldn't attend lectures and do assignments, then A should try again when A is able.

So, share with A if you want you, and don't bother if you don't want to. Sharing notes and assignment questions (as distinct from your response to assignments) is not academic dishonesty. Be wary of communicating with A about the content or results of any assignments submitted, or exams you have taken, as passing on information in that situation might be academic dishonesty on somebody's part.

I have plenty of sympathy for A and students like A. The best thing for A is probably to meet with A's profs to find ways to complete the course over the summer or on the next offering.

On a completely unrelated note... Does P have red hair too?

Re: After classes end....?

[aderam.livejournal.com]

Thanks Dad. I do think that she was asking him for the assignments before classes ended though and then asked me when he hadn't given them to her, but of course I don't know that for certain.

This is the main reason why I'm not sure about whether I want to help her. I failed a class because I was sick and I deserved to. It sucked but that was life. And I don't want to give her a way around doing a bunch of the work for the class.

Anyway I still haven't decided what I'm going to do, but we'll see.

And no, P does not have red hair. The P you're thinking of and his brother are both far too old to have had any classes with me in High School. Plus that P is at Concordia.

[aderam.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... Thanks. I still haven't really decided what I want to do yet, but it helps to hear what other people think.

Screw it!!

[superjamie.livejournal.com]

i say give her the notes. just next year if she asks for the same deal say no, or you don't type your notes or whatever. also i can't beleive your course. i can't beleive it's even possible for anyone to not go to any classes and have no notes and still maybe pass the course. being an artsie must be really easy, hahaha. your course will forever confuse me.

Re: Screw it!!

[aderam.livejournal.com]

I don't like it. It seems completely wrong to me too. But then again this is a basic-level course that goes over a lot of themes that we did in FYP and that I've done in other classes, so that's how it can be possible. In that case it's not really not doing the work, it's doing the work in other places, but I still think that it's wrong. And I think that unless you're really smart (beyond all reason) that you do a better job if you actually go to class. And you definitely do a better job when you hadn things in on time.

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

Do you know whether she did the paperwork for you to get paid for note-taking? The point of having financial support for note-taking accommodations is that it doesn't have to be a "big favour"; it can be a business transaction that you can say yes or no to.

Ignoring e-mail for a while is a choice too, and maybe a good one. You shouldn't be her only resource. Current world events make me more sensitive this week to students who get emotionally overwhelmed and have difficulty asking for help. But when I am worried about a student in a mess, one of the first things I do is to make sure I'm not the only one taking care of him or her.

You are not responsible for helping her. And you also shouldn't take responsibility for ungarbled transmission of assignment expectations. In your shoes, I might put her off by saying something like "I'm not sure I got it right -- you should probably talk to the prof directly. Have you tried calling his office / leaving a note at his office / calling the department secretary to ask how to reach him / asking Student Services what to do?"

On the other hand, if you've got some stuff readily available that you could share, you could do it anyway, in the interests of karma or keeping a good reputation with other people you might want help from someday.

[aderam.livejournal.com]

Good points all 'round. Thanks.

[sdaha.livejournal.com]

Maybe what she needs to learn from this class is not Classical Mythology but how to ask for help and how to use the resources that are there for her if she is in trouble. Maybe she needs to fail in order to 'get it' that a university course is not just finishing a few questions. It's about going to class and learning by listening and talking about the topic. It's about thinking and putting what you learn into perspective. You don't need to be her only connection to the class. Then she is missing out on so much. She obviously doesn't comprehend how the process of learning this kind of information works. It's not about a skill that one masters, it's about ideas that you try to peice together into a picture that fits with the rest of your learning.

You choose what is comfortable for you. You don't really know what's going on in her life if she's not been around this term. And you can't choose for her. Choose for yourself.

[aderam.livejournal.com]

As always nicely said. Thanks Mum. This give me some things to think about.

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

This is one of the best explanations of what university education should be that I've read in ages.