Rules

Did you know that I attended Catholic school for 12 years? That's right: a decade plus a couple of years. In many ways, I am extremely grateful for that education. It likely helped keep me out of trouble. It provided a solid foundation my academic pursuits. It allowed me the opportunity to meet and develop meaningful relationships with several remarkable people as well. At the same time, it had a few drawbacks: I feel guilt for everything (although that could be a consequence of being raised in my household as well), and I am now a rule-follower.

Always.

I always follow the rules.

Some might indicate this makes me boring. Others might state it makes me reliable.

One of the more irritating qualities about me (from my perspective, at least) is that I maintain high expectations of others. I expect them to follow the rules too. When they do not, it frustrates me beyond belief.

Take this quarter, for example: I am teaching 11 classes - 5 face-to-face and 6 online. This equals somewhere around 400 students give or take a few. With so many students on my plate, I need to remain organized and consistent. In an effort to support this process, I borrowed my friend L's method for controlling online discussions. Students were provided very specific directions regarding how to respond to discussion requests. The directions provided concerned both format and content. Much to my frustration, a majority of my students are simply ignoring my directions. They're not playing by the rules.

They're frustrating me beyond belief.

At first, I simply posted announcements in each of my courses reminding students of my expectations. I requested they each re-review the requirements. Not much improvement was noted. Next, I posted replies to many of them asking them about their sources, requesting references, etc. Again, little change was noted. Finally, I posted a second announcement that said something to the general effect of, "Although your personal opinion is valued in the context of this course, please keep in mind that you must support your perspective with supplemental sources as per the established discussion board requirements. Personal tangents will not suffice for the purpose of this course". Still...I see little improvement. I am not sure if they simply do not see my instructions or just choose to ignore the same.

I remain frustrated. I want them to play by the rules.

I suspect they will once they see their grades.