Sunday, March 04, 2007

A visit from tech support

A look at my life

My algebra class this term has been quite a trial. Either I've gotten to be a very bad teacher or the luck of the draw has been especially cruel to me this year. I will, however, cut myself a bit of slack and refrain from blaming myself for the failure of students who inform me that their “vacation” conflicts with an exam date. As a bad teacher, I am unable to explain to them that their misplaced priorities do not impose any obligation on me to accommodate them.

I have a nephew in grad school who is definitely planning a career in the science lab rather than in the classroom. He lacks my patience (frayed though it is) with students who seem incapable of absorbing even the tiniest particle of information. He occasionally shares his exasperation with me. Recently he sent me a link to a Norwegian language skit titled “Medieval Tech Support,” which is all about a monk needing assistance making the transition from good old-fashioned scrolls to the newfangled and difficult-to-use book. As my nephew says,
I have virtually had to do this with students. The operation of a book appears not to be among the criteria for college admission.
Don't be concerned if you don't know Norwegian. The video has English subtitles. That should be helpful—assuming you can read.

1 comment:

eProf2 said...

And, what did the poor monk do when the typewriter was brought to his desk? Funny video!