What you talkin’ ’bout!?!

27

I spent a day marking…I slogged through a digital stack of term papers and many left me baffled. Once upon a time the question was a simple sentence. Successive years of students claiming confusion have led to a single sentence turning into three short paragraphs of instructions….and there are still some who say “I didn’t understand the question” and make it my fault. After three such issues in a row, you’d think the student would ask before submitting instead of complaining afterwards. Apparently I am supposed to provide the full answer to the question so they can answer the question.

Even when I explain, clearly, that the question was to address commercial aquaculture, several decided to write all about enhancement culture.

I say landbased…they write about “semi-natural rearing for wild release” to make fish more wild-like. Where do I even go with marking that? Did he meet Rob somewhere and get his ear bent inside out? (inside joke one or two will understand)

I say write only about freshwater site location recommendations, several write me papers half filled with how to locate a marine site for a netpen.

I clearly say (with the emphasis) that their client has hired them to make recommendations one “where” to build a freshwater hatchery and “why” and they tell me all about how to spawn salmon and how to disinfect eggs.

And then I’m the bad guy for giving a higher-than-they-should-probably-receive-mark…

I’m tired. I’m also happy that the faculty has finally hired a new member who has a background in environmental physiology as related to aquaculture. I am already planning my letter to unload one of my courses, perhaps two, to her.

My Fluevog shoe fund will get smaller, but I will be happy to be able to finally give these courses back to a full time faculty member who will be dedicated to one career instead of my trying to juggle two.

I would like to keep my fish health course and hand off the other two, that would leave me one course, in January – April, which also would mean I don’t feel crappy about handing a lousy mark to a student or three right before Christmas. I would feel less grinch-like.

Exams to mark tomorrow and then I am done for this year….except for a couple of complaining emails I am already expecting.

Plotting my partial escape in 2021….