Cattywampus

[korenyx]

Sorry I'm late starting this, but the Cattywampus story reminded me of an Anthropolgy professer I had in college. He was from Germany and when he was in college he lived in abandoned Nazi bunkers.

I thought of him while reading the story because on his tests he would write "Take one or two of these questions or make up one or two of your own". I was the only one in the class who liked his tests; everyone else just wanted to read something and spit the answers back.
Once I asked him how to spell hypocrite and he asked "Is this about me?"
Another time he said "Oh no! Clan of the Cave Bear again?"

 

[athon]

I try prompting my kids to write questions for the exam and give them to me with the promise that if they're good enough, I'll include them. I normally get one or two takers.

I must admit, the Cattywampus story, as quaint as it was, did bother me in some way as a teacher. I can see merit in marking it as a zero, etc., but to then carry it through to a summative grading was a little extreme, and unnecessary. I'm certain (from my own experience at doing some similar things) that the same effect would have been achieved without carrying the grade forward, and also knowing a fair bit about pedagogy and the influence of evaluations on students, it could well have been more detrimental than beneficial in the end.

Athon

 

[sthomson]

I must admit, the Cattywampus story, as quaint as it was, did bother me in some way as a teacher.

I wouldn't be surprised if quite a bit of that story grew in the telling.