And Breathe. Going Into Monday Knowing that Weekend 14-Hour Days are Not Enough to Get All the Work Done. And Here We Are Again. Monday.

My optimism for the week is that I soaked chicken in barbecue and grilled at 6:30 p.m. so it was ready for 7:04 p.m. breaking of the fast. I told Abu and Lossine, it is always easier to fast during the week because you're on the road, moving, and distracted from thinking about being hungry. The weekends, spent grading and planning, is a little more intense. You're home and around the kitchen. Ah, but I knew the breaking would arrive at sundown, so I focused on my classes.

By six p.m., I was in the kitchen fixing lettuce in a bowl dreaming of the apple and tangerine I would cut up. By 6:15 I went pack and lined everything up in the kitchen so it was ready. That last hour was all in anticipation that the food would eventually come.

And it did. And I ate. 

And I'll do the same tomorrow. 

Ah, but back to grading. I'm trying to figure out what a better way there is to do what I do, but I can attest that this generation is not as prepared as previous generations have been. There's that, and there's also a different work ethic and unwillingness to put forward the effort. It's tricky when training teachers because, well, there's certification and then there's the actual job (which requires the best at all times and is difficult on all days). Those of us who work with pre-service teachers are not doing any good by passing students along who aren't meeting the standard of what they need to do. 

Sadly, these are the kids who turn in work. Many don't turn in anything at all. Yes, they pay the large sums to get a degree, but don't do the work. Then they get everyone involved to protect them from turning in the work. It's the behavior one gets used to with 9th and 10th graders, but that has crept into higher education. I'm definitely seeing this in the past two years, and now I'm wondering if it is just the students at my current University or if others are experiencing, too. I have had some conversations with mentors who have noted the same thing.

Alas, giving critical feedback to help a student to grow takes many more hours than simply praising a student for doing a good job right away. And this is where we are. It's a bit overwhelming when you find yourself scratching your head and thinking, "What am I doing wrong? How are the readings not reach them? How have the class lessons and models totally missed their mark?" 

But I believe it is simply a generation of 'can't be bothered.' We have the Covid kids now who learned during Covid. It might be a generational thing.  I've never been one to name negative characteristics of my students, but phew. This is something else.