Teacher's "Class Went South Blues"

Disclaimer: this will probably seem ranty.

Today I had one of my worst teaching days at NMSU. I was a little less prepared for class than usual (which normally verges on anal-retentive.) I turned the class over to questions about the reading. Quiet. Crickets. Nervous shuffling in the seats. It was obvious they hadn't read. But instead of having them read and write about the selection in class, I decided to embark on a twenty minute monologue about the reading, complete with forays into Wikipedia, SEC Football, the vagaries of fly fishing, and the absurd debate over Obama's nationality. It was brutal.

I'd normally let it slide and just focus on a better class next time; however, more than a few in the class seemed to take pride in not reading. Like it was a badge of honor. And that just burned me. I know Graff, Giroux, and other scholars have written about anti-intellectualism directed at academics, but the majority of students in this class (and the last couple classes I've taught) have at best indifference to learning anything new about language and improving their writing. And I'm not asking them to read The Communist Manifesto: I'm asking them to read 15-20 pages of material about writing.

Some options for the next class:

1. Quiz
2. Kick students out who haven't read (though I've already done that once this semester)
3. Class time devoted to reading the selection
4. Alabama Ass Whoopin'--but in a calm, congenial, and collegial manner.
   
5. ?

The thing I'm worried about is that a fair amount of these students really do need help with their writing, and I'm fairly certain that reading (any reading) can help. I'm worried that they'll be under-prepared for the writing demands of courses in their majors, and in a selfish way, I'm concerned what their 200 and 300 level instructors will say about their writing--and my teaching--when they don't prepare for that class and submit the kind of work I've received in the last couple weeks.