Procrastinating, Again
I am here to procrastinate from grading tests. I’ve also been all over the internets, talked on the phone, contemplated life, stared at my ceiling, and ate some chocolate.
The tests are driving me nuts.
Look, people, if I tell you exactly what is on the test (in the form of choosing your own slides to write an essay about) why do you STILL not know how to answer?
I am saying, you will write an essay on THIS SLIDE. THIS ONE RIGHT HERE. WITH THE WONKY BOOBS.
You’ve got nothing? Nothing to say but “I think Leonardo or Monet or someone painted that one.”
Yes, yes, a student actually said that about an unpainted marble sculpture by Michelangelo as their complete and total essay.
If you love me, send cheap booze.
Posted by Melissa on March 5th, 2008 under Histoire d'Art
March 5th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Wow, I’m an engineer and even I could give a better test answer than that!
March 5th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Oh gosh, I was one of those students. I can’t pay attention to stuff that I’m not interested for the life of me. And that’s not to say that it’s not interesting, it just means that I have a weakness in finding it interesting.
And that’s why I never graduated college. But that was in the day that you could say you graduated from college, were on the deans list and nobody ever checked. And now? Employers check freaking credit ratings. Ack!!!
March 5th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
The “wonky boobs” comment just made my day. Made it. Thank you ever so.
lis
March 5th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Dude. DUDE. I feel you. I so understand.
March 5th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
A colleague of mine received this answer on an Intro to Modern Art midterm:
For one of the characteristics of Constructivism, a student wrote on the exam:
“Utility based clothing that vibrated as it was worn & the wearer performed routine actions.”
March 5th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
The Statue of the Wonky Boobs is an excellent example of the way Michelangelo’s obsession with the male form sometimes interfered with his ability to produce believable depictions of female anatomy. This weakness can also be seen to a lesser degree in several of his painted works, including some figures in the Sistine Chapel.
I learned all of this by reading Professor Melissa’s blog. Professor Melissa is an excellent Art History Professor, even if some of her students are kind of tragically thickheaded. Professor Melissa can come and teach me Art History anytime, and I promise to actually pay attention. Because I dig this shit.
March 6th, 2008 at 9:49 am
I feel you. I am grading History of the English Language midterms. These are midterms where I have given them the study sheet, so they know exactly, precisely what is going to be on the exam — and what is on the exam is exactly, precisely what I’ve been talking about for the past eight weeks. The exam has zero surprises. Then I get answers like “William Caxton is a guy who wrote French novels,” and “Languages can degenerate when new words come into them or invasions cause the lower class to get lazy.”
Pass me the rum if you have any left.
April 2nd, 2008 at 10:01 am
Oh, that is just sad.