Saskatchewan, here I come...

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I don't like where we're headed.

It's midterms again. They snuck up on me when I wasn't looking. Granted, I've been a little busy these days, as I'm now firmly entrenched in the wonderful life of a 1L (see my last, long-ago post). But I'm oddly comforted knowing that despite the quasi-psychosis that is my life of late, some things never change.

Take the exam I gave today for example. Five minutes before the exam was to start, a student came in and approached the lectern. I didn't remember seeing him before, but that wasn't unusual. After all, on exam day, all the Visitors come out to play. However, he strode to the podium with the unbridled confidence of a man on a mission, and one that was certain that he'd be getting his way.

I'm sure that's how he was picturing it in his OWN mind, anyway. But again, I digress.

He reached the lectern and proceeded to tell me that he wasn't prepared for the exam and he wasn't going to take it today. It wasn't a question of could he skip the test. He was set on doing it.

He was quite upset when I informed him that wasn't how it worked.

My exam policy is simple. Barring some extreme exigent circumstance or strange act of whatever god you believe in, you take the exam on time, or you don't take it all. Of course, I relayed this information using smaller words and slower diction. His response?

Crickets.

After a moment, he blinked and shook his head and informed that he hadn't been in class for a while. However, when I asked him if the absence was excused, he wasn't even able to come up with a good lie. He simply reiterated that he hadn't been in class, and furthermore I wasn't being fair for making him take the exam with the rest of the class.

Yet again, I'm not fair. Silly me.

I guess in a way, given the insanity I'm facing this semester, it's oddly comforting that some things never change.

And for the record he did take the exam. Or at least, he filled in the bubbles on the scantron form. Unfortunately they were the answers for the person sitting next to him, who was taking a different version of the exam, but that's a blog for another day.

 Am I scared for the future? You bet your ass.

Saskatchewan, here I come...