Could it be?
January 15, 2011 § 7 Comments
I’ve received several e-mails from my students in the past 36 hours, each one worried to death that they can’t locate our first two books listed on the syllabus. And why can’t they locate the first two books? Because the “Snowpocalypse of 2011” has created quite a backlog in air deliveries of textbooks to our local bookstores. (Oh, and by the way, I didn’t make up that term…this is a word I’ve heard from a few of my friends who actually saw snow during this so-called disaster. We only had a little bit of treetop ice.) At this point, I’m telling my worried students (who have had the book list since November and the syllabus since last Saturday) that they really don’t have much more of an option than to try checking it out at the library or to get in touch with a fellow classmate to see if they can buddy-up on a book.
But here’s what I suddenly find myself considering: maybe I should scan the required reading pages into our Blackboard program for my students. Is this a little bit of copyright infringement? Probably. Do I care? Eh.
I’m pretty sure that I’ll work on those scans tomorrow morning to help me wake up and get in gear for my day of writing.
But, really?
Could it be that Mrs. H has suddenly dropped her bitchy, I-don’t-care-about-your-problems attitude?
So weird.
Where did that attitude drop off to? When did I lose it?
Actually, I think it might have fallen off when I made a couple of decisions over break (I swear, more on that later…after next weekend, definitely), and I also think that completing my first set of writing goals (11 pages last week!) has put me in a slightly less gloomy mental atmosphere.
I wonder how my newfound good mood and generosity will affect my students this semester? How will it affect my marriage? My academic progress?
A.Hab.'s View 
I think scanning the necessary pages until the books can be delivered is a good idea. I have had professors at HSOP do so in the past and it was very helpful when there was a backlog of textbooks. =)
Yay for keeping your writing commitment! I’d say losing a gloomy attitude is like losing weight… I’m always HAPPY to lose as much of it as possible!
You are in a good headspace! Like, like, like! 😀
I’d scan the text, but then I’m a softy with students–not in terms of work load or grades–just motherly, I guess.
Either way, I’m glad to hear your semester got off to a good start! And glad to know you’re writing your “required” pages.
Also, aren’t you having your students do blogs this semester? I’d love to hear about that. The more I think about it, I think blogging is a great way to teach audience awareness. I know my blog is making me think about readers in a whole new way.
From what I recall from the education courses I took, scanning the pages should fall under fair use protection, since you’re a teacher and you are doing this for your class. I can’t remember a single English professor at NGCSU who DIDN’T occasionally pass out copied sections of books to the class.
The point may actually be moot since the students will be purchasing the books, anyway.
Ah, good point, Tim! Thanks! Now I won’t feel nearly as guilty tomorrow when I inevitably scan the rest of the play into Blackboard. 🙂
[…] is why I was so hesitant in the beginning to upload the first reading. I worried that I would succumb to their pouty little faces and their needs…and be drawn to […]