"It's not my fault!"

So it's week 10 of an 11 week quarter and for the most part, students are at a fever pitch to get their final projects done - for the most part.  There is the usual handful who haven't done anything all quarter and now that there is only one week left, are scrambling and/or trying to convince the instructors to give them an extension or excuse the fact they won't be submitting a fully completed project.  I don't get it...at all.  It's not like the expectations are not clearly set forward on day one of the quarter, both verbally and in writing.  You've seen one; it's that magical document called a syllabus and it is a road map to the quarter.  Read it and you'll know exactly what's expected of you, every single week.

And I can just hear some of you right now:  "Jayne, things happen.  People have other commitments.  Cut them some slack."  My answer?  Not.A.Chance.  Here's the deal - you know when you commit to a program everything you have going on and it is your responsibility to make sure you can keep up.  If there are special circumstances, approach the instructor early on; don't wait until it is too late.  I get tired of being told I'm the unusual one for getting my work done, accurately and on time.  Granted, this is my second or third time around the block, but I still argue it can be done without all the excuses and the whining.

A couple of examples come to mind;  both students waited until it was too late.  One decided to drop a class and the other is dangerously close to failing a class and will likely have to take it over again.  What happened?  One of them knew there was trouble from day one and waited until week 7 to ask for help.  Then the snow storm hit and she could not get to the resources she needed (and should have accessed sooner).  She ended up dropping the class in week 9 - without a refund - all because she waited too late to ask for help and then didn't follow through.  And believe me, no sympathy is necessary here;  I've had classes with her before.  Last spring, during lecture time she would shop online and ignore the instructor - then ask those of us who paid attention for help.  She didn't run into a bit of bad luck this quarter; she is a careless and lazy student.  The second student skipped more classes this quarter than he attended, did not turn in any progress work and then his jump drive died today and all his files were corrupted.  He has to start his quarter long project (if he ever started it in the first place) all over again.  The last thing I heard him say to our instructor today was that he's having trouble getting motivated to start over because he's so disappointed.  Again, this is not someone who deserves the benefit of the doubt.  I've had several classes with him and he rarely shows up and is always scrambling to turn in an entire quarter's worth of assignments at the last minute.

Do these people have an endless supply of money and can I please tap into it?  This school is not cheap!  Why not finish the classes you've paid for the first time you register for them?  This is a pattern of behavior and I see it with a lot of my fellow students.  Why are you there if you're not going to commit?  You are wasting money - yours, your parents', scholarships, financial aid - whoever it belongs to, and you are wasting my time when you take the instructor aside to join your pity party.  If I hear, "It's not my fault!" one more time I might scream.  Put your big girl pants on and join the rest of us who are working our asses off to get it done right the first time.  Sometimes, I wonder how these kids expect to function out in this "real world" they refer to.  You know, the one they're already living in but don't realize it?