The rain drums down outside, coming down harder than ever. I'm struggling to concentrate, they've been talking about the same student for half an hour now. Someone who has chronic reasons for not being here, for not doing well. Serious reasons. One of the academics has taught her. He says she is the most disengaged student he has ever taught. She has been here four years.
The argument is about whether we let her off the last few credits and give her a degree (if she wants it), or whether we make her come back next year, even though she can only get a third anyway. This would mean doing a module for a third time. Eventually reason wins over, it's just not fair to make her go through it again, a third is pretty crap anyway - what employer would want her? or rather we just want to be rid of her AND her personal problems...
Another discussion involves whether someone who was charged with rape but let off should be allowed to carry on being a student, and whether we should inform the University. The charges were dropped! Just goes to show the power of suggestion. There is also an ongoing investigation for murder but I'm not supposed to minute this.
All afternoon this goes on, my new member of staff has to sit through it for two days, I tell her she should probably practice writing some minutes too, just to stop her chewing her own arm off. Or at least spend a couple of days eating pies, girls are just TOO skinny these days...
Afterwards, it's all panicking and results and having to shuffle students around and fix disasters that we should have fixed in the summer. I am the one who writes FA and FU next to your name, if they decide that you've failed. There is a long and tedious process of click print tick click check print ok check sign click publish, which should have been over two days ago but the idiotic control freak who is supposed to be doing the signing has booked herself into meetings all day. I am supposed to be at home today, helping the GF to decorate the front room but oh no, I have to come in and wait until I'm allowed to publish.
At 1630 I manage to catch her1 and she says it's fine for someone else to check them as she won't be doing it tonight. By some miracle I manage not to strangle her there and then and resign myself to being in work past 6 for the fourth day this week.
My little helper feels bad that she has to go home, but she has been very kind and helpful this week. We'll see how she feels after I've left her with the aftermath tomorrow.
- She is on her way into a meeting with a student whose mum thinks it's a little bit unfair that we penalised him for printing out the seen exam for the wrong module and turning up to the wrong exam.
