Saturday, August 27, 2011

My Tutoring Is Not SWPL

I like the reference to "SWPL" tutoring (warning, crass language, but good link)

When I taught college econ I also ran the tutoring lab for the college. I was not SWPL. I was blunt and direct alpha.

Of course that offended the soft, eggshell-strong sensibilities of the kiddies who "didn't like math" and "didn't need to know none of that stuff" because they were all going to become great chefs or travel agents or entertainers or poets.

This was of course when I still cared about educating the kiddies and improving their futures. Of course, after getting lectured by management for making tests too hard and not passing the 89 out of 92 students who plagiarized their term papers, I learned to give up on that and just shut up, pass them, incorporate Halo tournaments into the curriculum, collect a pay check and let real life teach the kids the real lessons for me in the future.

The good news is that today I do private tutoring, primarily MBA students who (laughably) think it will improve their chances of finding gainful employment. But it's much nicer to tutor adults who care about their education than 18 year old "adults" who are still effectively children.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:01 PM

    Well..I'm an MBA student and hope springs eternal :(

    "become great chefs or travel agents or entertainers or poets" I'm so gonna steal that.

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  2. Laughably think the MBA will improve their job prospects, or the tutoring?

    I think it is laughable to think that of an MBA, but the tutoring from this Captain could actually help.

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  3. Anonymous4:55 PM

    Ok, I must have missed it.

    Sounds like it could be "Successful white progressive liberal"?

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  4. Ping Jockey10:05 PM

    "But it's much nicer to tutor adults who care about their education than 18 year old "adults" who are still effectively children."

    And the most amusing thing about these 18-year-old 'adults' is how "intelligent" they are and how they know EVERYTHING and how they have ALL the answers to all problems (just ask them!). It gives proof to the old saying of how "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing".
    I always say that 'schooling' and 'intelligence' are NOT the same thing, and neither is 'knowledge' the same as wisdom.

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