This is the suck that doesn't end...

[Pagan]

But not being actively involved in college courses doesn't really get a free pass of "Well you should have known," or I'll have to PSYCH 101 you.

Right. And most people know that college courses have designations like CS110, FREN480, CTFM550. Even if they've never been to college.

Tell me about it. One of my old roommates was telling us about how he had no clue what he was doing the first time he tried to do laundry. Seems he ruined his clothes by cramming them all into the machine, regardless of color, and then proceeded to dump detergent and bleach directly on them. (Cringe)

Reminds me of when I was in college. NMSU is the state university and the land grant. Well, you get the little male freshmen Ag students, away from home for the first time, wandering the grocery stores looking for the scrambled eggs (this was before you could buy pre-cooked scrambled eggs) because Mama always had them ready to go. Poor little things. Kinda pitiful, really.

[Alpha Strike]

Except this parent WAS actively involved. Also, the system's been around literally hundreds of years. English != English Lit. Chemistry != Biochemistry. Stuff like this is talked about in movies "Yeah, my stats class is killer," so it's made it's way in to the popular consciousness. That and the fact the course numbers were different, MATH/STATS aside. And I don't recall anyone saying "She sucks for not knowing the difference," however, she does suck for insisting they were the same, and for thinking Lupo should have known what the kid actually needed.

But not being actively involved in college courses doesn't really get a free pass of "Well you should have known," or I'll have to PSYCH 101 you.

Ah! Well, I'm obviously an even bigger idiot then you imply! Just so I'm clear here, this parent should have known that Stats != Math because a) its been in the movies and b) this naming system for (primarily) 4 year college students has been around for a long time?

(On a related note, the original post does bring up this topic - it's the whole reason I asked about it in the first place. But better then a straight answer, I get an offer for you to Psych 101 me! )

[DGoddessChardonnay]

That's about the solution I envisioned. Using books as ammo.

Preferably by numerous copies of the Lincoln Library of Essential Information.

Now that's what I'd call getting attacked by an army of intelligence.

[SG15Z]

Jumping Jesus on a Jackrabbit.

Somebody likes alliteration.

Also that gave me a very amusing mental image.

[Gravekeeper]

Christ. I thought it was standard practice at hospitals to cut the umbilical cord.

><

[karath]

Ah! Well, I'm obviously an even bigger idiot then you imply! Just so I'm clear here, this parent should have known that Stats != Math because a) its been in the movies and b) this naming system for (primarily) 4 year college students has been around for a long time?

(On a related note, the original post does bring up this topic - it's the whole reason I asked about it in the first place. But better then a straight answer, I get an offer for you to Psych 101 me! )

Well, I can't speak for Broom (he's certainly proven himself more than capable of speaking for himself ) but I think that point was that a mere glance at the course sheet should have implied that the class lil' precious was signing up for was NOT the one he'd bought books for.

Except this parent WAS actively involved.

...That and the fact the course numbers were different, MATH/STATS aside.

And like Broom said here...the mere fact that the parent was this actively involved should have tipped her off that lil' precious stats class was NOT the math course for which the books had been purchased...particularly because of that pesky little difference in course numbers.



And before I forget...sorry you had to deal with this one Lupo! Have some late-night crazy cookies!

[Jester]

Christ. I thought it was standard practice at hospitals to cut the umbilical cord.

Leave it to GK to sum up this whole scenario with one well-turned phrase.

Ah! Well, I'm obviously an even bigger idiot then you imply! Just so I'm clear here, this parent should have known that Stats != Math because a) its been in the movies and b) this naming system for (primarily) 4 year college students has been around for a long time?

No, not everyone would know that. That's true.

But let's simplify things. If your course sheet (which they had) says you need a book for STA 101 and the book you have says it is for MAT 117......yeah, I would imagine that most people, no matter how little they had been exposed to college, would figure that STA 101 and MAT 117 are NOT the same course.

Just a thought.

[Broomjockey]

Psych 101 me! )

That was a joke, you know. Psych 101 is basically the most famous example of college course naming. As you apparently missed that however, I think we both need to drop this.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

And so she's back, and turns to her son, and tells him to tell me the class again. He says Math 3331, An upper level, JUNIOR/SENIOR level class!! I immediately go and procure the book, and she starts screaming!

Once again, I"m at the counter and she storms in and slams the books and a piece of paper down. It's his schedule. I look at it and have to remind the textbooks as a clue-by-four. Why, you ask?

Because the class he needs books for is STAT 3371!!!

Yeah, I would have snapped.

"HEY LADY, HOW THE **** DID YOUR KID GET INTO COLLEGE WITHOUT KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A 3 AND A 7?!?!?!?"

[lupo pazzesco]

Yeah, I would have snapped.

"HEY LADY, HOW THE **** DID YOUR KID GET INTO COLLEGE WITHOUT KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A 3 AND A 7?!?!?!?"

I don't know why, but that about made me fall out of my chair laughing. (EQ's not doing much better on the floor over here...)

Wow.

thanks!!

Neither of us can stop laughing now. EQ says it's funnier the more you think about it...

[Broomjockey]

*pokes EQ with a stick* Hey Lupo, hope you've got medical training to save that one...

[Animae]

*gives lupo a cookie*

You do get mad props for not yelling at the lady. I would have gone off on her, then had my manager deal with her. after telling her she was a stupid bitch.

[AdminAssistant]

I HATE, with the fiery burning passion of the seven suns, HELICOPTER PARENTS.

Last semester, I had e-mails from parents saying things like, "I'm sorry Johnny missed his test, he was helping us move, so you're just going to let him make it up, right?" and "Can you please tell us how baby June is doing in class, if she doesn't keep her grades up she'll lose her scholarship?"

1) I can't give out grade information over e-mail or phone. Ever. PERIOD. It's against the law. Federal law. FERPA. I'm not losing my job, getting kicked out of the University, and potentially facing a hefty fine for you.

2) Even if I could, I'm not going to tell your parents. Because it's none of their damn business.

And both last semester and this semester I've gotten lots of bellyaching over "Can't find the book" (um, BS there 5 bookstores in this little town and this amazing thing called amazon.com) or "Book is too expensive" (Yeah, well, too bad! Part of college, kiddo) and "Waaahhh!! New edition!!!" (Okay, I have some sympathy, be we are required by our deal with the publisher to offer the most recent edition available. Cut down on your beer and pizza consumption for a couple of weeks and buy the damn book!

[Primer]

We've been having a similar discussion on my faculty listserve about helicopter parents, so I did what I had to, and shared the pic with the list. I wonder if I'll get written up for it?