[M.D. Holloway]

Any teaching/training I give is to professionals. Either engineers or sales reps or maint technicians. When someone doesn't have an assignement they just get made fun of in front of everybody and that is about it. They don't get fired or even really yelled at. These guys have all sorts of things going on and frankly sometimes it really isn't concieveable that they can get it done. So some slack is given.

I teach a few classes at a university. A few (3 out of 40) of my students spaced and didn't have thier assignments. The thing is I know for a fact that 2 of the students had the assignments done last week - they were gonna hand it in early but I said to hold on to it and hand it in next week (Sylibus error). They told me they forgot them in their dorm rooms but it would take at least 30 to 40 minutes total to go back and get them and bring them back. Not good.

I had to be a hardarse and say "No good guys, if this was a job and you were working on a proposal or RFQ or report your butts would be on the line. My job is to prepare you for reality and this is reality."

I really felt bad for them but I didn't have a choice, I had to give them a 0 for that assignment. The third kid who didn't hand in his assignment just looked at me with a blank stare and said "oh, ya. I don't have it."

That one was easy to give a goose egg.

The assignment is worth 10% of the grade - so if they do perfect on all the rest including exams the best they will do is an 90.

So am I a prick or what?