<p>It’s the previous generation’s fault that the next generation turns out to be not good enough for the previous generation. That either means the previous generation has silly expectations, or the previous generation did a crappy job raising the current generation. Either way, it makes the previous generation look a little worse than the next.</p>
<p>In the class I TA, I do tend to discriminate between students. I, for one, don’t care how clueless anybody is… I just go on attitude. I don’t care for the ones who already act like know everything - whether they do or not. If, on the other hand, you act like you at least respect my time and ability, and are willing to at least try, I like that.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t want to be the student of anyone who discriminated against the less capable students. If the student made it into your class, s/he deserves your time and respect. If you don’t give it to them, you’re rude and obnoxious.</p>
<p>AMT, I don’t think anyone is saying that they do not or should not give time the less capable students. What is being said is that the problem is systemic and that it needs to be solved early on. I would advocate that we focus on students as evenly as possible. That is, weaker students should get no more time with a TA than should stronger students and vice versa. My argument, though, would be that weaker students ought to be remediated early on. If it takes you twice as long to pass every grade when compared with “the norm” (i.e., 1 year per grade) because you’re screwing around or don’t care to focus on your schoolwork, then I would advocate you be given that amount of time. Of course, once you turn 21, you’d need to pay your own high school tuition. I am all for the school of hard knocks when it becomes necessary. I work with some of the worst of the worst when it comes to troubled youth and delinquent students on a daily basis and sometimes, to be honest, what they need is for their actions to have consequences. Actually… for most of them, the reason they got where they are now is due to having everyone “protect” them from the natural consequences of their dumb mistakes (and not a single one would argue with me on that).</p>