You CAN get warm fuzzies in engineering August 31, 2011
Posted by mareserinitatis in education, engineering, teaching.Tags: grading, students
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I’m starting to grade my students’ first assignment this semester. It’s a personal essay, giving me a picture of where they’re from and why they chose to go into electrical engineering. They are also supposed to let me know if they have any specific goals in the course.
I usually leave my grading for the evenings when I’m totally fried. I grudgingly sat down tonight after dinner to face the music.
I found, however, that I was intrigued. A lot of the kids come from smaller towns in ND and MN. In fact, there was only one town I hadn’t heard of. I also have kids all the way from the coasts…and a few from beyond.
What surprised me was how many of them said they were interested in things like renewable power because they want to go into a profession where they can do something beneficial. So many of the essays conveyed a sense of excitement and enthusiasm…not to mention a bit of naïveté. I just hope they can keep their enthusiasm while moving through school. I’ll have to remind them to keep their eye on the goal if they get frustrated with the process. Aspirations are not a thing that should be crushed without good reason.
It’s the first time I think I’ve really enjoyed grading.
I also blog at Engineer Blogs, home away from home to some of the best engineering blogs.
As someone who is interested in the subject of renewable technology, this makes me very pleased.
Almost cute when they are that young and fresh.