Everybody Wants Some

I'm sure this is one of those cases that has less to do with me and more to do with timing, but several students have requested permission to enter my full classes that start tomorrow. Everybody's got a story, usually desparate, about why he or she needs to take that class at that time. Most colleges and universities have strict policies about giving "overrides", allowing students to join the class and exceed the cap. I have to say, when I'm teaching a writing class, having even one more students increases my workload a lot more than you might think; it's not "just" one more student, but one more essay or assignment to grade for every one we do. In the past two years, this has never come up. There are two reasons I can think of for this: either classes don't fill and there are plenty of options for students (which could easily be the case at a college with five campuses) or advisors simply don't tell students that it's possible to enroll in a class that is filled to capacity.

At the university from which I resigned in 2012, the policy was quite clear: If we add students to our already-full general studies courses, how can we justify reducing class sizes (as we were always trying to do). Twenty students in a writing class is a lot. Exceeding the cap can get out of control quickly. If you let one student in, what's your justification for not letting in another student? My current institution (or one of my two current ones) seems to have no absolute policy on this. When I asked about it, I was told it's entirely my call, and the way I had asked the question led our department secretary to believe I was approving the addition of the student she had asked if I would let in. Now I feel like I have to let another one in who had asked me before I was aware of the process. So I'm already at twenty-two students in a research-intensive writing course. Oy.

On the plus side, rarely have I been more prepared than I am for these new classes, which makes me especially happy since I received approval on my paperwork just four days ago. It's been a crazy few weeks as I prepare for this heavy workload, but I really think that once I get going, it will all push itself along. At least, I hope so.