Catch Up: End of Semester

Here we are at the end of the semester. I just turned in my grades at LCAD (Laguna College of Art & design). 15 As, 7 Bs, 2 Fs and an Incomplete. You might ask yourself where are the Cs and Ds? Is this an easy class like basket weaving or shop? Not really When I teach this class at Cal State Fullerton there is a more even spread. But then the students coming into the class are a more even range of students.

The LCAD are students mostly in their Junior and Senior years and the slackers just don’t last to the end years at Laguna. It is a joy to be able to turn in these kind of grades knowing that the students have earned them.

Speaking of motivated students. Aubriana Zurilgen is one of the students who earned an A in my history class. She also did lots of cool work on her monster costume. (I have mentioned her project before in these pages. I am kind of mentoring her and working on the bones to articulate her costume`s tail). Here are some images.




















































Now that I have talked about the high in is students it is time to look at the lower levels. I have had my share of dead end students back in the days when I was teaching animation in a state funded vocational program. Up until last week my all time winner was a high school girl with a very bad case of PLG syndrome (Pretty Little Girl). She had spent the semester talking with her friends and half ass fooling around with the animation camera. Her grade came in as a 58 which is an “F” but out of the goodness of my and despite the PLG I bumped her grade up to a D-.

Mr. Loc, you gave me a D. I gave her grade, like it had nothing to do with her screwing around all semester. It is my bad. I was at fault. So I explained to her that in fact I had given you that grade, that she had not earned even a D, and I would be perfectly happy to put in a grade change for the F that she deserved.

I have been taking this metal casting class at the community college. Next week is our last week with a critique the week following. I listened in horror as a female student came up to the instructor and explained in no uncertain terms that she had to have a B in his class and that he had to get her to that grade in the final week. She basically shifted all responsibility for her grade to her instructor in the last week of class. He was responsible for giving her a good grade and she let him know that he better do his job.

As a teacher, it always amazes me at the gall of some students. I blame it on the parents. They must raise their children with an inflated sense of entitlement, that they are the center of the universe and no one else is importance. In females it is doubly tragic because a large portion of the population will treat them that way when they are young and cutie and sexy. Oh the rude awakening when the female who has been getting by on her looks hit 45 and no one will put up with her PLG games anymore.

The tragedy for our country and our world is that lots of times no one tells some little monster boys or girls that they aren`t god`s gift and they end up running everything. We have all worked for that person and we have sure had them as our president too.

Segue into my metal class. I just wanted to cast some bronze this semester. The only reason I was at Saddleback Community College it that they have a killer metal casting class. Here is my work.