Patrick is a patsy no more

I'm a nice guy, but I don't like to be made a fool...nor do I want people to think they can make a fool of me.

To the Calc II students who were overheard by Math Lab staff to say, while completing the homework on Taylor series after the exam featuring Taylor series questions had been given in class, "yeah, now we need to learn how to do this stuff, so we can do the revisions!": congratulations! Your flagrant display of immaturity has caused me to completely rethink the revision policy. Sufficiently many of your more mature colleagues have let me know that the revisions truly do help them learn that the opportunity for revision will remain in place, but I fear that offering full credit for unlimited revisions may simply be unfair to those who struggle to master the material in a timely fashion. Look forward to a revamped version of the policy for the Fall 2010 semester.

To the Topology students whose homework is an automatistic transcription of the work of one of your more steady peers in the same class: as I'm fond of saying, I've been in this line of work for over a decade now, and I know the score. I just want you to know that I can tell when a person's work is really that person's work. Don't think you're pulling a fast one on me.

That is all.

Please understand that I'm not angry, just tired, and, honestly, a little disappointed.

And I'm also off to class.