Conversations with former students in food courts

FORMER STUDENT: Hey, Scott!

SEK: Howdy, FS.

FS: I miss your class, man.  This [next one in the writing sequence] sucks ass.  I got a fucking [non-passing grade] on the first paper.

SEK: Did you [do everything SEK taught him to do, e.g. revise, revise, revise]?

FS: This prof doesn't make us revise.

SEK: But what led to you earning an "A" in my class?

FS: All the revising.

SEK: So what do you need to earn an "A" in this next class?

FS: I told you, though, this prof doesn't make us revise.

SEK: But how did you earn an "A" in my class?

FS: Revising.

SEK: So how can you earn an in this next one?

FS: I don't know, Scott, that's what I'm asking you.

SEK: But—

FS: You gotta help a brother out.

SEK: One more time: How did you earn an "A" in my course?

FS: I already told you, this prof isn't telling us to revise.

SEK: (shrugs)

FS: (shrugs back)

SEK: (emphatically shrugs while repeatedly overturning invisible cups on an invisible table)

FS: (stares for a minute, turns, walks away) Right, dude, I see what you're saying.  Cups it is, man, cups it is!

SEK: "Cups"?  Come back! (FS moves briskly through the food court)  WHAT IS "CUPS"? 

SEK realizes that standing alone in the middle of a food court yelling "WHAT IS 'CUPS'"? leaves an odd impression on bystanders and walks away muttering something, most likely "What is 'cups'?" under his breath.

Comments

[Ahistoricality]

What were you trying to say with your hands? There's the Zen metaphor of the empty cup/mind, but I doubt either of you meant that...

[John Emerson]

Koan fail.

[SEK]

I was aiming for the clearly not universal gesture of come-on-you're-almost-there-you-can-do-it. Imagine me doing it quickly and with both hands synchronized, almost like I'm a traffic cop waving at myself. (Describing waving is, I just now learned, rather difficult to do well.)

[The Modesto Kid]

Cups! Cups to you, sirrah.

[JT]

Well, CUPS is a mnemonic device we teach elementary students to proofread their writing. Yes, I do know that proofreading is not the same as revising. It stands for the four things one should check: capitalization (I told you it was elementary), usage, punctuation, and spelling. Perhaps he was having a flashback to his elementary days?

[todd.]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip_cup ?

[J. Otto Pohl]

I think he interpreted cups to be a sign that he needs to drink more booze as "to be in one's cups."

[Sisyphus]

Heh. And you teach classes on effective communication? ;)

Maybe it's "cups" as in the Tarot suit. Clearly he's going to go get his future read. Or maybe he will knock over his prof's coffee next time he's in class.

[SEK]

Or maybe he will knock over his prof's coffee next time he's in class.

You're allowed to have coffee in class? I guess I've just gotten so accustomed to being lectured about the difficulties placing liquids on the smart podiums could potentially entail that I haven't even thought of bringing a liquid to class in ages. I'm suddenly, and slightly inexplicably, jealous of your caffeinate mid-class. I have to make do espresso shots during the breaks in my three hour classes.

[Sisyphus]

You don't want to bring coffee to class, trust me. Wait til you spill it (hot) on a student and then you will know the meaning of terror.

[alkau]

You need to say and repeat several times at the last class; "No matter what you are told, you need to revise, revise, revise each paper you write, even if you are not told to do so. Each class that requires writing papers should aim to be the best effort and that will only happen if you put in the time."