mel jacobson on wed 4 nov 98
i did not know that it was possible to run a program in ceramics and not
get clay on the kiln shelves.......i never figured out how to do it.
and those kids tested and made so many glazes it would drive me nuts.
`mel, can i have 5 pounds of cobalt`, `,mel, how do i make jet black`.......?
`mel, can we make bright pink, want to make dishes for my sisters wedding?`
``hey, who took my bucket of deep green glaze from my locker?` `hey, who
spit in my glaze bucket, oh, never mind, it's slime.?`
as i have posted before, i kept a 50 gallon drum of base glaze with a canoe
paddle in it. (boys would stir that damn glaze all day)
base was 60% volcanic ash, 40 gertsley.......added zircopax for opacity.
kids would dip out a 5 gallon pail, or an ice cream bucket full.......color
and
make to taste. i would make a bucket of white, green, brown and blue..
standard. they would make every color that the glaze could make.
and the little buggers would never give me a recipe....keep
secrets.
some very pretty pots went out the door, and some very proud kids.
never had pre-made standards......just told them that they could not
ever make over 500 pots a semester....and some tried.
if you give kids a certain number of pots to make in a certain time, they
will go there, and stop. `give me an a, i made the numbers`
i always told the kids..`if you expect an a+, you cannot have one.
it comes from dedication, and respect of the program.`
i also let kids `go to the bank`........if they needed a grade for
insurance,
or family pressure, and they did not deserve it........i would give it,
then expect
the work made up the next semester.......if they did not do it......they
failed
that semester. interest is at 19%, just like visa. it was a
great lesson
and many used it...and understood the interest rates.
i would never cheapen a kid by giving cheap grades.
many honor
students took clay, and were scared to death that they would get a c or
other `poor grade`............i would always give them options of reading, or
research to help them along if they were not gifted with craft skills.
i would never demean the highly skilled potters with gift grades to academic
aces. our average grades given where much lower than math, english or
science. tells you something.
have talked with many college teachers lately, and the expectations
of grades for no work seems to be getting much worse.....
had lunch with a 35 year professor of english at the
university
of minnesota last month, and he told me that in the 1950's he assigned 12
books a semester, now he assigns two, and they complain. he said that
they often go to the dean, say he gives too much work, and does not reward
with automatic a's.
l
mel/mn
http://www.pclink.com/melpots
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