Of Dragons and Destinies

and then i think of how young and innocent they are and how nothing bad has happened yet and i get upset

the torture and the joy are inseparable

Recently in "shark fins of discourse": I saw a post that said that if professors/universities don't want students to use generative AI, then college should be totally redesigned so as to be "sustainable for the human body and mind."

Speaking as a college professor: I promise you, dear students, that your human bodies and minds are not inherently more frail and less capable than those of the generations who have gone before. Also, with love: if you are finding that college is not sustainable for your body and mind 1) you have options 2) you're quite possibly doing it wrong. There have been students boasting or complaining more or less accurately about losing sleep over education for literal millennia, and I know that some institutions and programs can promote a cult of suffering (just say no!) but I promise you that college is not inherently impossible.

Firstly: medical leave is totally a thing. Secondly: if you think you're "probably fine" without accommodations, talk to the relevant office about getting accommodations. Also, if you've had a rough semester (death in the family, mental or physical health crisis), your university may have policies on taking a grade of "incomplete" in the course, that allows you to complete work at a later date. It requires professorial sign-off, of course.

Also, long before you get to that level of strain: there are lots of underused support facilities on campus. Communication centers, writing centers, learning support centers (formerly known as 'tutoring'): all of these are great resources. So are the friendly librarians yearning to help you learn to do research more efficiently.

And of course, not least: your professors are a resource, not The Enemy. Shocking, I know. It may also be worth mentioning that, contrary to Tumblr lore, there is a vast field of research centered on accessible pedagogy, and a lot of faculty really committed to it.

for any address to twitter you can replace the “x.com” with “nitter.net” and you will be able to browse as if you have an account. Lifesaver.

Finally finished 🤗🤙📸📸📸😋😋😋