literarydiscussions.myfreeforum.org

Sitaram · Site Admin Joined: 14 Sep 2005 Posts: 1079

Sitaram: I spend a lot of time posting at http://www.thebookforum.com/forums ... it is a fairly active message board of people older than college age

Sitaram: i hope you are not offended by PM

Teacher: No, but I am not overjoyed either, when they are from strangers

Sitaram: how can you ever make a friend, if you hesitate to talk with
strangers...
Sitaram: besides, if you want to read everything I have written over the
past 8 years, it is posted at a message board.... and you would know me
very well

Teacher: do you realize how many people live in the world? You should
try to get to know people in a chat room, before expecting them to have a
private conversation with you

Sitaram: 6 billion

Teacher: precisely

Sitaram: but... look at the trash that is posted in a chat room...

Teacher: at this particular moment - not always

Sitaram: it is sad to see such posts, and feel that so many people have
wasted their education.... since they find nothing better to talk of

Sitaram: i have been in these chat rooms for 8 years.... most of what i
see is worthless.... to be quite honest...

Teacher: ah, I am a newbie, but i have managed to find wonderful people
- who do not come here often, true

Sitaram: thats why i look for the one or two who might be serious, and
speak in PM... often they are lurkers who remain silent...

Teacher: but how do you know they are not just weirdoes

Sitaram: well, if you went to my message board, and read everything I
have written for 8 years.. you would know that i am quite serious... and
not a weirdo

Sitaram: and as for me meeting weirdoes.... life is a series of risks....
risk nothing, you lose nothing, but you gain nothing either

Teacher: yes, I have opened your site, I am trying to see what is what

Sitaram: Psychologist Alfred Adler, in "What Life Could Mean for You",
said, "The mistake many people make in life is not taking enough risks"

Sitaram: i post under the name Sitaram
Sitaram: so... you will see some of my posts there from today at
http://www.thebookforum.com/forums

Teacher: Risk taking online??? LOL

Sitaram: or... you can go to http://www.literarydiscussions.myfreeforum.org and that is my own message board
Sitaram: and , I have not said ASL or BUZZ! once, so I must be rather
saintly
Sitaram: (that is a joke)
Teacher: lol, but then, you ARE Indian
Teacher: http://www.literarydiscussions.myfreeforum.org/
Sitaram: no... i am ninth generation American, of Dutch/German ancestry
Teacher: there is no such thing
Teacher: I mean the link does not open
Sitaram: hmmm... let me check
Teacher: I opened it, it seems there had been a spelling mistake
Sitaram: http://literarydiscussions.myfreeforum.org/index.php
Teacher: why the Indian-sounding name?

Sitaram: well... i spent some years at a Guyanese Hindu Mandir (temple)... and I chose that as my pen name...

Sitaram: so I write everything under that name...

Sitaram: and i do not give out my real name... not a good idea on the internet.... nor do i ask anyone their name

Teacher: well, there must be hundred of thousands of David-s.
Teacher: I would not dream of asking about your real identity

Sitaram: you would be surprised how many people demand that

Teacher: perhaps, but out of naivete, rather than real interest

Sitaram: for example... i took a great interest in Annie Proulx, especially the short story and movie "Brokeback Mountain"

Sitaram: and I joined http://www.ennisjack.com which is devoted to the movie (but will tolerate discussions of the short story)

Teacher: You offer HOMWORK help??? lol

Sitaram: sure.. that is a big deal at http://www.online-literature.com/forums

Sitaram: which is another very active site

Sitaram: i have helped a lot of people, especially masters/PhD students of English in mainland china

Sitaram: most sites ridicule students who ask for help

Teacher: well, I am a teacher, and I disdain ANY homework help - if I catch my students comsuming come, they repeat the year
Teacher: some

Sitaram: but, some people really need something to get them going

Sitaram: so... then they will come to me, and not you... and my help will
not be cheating, but will show them how to do it on their own...

Sitaram: but, as you see... my board is not very active... so no one
comes flocking
Teacher: that's good
Sitaram: if help is wrong... then what is the function of a teacher? (a fair
question)
Teacher: they should come to the teacher, and ask for help - they will
receive it - and not come with ready-made conveyor-belt essays

Sitaram: i never said anything about "conveyor belt essays"

Sitaram: A college student in India wanted help on Kant's Critique... so...
we had a discussion on line... and I showed him how to use search
engines more effectively
Sitaram: and it was for his own interest, not a course.... (you see,
"student" and "study" can also apply to non academic situations)

Sitaram: people in academia easily lose sight of that aspect of learning

Sitaram: everything is quid pro quo, for the sake of a grade

Sitaram: and a grade for the sake of some degree or certification

Sitaram: and the piece of paper for the sake of money

Teacher: sure, but what are you trying to say?

Sitaram: hmmm.... well.. it just now occurs to me that your every move
so far has been negative.... you demur to meet strangers... you question
my name and ethnicity... you visit my site, and instead of choosing
something positive,... you seize upon the first thing that you might criticize

Sitaram: is that a good example for your students... yet surely you must
communicate some of that negativity

Teacher: no, not really

Teacher: I am just doing something else - this is a side diversion

Sitaram: so, anyway, you have my link, so you can read some of the
things I have written, and you can discuss them if you like, or challenge
them if you like, or ridicule them, if you like... or you can even join and
post your own essays and ideas, if you like... or you can ignore me as
one of those "weirdoes"

Teacher: sure - doesn't it go without saying? Why do you take it
personally?

Sitaram: frankly, I am taking the risk of trying to help you, by showing
you something about yourself that perhaps you do not see,... the risk is
that you shall take offense, and the reward is that you will think about my
words, and take it to heart, and learn something new, and perhaps benefit
not only yourself, but also many students to come in your teaching
career

Teacher: lololol

Teacher: HELP me?

Sitaram: I take nothing "personally", i have experienced it all, even the
death threats.... I am being very personal with you, but you project that
as my taking it personally

Teacher: Please, leave me alone. You know NOTHING about me

Sitaram: you see, you find the very thought that you are lacking in some
fashion to be incredible

Teacher: Are you some sort of a crazed preacher?

Teacher: I am lacking in many fashions, but I do not need online
panhandlers to help me

Teacher: find some more responsive customer

Sitaram: aha, you see, i did not insult you, or attack you in an ad
hominem fashion.... I merely held up to you your own words and actions

Teacher: Look, I am bored, and busy

Teacher: Leave me alone

Sitaram: ok...bye

Teacher: Of course, I am aware of the Ignore button, but I hate to use it

Teacher: Bye, and good luck

Sitaram: remember, YOU are the one who directed the topics of this
conversation... you might have chosen to discuss something entirely different

Teacher: whatever

SFG75 · Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 1:56 pm Post subject:

Just some initial thoughts, I had to come back and read it again just to
make certain that I didn't miss anything that I overlooked before. To me,
there appeared to be an undercurrent of misunderstanding on his part
about your site. He's thinking that you are offering free essays and
answers, something that is widespread and that a lot of kids know about.
However, knowing your site, and by your good answer, that obviously
isn't the case. Directing students(from high school to doctoral students) to
websites or reviews isn't *cheating* in any way. Neither is helping them
get more focused results on search engines and that type of thing. If any
student comes here to get *the answer* or *the paper* they will
undoubtedly leave disappointed.

I'm also quite miffed that he was in a chat room and didn't feel
comfortable....chatting. :roll: If he is that much afraid of weirdos or
predators, then why in the hell is in a chat room? If he's a teacher, he's
presumably old enough to handle himself and I doubt any person will find
out who he is through simple conversations and that kind of thing. If you
don't want to divulge who you are, then fine, don't divulge-just talk about
common interests and leave it at that. By talking about "risks," you were
referring to conversing with others online(though not stating where you
live, etc.) In his mind, taking "risks" is akin to meeting someone in a
hotel based on a chat room agreement or something like that. Once
again, I think it was a big misunderstanding, as well as being rather
defensive on his part and not knowing the nuances of chat rooms and the
net in general.

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