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As of Tuesday, every single post Sarah Lynch has made on her HIST 0234: Modern Latin America Canvas discussion board has taken the form of a personal journal entry. Most entries submitted by Lynch begin “dear diary” and suggest a total lack of understanding of the academic nature of the website.
Sources report Sarah’s entries further indicate no attempt to connect their content to given prompts intended to get the class thinking about weekly readings.
“Last week, we were supposed to respond to articles on the topic of Bolsa Familia in Brazil, but Sarah just recounted her dad’s 50th birthday party at the planetarium,” reports fellow classmate, Dan Marks ’17. “Apparently her boyfriend never showed, and her aunt lost her FitBit.”
“I encouraged the students to bring in personal anecdotes and opinions,” admits Professor Heinrich. “But I meant as they related to readings. Sarah recently submitted a list of her favorite drugs in order instead of commenting substantively on new drug policies in Mexico. I sort of thought it was understood that’s not what I meant.”
In addition to sharing personal information via her own posts, Sarah has now taken to commenting on the responses of others in an attempt to connect their content to her own life. Connections have been reported tenuous. In response to a fellow classmate’s story about growing up with Colombian-American parents on the west side of Chicago, Sarah commented: “This anecdote reminds me of a time when I got stuck on a layover at O’hare due to weather and ended up missing a dinner reservation in Santa Fe.”
Some students acknowledge that they have enjoyed the window into Sarah’s world and the drama of her personal life.
“At first I tried to stop it,” sighs Professor Heinrich. “But ultimately I got as addicted as the rest of the class. I’m not proud of that. I think I have to pass her?”
