What crimes have we committed lately? I do not mean crimes against the laws of the nation, but rather crimes against our students. There is no criminal intent in these acts; they are crimes of thoughtlessness, laziness and omission. Not crimes of passion, these are instead crimes resulting from an absence of compassion. Many are minor crimes: -Procrastinating about grading papers. -Blaming administrators when we could solve at least some of the problems ourselves. -Failing to keep up with

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... es in biology. (It's easier to use last year's lesson plan.) -Allowing ourselves to be distracted, and thus using our precious class time for nonbiological topics. -Assigning busywork. -Worrying about what the students will do to the equipment instead of what the equipment can do for the students. -Not incorporating living organisms into lessons because they are a nuisance to maintain. -Spending more preparation and class time on what we know and like best and slighting other topics. (Could this be the reason why most students arrive at college with little knowledge of, or enthusiasm for botany and microbiology?) -Resisting change merely because it takes effort to change. -Encouraging memorization instead of stressing understanding. These minor crimes are common, and we need to work to avoid them. But what are the major crimes? They