If a teacher actually did this they are a first rate jerk. Presumably the student wanted to do extra work to get extra credit, not just have extra credit given to him.
What the world needs is more “first rate jerks” who will define and defend a standard instead of riding the wave of whatever idiotic trend is popular at the moment.
The kid wanted something for nothing and the teacher instead offered him a learning opportunity (or as they say today, a “teachable moment”).
Just a suggestion here. Get a teaching degree, enter the classroom and at the end of the year re-read this column. Then tell me if he is a jerk, or just completely in touch with reality.
>> If a teacher actually did this they are a first rate jerk.
Mike Adams is not a jerk of any rate.
Based on his past behavior, the professor knew better
There’s a marked difference between students who worked hard and are seeking grade improvement insofar as their results were insufficient, vs. students who just didn’t do the work and are looking for a quick way to pass (as opposed to learn).
Seems the “Kyle” above was the latter; this was explained in the OP.
When a student is the former, the instructor will often go to great lengths to accommodate (for one, I assigned “explain why the wrong (multiple-choice) answers on the final exam are in fact wrong” - and graded it whilst my wife was in labor).
At the end of every term, I get students in my office who want to persuade me to give them a higher grade...and what I mean by persuade is argue. Occasionally I will give them a chance to improve their grade. Only about 3-5% of the students who want a better grade are actually willing to work for it. Some turn in their additional work and then come back again to argue for more points (on the new work which is usually not good). I have a rubric for everything and will not budge. Next, they go to the dean or the president to complain about me. After that, they write an excoriating review of my class, my teaching style, and me. Oh, one more thing. About 10 minutes after anyone drops off late work or extra work, they start the calls and emails asking when I will meet with them again to go over their grade and additional work. They had a semester to meet with me, but wait until two days before the end of the term to actually meet with me.