Posted on 06/08/2005 6:23:13 AM PDT by jalisco555
It was the end of my first semester teaching journalism at American University. The students had left for winter break. As a rookie professor, I sat with trepidation in my office on a December day to electronically post my final grades.
My concern was more about completing the process correctly than anything else. It took an hour to compute and type in the grades for three classes, and then I hit "enter." That's when the trouble started.
In less than an hour, two students challenged me. Mind you, there had been no preset posting time. They had just been religiously checking the electronic bulletin board that many colleges now use.
"Why was I given a B as my final grade?" demanded a reporting student via e-mail. "Please respond ASAP, as I have never received a B during my career here at AU and it will surely lower my GPA."
I must say I was floored. Where did this kid get the audacity to so boldly challenge a professor? And why did he care so much? Did he really think a prospective employer was going to ask for his GPA?
I checked the grades I'd meticulously kept on the electronic blackboard. He'd missed three quizzes and gotten an 85 on two of the three main writing assignments. There was no way he was A material. I let the grade mar his GPA because he hadn't done the required work.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Ping.
j,
I don't live the life but did T.A. for 2 years at Big State U.
I was genuinely surprised, at first, of how much those students expected for so little effort. I flunked quite a few, some of whom actually cried.
To paraphrase Judge Smails, I flunked them not because I wanted to, but because I owed it to them.
it goes with the territory. i used to do the same thing. i setup grading policies that are as objective as possible, fully explain them to the class, and never, ever veer from them (make one exception, ya gotsta make exceptions fer all).
My favorite peeve is when daddy calls complaining about junior's grade. I tell parents that due to FERPA regulations, I cannot discuss the grade with them. they usually fume a bit, but I tell them that they need to discuss with junior.
people who don't do well in my classes usually know why...
Don't blame the students. Blame their allies, the administrators who want to fill the classrooms with more bodies by lowering standards.
We use a numerical grading system at my school. (I teach public school).
The well to do parents (doctors, lawyers, officials etc) are rabid about their children's grades. I have had calls at home, at night with parents complaining when I don't have my gradebook in front of me.
Of course, I am wrong, despite what the student handbook says about missing work, or the fact the student did not turn in their work because they were on a skiing holiday in Utah.
Do you show up late to work 15 minutes and beg your boss to let you have that 15 minutes back?
Like most things, the teacher is wrong despite what ponderence of evidence you have.
Got a B eh? Well "The world needs ditch diggers too" - Elihu Smails
Well, this explains why my hard-earned B+ average isnt getting me anywheres. I guess I should have chased after my profs for better marks instead of hitting the books more. Quicker results.
Get this: I had a new employer ask for my high school and its zip code a couple weeks ago.
I'm on the other side of 45 years old, I daresay with an impressive resume spanning 20 years.
My high school?
Maybe they were just checking your bona fides. There have been a number of well-publicized examples of resume fabrication lately, a serious offense unless you work for the University of Colorado.
John Watson, who teaches journalism ethics and communications law at American, has noticed another phenomenon: Many students, he says, believe that simply working hard -- though not necessarily doing excellent work -- entitles them to an A. "I can't tell you how many times I've heard a student dispute a grade, not on the basis of in-class performance," says Watson, "but on the basis of how hard they tried.I don't know why it's such a mystery where students would get this impression - all the programs at schools to promote 'self-esteem based on nothing other than self-esteem' might be a start.
I don't like some of the schools putting quotas on grades anymore than I like them giving unearned grades. You earn the grade you earn. It really should be simple. You earn an A you get one. If you don't, cry to someone who cares.
I don't have this kind of pressure, partly because I teach at a state college (where the students are not generally as used to A's and the tuition is more like $6,000 per year).
I still have complaints, mostly from students who have spaced out a paper (hint to students: read the syllabus!). I don't mind accepting late papers, because students are doing the work and are learning. But when they miss 2/3 of the classes for the semester and want a break, I dig in my heels.
It also helps to have a on-line service where grades are posted during the semester. If students are on the ball (sometimes a big if), they can check their progress and then ask about a paper they may not have yet completed.
I regularly have students lose 10% of their grade because they haven't done one paper, after repeated reminders. Too bad. As I said, many of these students are used to C's, and that's what they get. I don't give many A's, and each semester there are D's and F's for those who deserve it.
See, even Art Appreciation isn't easy if you don't do the work.
Ping.
Used to be that you could just tell them to take a hike. Do not known how it is now.
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