What a horror show! Somehow, after individual conference, it had become more hideous than ever. In my head, I heard a cartoon girl crying:
Generously, I gave Timmy a D+ and provided ample written feedback, explaining exactly where the basket went wrong and which basketweaving principles he should attend to in the future. (As in, well, ALL of them.)
Timmy missed the next class, then returned, all hang-dog, twenty minutes late for the subsequent one.
After class, he approached me, crestfallen, to express his discouragement in the course:
Ouch, my head! There's a lot going on there. (Including stuff about how he had helped the kid next to him, and how could THAT kid have gotten a better grade than HE did?)
I explained the first assignment has learning curve. Students usually do better on subsequent baskets.
When he repeated for the fifth time, "I didn't expect an A, but a D+... I'm SO discouraged," I pulled out the syllabus and encouragingly noted that, hey, it's only 10% of his grade! Good times!
Timmy's expression changed. Staring me straight in the eye, he declared:
OMG, that's TOTALLY what it is. I'm so glad you figured that out! I was secretly testing you.Here's your A. Have a cookie, too. With green frosting. Wheeeeee!
"It's not easy being green
ReplyDeleteIt seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things/
And people tend to pass you over
'Cause you're not standing out
Like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky"
This is great! Completely! Thank you for brightening my Monday morning by sharing your misery. Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteHe can't hear you. He doesn't even see your lips moving. When you speak,he's busy preparing his next whine and it drowns you out entirely. His object is to get more than a D+, and anything you say that does not indicate that you are moving towards that goal is irrelevant data, discarded from his perceptual field.
ReplyDeleteIt's frightening sometimes.
Personally, I like blue. But I've been known to give As to well-crafted red baskets. 3-handled lopsided ones (or upside-down straw hats presented in the hope I will accept them as baskets), however, are another matter.
ReplyDelete