Wednesday, December 12, 2012

The "Can we meet to talk about my grade" Miracle

It started as most post-exam conversations with students usually start, with  Eager Elisa waiting until everyone else had left the room to ask to "talk about my grade on the final exam." Because I had another final exam in 15 minutes, I told her I probably couldn't chat for very long, but would do anything I could to avoid her be happy to make an appointment for a later time to come in when I didn't have to come in because it's finals week and we don't have regular office hours, but sure, if she really wanted to discuss her grade, I'd be happy to make an appointment for say, "Tomorrow at 7:30 a.m.?"

Eager Elisa quickly declined the 7:30 a.m. appointment time, but then asked when I would have the final exams graded. I responded, "I'll grade half of them during the next final exam and the other half tomorrow." She asked if I would be willing to grade hers and let her know her grade as soon as I could. In a hurry to leave, I nodded.

Because I had acquiesced to her request, even though I knew it was a bad idea and that I'd awaken to find an email about how she's not a C student and is there anything she can do to improve her grade, I emailed her the grade: 72%.

Her response to me: 

"Dear Dr. Cynic, thank you for being so kind to email me so I know how I did. I was so sure I'd failed and am so grateful that I didn't fail because I didn't blow it off like I did with the midterm. I know it was presumptuous of me to ask that you grade my exam soon and let me know the grade, but I was so worried that I'd failed since I got a D- on the midterm. Please know that your email was the best Christmas gift I could ask for. I would still like to meet with you, but will stop by during office hours next year to thank you in person for your kindness. Sincerely, Eager Elisa."

And that, dear folks, is my miracle of the year. The fact that this happens so rarely now that I was astounded shows how far our students have fallen. But for today, just today, I'm basking in this miracle.


12 comments:

  1. I'd sooner believe in Santa himself than imagine this happening to me.

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  2. Wow! Print this out and frame it for whenever you get depressed at all of the other snowflakes!

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  3. Nice! I had similarly good exchanges with students this week; one even thanked me for all my help and for a great semester--after I told him he'd failed my class. And he took full responsibility for failing. Wonders never cease.

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  4. Dear Cynic, that's lovely! Thanks for sharing this--it brightened my day.

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  5. Yay Cynic! Thanks for telling us about this! there really are some very sincere students out there.

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  6. I have sent e-mails to students who have inquired about their final exam and final grade, knowing full well that I was going to get a response begging for a better grade. Sometimes, I receive a response that simply says, "Thanks. Have a nice break!"
    I always feel so relieved.

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  7. Wow... a whole fucking flock of angles just got their wings.

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    1. Drink spew on the "angles" there b/c it's so true! :)

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    2. yeah, any old bell can give an angel wings... it takes something really special to give wings to an angle.

      Immortalized in the song "Hark! Harold the Angle's Sine"

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  8. This behavior is not all that rare among non-trads, at least in the crowd I generally teach, mostly military and their families.

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  9. Glorioski!

    (though a part of me wonders just how you got that message from the land that existed prior to email...)

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