Today I had to deal with a grade challenge, but not the usual kind.Stu Dent came to see me because he thought I'd given him the wrong marks back because "I don't get A's." I actually had to go through the work and show Stu where he'd gotten an A, what about his work was better than his friends' work, and where he met the rubric, before he'd believe me that he had actually earned an A.
It was a refreshing change.
Teh awsum. Rock on, Grumpy.
ReplyDelete\m/ \m/
Well, you do have to wonder what someone did to HIS self-of-steam.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. I don't think much of "I'm an A student" as an identity, but the opposite isn't all much better.
DeleteOn the other hand, playing a role in changing a student's mindset from "I don't get As" to "I can get As" is pretty awesome. So, hurrah -- for the student, and for his making Grumpy's day/week/month.
What a lot of non Gen-Yers don't seem to realize is that a. we read the internet, too, and know what you guys think of us and b. not all of us bought into the participation award hype all of the time. The special, winner trophies were the ones that really mattered to us. We were separated into honors and AP classes, and those of us who didn't make it in believed we just weren't as good as those who did. Everyone always talks about our sense of entitlement, and maybe that's there in some ways, but it's not like we haven't been taken down a few notches many times before.
DeleteI actually had a similar situation, Grumpy.
ReplyDeleteAn older, returning -- last in school decades ago -- student worked diligently yet struggled to meet standards. I offered some flexibility (nothing I hadn't done in the past) and the student took the opportunity and returned, not great, but certainly improved work.
Final grades were posted and this student earned, again, a good, but not great grade. I received a message offering effusive praise and overflowing thanks to which I had to respond that the student actually earned the posted grade.
There are a few left who truly appreciate that they will get out what the put in.
I actually had a similar situation, Grumpy.
ReplyDeleteAn older, returning -- last in school decades ago -- student worked diligently yet struggled to meet standards. I offered some flexibility (nothing I hadn't done in the past) and the student took the opportunity and returned, not great, but certainly improved work.
Final grades were posted and this student earned, again, a good, but not great grade. I received a message offering effusive praise and overflowing thanks to which I had to respond that the student actually earned the posted grade.
There are a few left who truly appreciate that they will get out what the put in.