February 7, 2008
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What the worst day in a college teacher’s semester?
The day he/she hands back the first paper (or test).
Suddenly, students think he/she is out to get them.
When, all along, they were shown the rubric. Shown examples.
They were told what was expected, too. Repeatedly.
It’s not fun for us. To hand back a paper with a not-so-great-grade on it.
To see those sad eyes.
So disappointed in themselves or me or the class or the smashing their grade just got.
Yet, to put it in perspective, it’s 50 or 100 points out of 1000.
And… there have to be cut-off points:
Not every paper will receive an A whether it comes in on time or not,
an “A” doesn’t go to those papers that aren’t the required length, and
someone who cites his/herself has a better paper
than someone who’s “forgotten” to put in-text citations.
Students look at these items and think they are petty.
But, are they? They aren’t secrets; they’re in the rubric.p.s. Did anyone see US on T.V. last night? NDSCS = Highest spring enrollment in 5 years!
