I was looking at my grades and I noticed that two of my quiz scores are missing, but I was there and took the quizzes. The points from those quizzes would raise my grade from a D to a C. Could you please correct this ASAP?Thank you,
Four Time Loser
Dear Mr. Loser,
The final was last Friday, and just now you notice that your two quiz scores, from the beginning of the quarter, are missing? What took you so long?Angry Professor
I see that you are a graduating senior. If I'm not mistaken, you must earn a C or better in my class to walk the stage. My, this is quite a pickle for you, isn't it? Wouldn't it be nice if we really did lose two of your quizzes?
Here's the problem with that scenario: My TAs graded the quizzes in class, during lecture, on the same day as the quiz. By the time lecture was over, everyone's quizzes were graded, alphabetized, and the scores were posted twenty minutes later. There was no opportunity for any quizzes to mysteriously go missing on a careless instructor's desk. Furthermore, these same TAs have been working with me for a full year and have never lost anything, not even a postit note. You are going to have to come up with a story that explains not only how the TAs lost a single quiz, but how they managed to lose two, in the same quarter, for the same person.
And here's another little problem: for each day we had a quiz in class, I gave a second pop quiz at the end of lecture. You were not present for any of these pop quizzes. Your story will also have to explain this.
You are not graduating this quarter. Perhaps, given that you knew you were graduating, and that this was your fourth time in my class, you should have attended a lecture or two. Your slacker skillz didn't work the last three times in my class; what made you think maybe they'd work this time?
Go away. You bother me.
14 comments:
AP, I [heart] you.
Thanks for making those college diplomas actually mean something.
I'm with Miss Kitty -- if your students had half of your critical thinking skills you wouldn't get these e-mails.
You really should've sent this. Did you?
-AB
AB - No, I didn't. I'm waiting for him to come see me and to try to pull this off face-to-face.
Will we get to see the video of the meeting? The student's face will be fuzzed out to protect the stupid.
I had a professor who used to share stuff like this sometimes in class and had a very similier attitude....I loved her.
Theres nothing worse to a student who does work hard....then to see the one that never goes to class or does any work at all getting a free pass at the end because a prof bought some lame story.
Its extremely irritating.
AP, I have been reading your blog for over a year now, and having read this post, I actually feel the need to apologize on behalf of all those "students" who try to get crap like this past you. I graduated on Monday, having worked very hard to earn my diploma and never once having asked for a favour from any prof. I was incredibly annoyed to see students at that ceremony who lied, cheated, and slacked off, and who nevertheless were handed the same diploma that I got. I wish that there were more APs in the higher education system. Kudos to you; the real students love you.
-Jane
Firm but fair is definitely the way to be - certainly seems to be more respect for those sort of lecturers.
AP,
Love that error correction routine you have built into your process. Pop quizzes after scheduled quizzes. Sheer genius.
I'm waiting for him to come see me and to try to pull this off face-to-face
Please post an update - after seeing professors give in to whiney slackers far too many times, it's extremely satisfying to hear stories from professors who refuse to stand for bullshit.
Well, sorry, looks to be an anticlimax. I wandered over to the advising office yesterday afternoon to tell them what happened, and I was informed (probably in violation of a dozen FERPA laws) that Mr. Loser's D in my class is the highest grade he earned this quarter. So I don't think this interesting showdown is going to happen.
Too bad. I had some snark to unload.
I ditto Jane.
I find this hard to understand in the first place; on my course, if you fail an exam twice (you can only take the module once), then they reccommend that your place on the degree course is terminated (i.e. you have to leave uni).
How can someone take a module four times? (Is it a funding difference?)
At the university I just graduated from you were only allowed to take a course 3 times.....if you failed it the third time you were weren't allowed to take it again.
Post a Comment