I have had plenty of fun and funny student interactions over the last couple of weeks, but grades were submitted and posted yesterday...and I can't think of a single funny thing anymore because I'm busy being The Most Relived Teacher at Sunny High.
So, the open letter:
Dear Students who Believe that a 79% Does Not Reflect Their Grade in This Course,
I must respectfully disagree. The average on those unit exams you took was a C-/D+. While other scores (fair-to-good ones) kept your overall grade at a B-, your final exam was a larger version of all those others. You earned a D+/C- on the final exam, even with a small curve*. I think this grade shows a mix of what you know and the skills you've been practicing. I'm going to buckle down and try to have more practice, since we all need it...but those definitions? You should know them cold. I'm sorry you didn't study enough. Matching? There's no matching on the AP exam -- that's all me -- and if you had gotten all of those correct, maybe you could have answered the AP-style multiple choice questions better.
I feel for you all, but I'm done taking the blame for it. I agonized, I fudged numbers, I cried, I sought advice. And now I'm going to have to let it go.
Somehow. Because I only get this weekend before I have to face you and try to break down the wall you've built -- the one made of my perceived evil intention of destroying your college career.
Oh, I'll talk to your parents. But that doesn't make me change anything. And, I'm sorry to say, it influences me. It creates a wall I have to get over in order to teach you again. I'm a human being, just like you.
Sincerely,
OKP
*What am I supposed to do? One student missed only two answers. How do you suppose that happened?
I want to feel better than I do...except that feeling resentful and put-upon does help me assuage my own staggering insecurities that I'm failing at this job. This is more C+ scores than I've had in years, and boy howdy that's going to hit the carpool and bunco night gossip mills. It would be easier to curve the final three more points so most of those 79 percents go away...I'm afraid of how tempting it is.
2 comments:
You are NOT failing at this job. They are whining. You should hang a sign in your room that says "Whining Free Zone: STFU" Because those kids won't stop until life hands them As on silver platters. Peeps need to study more. Learn more. Try harder. Peeps need to realize that they are not Jesus Einstein and either try harder or get out of AP classes.
I saw a cartoon set in the past which featured the caption "why are you failing?" and showed parents and teacher glowering at student. Next to it was a cartoon set in the present. The caption was the same but parents and student were glowering at the teacher... The pressure is becoming ridiculous.
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