This week we discussed the problem of grade inflation which seems to be an issue in some universities. We discussed the idea of capping "A"s at 35%. I disagreed with this idea for so many reasons. I think a teacher's goal should be for all of her students to receive "A"s. It is not necessarily for the sake of the grade, but because of what the "A" signifies, mastery of the material. As my professor and other students were quick to point out...of course...it's unrealistic to expect all students to achieve "A"s: But what sort of a professional only shoots for a 35% success rate? How many sales people are happy when they achieve 35% of their daily sales goals? How many surgeons are happy when they only save 35% of their patients? The goal should always be 100%, in whatever one does, yet understand that it is not a failure when less is achieved. I think we must always strive for 100% and learn from the instances when we fall short of that. I have been teaching for many years; this gives me a bittersweet vantage point of seeing successes and also seeing my failures. The longer I teach, the more I realize I could/should have done last semester, last year, etc... If I was only shooting for 35% mastery by my students, I might not still be striving to be better for all those students I will work with in the future. Like I said, it's not about the grade, it's about helping students develop skills that they need, both now and in the future. Furthermore, if we only strive for 35% mastery by our students, in the skills that are supposedly necessary for a successful life, then what is going to become of our society?
I know a young man named Tyler, who at the young age of 19, is currently a leader in youth mental health advocacy in NC. As a child he certainly did not appear to be a student likely to achieve mastery on any subject. Many of his teachers supported him and recognized his family struggles but it was not until 5th grade that someone finally told him that they expected more than just Cs from him. The teacher told him that he might be able to skate by with Cs now, but in the future it would negatively impact him. The teacher told him he was capable of much more and she expected to see it. Tyler said at a presentation at NC State that he was overwhelmed with emotion because no one ever told him that he was capable of excellence. He now questions why it took until 5th grade for a teacher to tell him that he was capable of more than just Cs.
I wonder, were all those other teachers just willing to accept the notion that only 35% of their students would achieve mastery? Why was Tyler's 5th grade teacher different?
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This post doesn't really relate to life in Prague...but I was reminded of this class discussion over the weekend when I saw a woman in Paris walking around with a heavy scarf wrapped all around her head with only her eyes peering out. France recently outlawed burkas in their country. While they may believe burkas are bad for female empowerment and French national identity, I wondered if the law makers ever thought about the women who wear burkas in France. A change in law doesn't make the women's beliefs change or that of their families...so now they are forced to wear scarves wrapped all around their heads...which looks really hot in the summer. These poor women are trapped between two opposing worlds, I wonder, did anyone ever ask them what they want?
And this made me think of the creation of policies that seem good on paper but that do not necessarily positively impact the intended recipients of the policy....which reminded me of the 35% grading cap policy...
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