I had a professor who actually did something like this, way back in my college days.
He announced in the first class meeting that he wanted only students who were interested in the subject….
and he didn’t really believe in grades.
He was going to try an experiment with our class:
For next time, we were to bring him a piece of paper with our name on it, the grade we wanted for the semester, and the reason…. and he’d give it to us.
And after that, he said, the subject would be interesting, but the reading and attendance would both be voluntary.
I asked for an “A”…. my mama didn’t raise no idjits.
My reason was something like “I’m taking some difficult science classes this semester, and an A would probably improve my GPA.”
After that, a few of us attended almost every class…. it was interesting… we sat outdoors, as I recall, on nice days…. and brought snacks to share.
But you didn’t need an excuse to skip it.
Near the end of the semester he gave us a report on his experiment….
Of the something like 30 or 40 enrolled, fewer than a dozen had asked for "A"’s….
Most had asked for "B"’s, as I recall….. but quite a few for "C"s, because they thought that’s what they would deserve.
One girl had asked for a “D”….he said he’d figured out who she was, and stopped her after class to ask whether she understood the assignment….
She said she did, and that she’d asked for a “D” because she didn’t plan to work very hard, so it would be fair.
Only one student came to him a few weeks later and asked for a higher grade.
He gave everybody what they’d asked for.
There was no trouble with the university because it was almost a normal curve.
Amazing.
I’ve thought about it a lot of times over the years and I still can’t believe it.
♫She’s the one they call proctor feelgood! ♫♪ She’s the one who’ll pass you with all "A"s! ♪ She’s the one they call proctor feelgood. She’s the one to help you grad-u-ate! ♫♪
rekam Premium Member about 5 years ago
Where were you when I was taking geometry?
SusanSunshine Premium Member about 5 years ago
I had a professor who actually did something like this, way back in my college days.
He announced in the first class meeting that he wanted only students who were interested in the subject….
and he didn’t really believe in grades.
He was going to try an experiment with our class:
For next time, we were to bring him a piece of paper with our name on it, the grade we wanted for the semester, and the reason…. and he’d give it to us.
And after that, he said, the subject would be interesting, but the reading and attendance would both be voluntary.
I asked for an “A”…. my mama didn’t raise no idjits.
My reason was something like “I’m taking some difficult science classes this semester, and an A would probably improve my GPA.”
After that, a few of us attended almost every class…. it was interesting… we sat outdoors, as I recall, on nice days…. and brought snacks to share.
But you didn’t need an excuse to skip it.
Near the end of the semester he gave us a report on his experiment….
Of the something like 30 or 40 enrolled, fewer than a dozen had asked for "A"’s….
Most had asked for "B"’s, as I recall….. but quite a few for "C"s, because they thought that’s what they would deserve.
One girl had asked for a “D”….he said he’d figured out who she was, and stopped her after class to ask whether she understood the assignment….
She said she did, and that she’d asked for a “D” because she didn’t plan to work very hard, so it would be fair.
Only one student came to him a few weeks later and asked for a higher grade.
He gave everybody what they’d asked for.
There was no trouble with the university because it was almost a normal curve.
Amazing.
I’ve thought about it a lot of times over the years and I still can’t believe it.
I wonder what would happen today.
Chithing Premium Member about 5 years ago
♫She’s the one they call proctor feelgood! ♫♪ She’s the one who’ll pass you with all "A"s! ♪ She’s the one they call proctor feelgood. She’s the one to help you grad-u-ate! ♫♪
Cerabooge about 5 years ago
Except for the last sentence, I feel that that’s a good approach.
buckman-j about 5 years ago
Can Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin get this guys cell phone #
formathe about 5 years ago
Ontario school teacher.
davetb1956 about 5 years ago
Well in that case I would be tempted to just put my name on the paper and suggest it to the rest of the class.