Thursday, November 29, 2007

Faux deep thought of the day

Professors are clearly in the business of rating students by issuing grades. So does the success of Rate Your Students suggest that grades are a flawed way of rating suitability and success of a student?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Professors don't rate students by giving grades. The grades I give students are entirely about the work they do in my class.

Some of my favorite students have been among my weakest, in part because I see myself in them at that age. They work hard, but the work is barely passing. On the other hand, smart kids who've had a lot of advantages in high school come in to my class with bad work habits but a strong background. They do well on their work, despite the fact that they are annoying, grade-grubbing, and all the rest. They earn A's, despite what I actually think of them, despite how I would rate them as a student.

I prefer students who are a challenge, who question me, who push me to do a better job. Students who are mute, mellow, arrogant, or disengaged are missing the point of college, and it never fails to annoy me.