The Grades That Shouldn't Be
Shawn Sterling
Issue date: 2/1/10 Section: Opinion
From students handing in last minute work to grading final exams, it's obvious that teachers have a heavy load when semesters draw to a close. It's expected that teachers will grade the papers accordingly and efficiently so that the final grade can be calculated and presented to a student's transcript immediately. With that being said, it seems that those in charge of the grade reporting process decided to turn up the heat on the teachers who already have enough to on their plate when finals week shows itself.
Recent policy put in place demands the teachers report all of their grades by a certain time and date. With papers and exams that need to be graded and addressed accordingly, it gives teachers very little room to maneuver as well as very little time to complete the task. If the grades are not reported by the teacher before a certain time of date, the consequence results in the school failing not just those who failed the class in general but all who attended the class. Sounds unfair to those who worked to get the grade they deserve. It also applies amazing amounts of pressure upon teachers to not only grade the papers correctly and efficiently, it also forces them to set a thin timeline for those trying to get in all of that last minute work. You say "well they should have done the work to begin with." That is definitely a valid point; however life always has its way with a person which in turn causes them to miss assigned work. With this rule set in place, it gives teachers no leeway in terms of accommodating those who need just a little more time to get their stuff in.
Now I understand the schools position that they are just trying to motivate the unmotivated when it comes to getting everything graded and recorded. With that being said, like students with their studies, teachers need a fair amount of time to correct papers justifiably. It's one thing to be proficient at grading while other teachers may procrastinate or apply less than ideal amounts of time to the task. From the teachers and students who have spoken about this and who shall remain nameless, the rule is if anything, a motivator to get everything on the books. Some teachers I spoke to felt that it didn't bother their grading habits, while others suggested that it's too tight in terms of time allotted to get everything graded and recorded effectively. One teacher noted that through political-like maneuvers, one can have their grade amended and corrected.
The name of the game in college is to make sure you're ahead of the game. From producing assignments, to testing effectively, time management is crucial to making sure that you'll get it right. You can work all semester for that A and achieve it, yet you got to make sure that your teachers care about time management the same way you did in producing quality of work. Their quality of work rests within the grades they distribute, and once recorded on the transcript, the grades reflect the performance through your college years. The rule gives teachers a motivating factor and students one more thing to lose sleep over.
Recent policy put in place demands the teachers report all of their grades by a certain time and date. With papers and exams that need to be graded and addressed accordingly, it gives teachers very little room to maneuver as well as very little time to complete the task. If the grades are not reported by the teacher before a certain time of date, the consequence results in the school failing not just those who failed the class in general but all who attended the class. Sounds unfair to those who worked to get the grade they deserve. It also applies amazing amounts of pressure upon teachers to not only grade the papers correctly and efficiently, it also forces them to set a thin timeline for those trying to get in all of that last minute work. You say "well they should have done the work to begin with." That is definitely a valid point; however life always has its way with a person which in turn causes them to miss assigned work. With this rule set in place, it gives teachers no leeway in terms of accommodating those who need just a little more time to get their stuff in.
Now I understand the schools position that they are just trying to motivate the unmotivated when it comes to getting everything graded and recorded. With that being said, like students with their studies, teachers need a fair amount of time to correct papers justifiably. It's one thing to be proficient at grading while other teachers may procrastinate or apply less than ideal amounts of time to the task. From the teachers and students who have spoken about this and who shall remain nameless, the rule is if anything, a motivator to get everything on the books. Some teachers I spoke to felt that it didn't bother their grading habits, while others suggested that it's too tight in terms of time allotted to get everything graded and recorded effectively. One teacher noted that through political-like maneuvers, one can have their grade amended and corrected.
The name of the game in college is to make sure you're ahead of the game. From producing assignments, to testing effectively, time management is crucial to making sure that you'll get it right. You can work all semester for that A and achieve it, yet you got to make sure that your teachers care about time management the same way you did in producing quality of work. Their quality of work rests within the grades they distribute, and once recorded on the transcript, the grades reflect the performance through your college years. The rule gives teachers a motivating factor and students one more thing to lose sleep over.
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