But, I think we as teachers need to accept our fair share of the blame for
declining standards.
Students are being passed along without learning anything. I could go into
a great diatribe, but I'll try to refrain. Just some anecdotal evidence to
support my position:
Student A has made 30's on three straight tests. He asks me if he can do a
bulliten board to bring his grade up to a C.
Student B says, "I'm failing. What are you going to do to get me a passing
grade?"
Student C makes a B in every year of High School math, including
trigonometry. This student plaecs into developmental mathematics in college.
Student D tells me, "I don't have to know the quadratic formula. I have a
program on my calculator that gives me the answer." When I point out, among
other things, that the program gives wrong answers, the student replies, "It
can't. If my calculator says it, it must be right."
Student E takes AP calculus in High School. He makes a 1 on the AP exam.
He, by an articulation agreement between our community college and the local
school district, places directly into my calculus class. He makes a 12 and
a 7 on the first two exams. He withdraws. I do a little research. He was
in an AP calculus class with 6 students. The grades they made on the AP
exam were five 1's and one 2. All six students had a final average of 95 or
higher in the course.
I could go on and on. But, until we as teachers stand up and say, "A
transcript is almost sacred to a teacher. The grade on that transcript
means something. I will not put a grade on a transcript that I do not
think, in my professional opinion, most accurately reflects your knowledge
of the course."
One last comment: Lest anyone think I'm pointing the finger at high school
teachers alone, I'm not. I'm sick and tired of teachers telling me how ill
prepared they are when they come into the class. And how poor their study
habits are. How how little effort they put forth. (And how vividly they
state their opinion of the students' intelligence.) But, when the end of
the semester comes, these very same students make A's and B's. When I ask
the teacher to explain, the answer is usually something like, "Well, if I
held them to a reasonable standard they'd all fail."
Folks, where there is no possibility of failure, there is no chance of success.
I'll climb back down off my soap box now. Thanks for letting me vent. :-)
Bret Taylor "It matters not the subject taught,
Lake-Sumter Community College nor all the books on all the shelves.
Leesburg, FL What matters more, yes most of all,
John 3:3^3+3 is what the teachers are themselves."
John Wooden
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