<p>My daughter recently got her final semester grades (she’s a senior). In one class she was given a lower grade (B) than she earned (A). When she asked her teacher why, he told her it was done to teach her she shouldn’t care so much about grades. Their “conversation” was conducted via email, so she has proof of what he said. </p>
<p>My daughter graduated last weekend and is getting geared up for college. She doesn’t know what to do, and feels very sad and betrayed, though not as surprised as you might think! Apparently this teacher is known for being a bit strange. </p>
<p>Giving her a grade lower than she earned seems wrong to me, even if it doesn’t “matter” anymore. Isn’t it his job to teach the subject matter and grade her work accordingly? Any ideas?</p>
I think I’d forward the mail to the principal. While it makes no difference to a graduating senior it might make some difference down the line to some other student. The principal should know about this. She can tell the principal she doesn’t care if her grade isn’t changed, but she thought he ought to be aware of this. Sometimes it takes a build up of questionable things like this before you can get rid of a bad teacher.</p>
<p>You daughter may still need her HS transcript as she applies for internships or jobs next summer.
I agree with mathmom…if nothing else, by getting the grade corrected you will protect other students in next year’s class.</p>
<p>My AP lit teacher basically did the same thing to us. He made our final exam (which was basically our entire 4th quarter, and therefore semester) a graded class discussion in which everyone got the same grade. Our class got a B, which meant that EVERYONE got a B for the class.</p>
<p>I happen to agree with MathMom in principle. But I’d opt for the “request this erroneous grade be corrected” approach. If the teacher refuses to change the grade from B to A, then it opens the matter for discussion with the principal. That way you don’t have to rely on the email exchange, which frankly leaves the OP’s D open to the charge that she misunderstood what the teacher was saying in the emails.</p>
<p>Frankly I think I, as a parent, might want to find out why the teacher felt my child was a grade grubber or whatever the teacher meant by the comment you inferred from what you know. I’d also want to read the actual e-mails back and forth. If I felt that after listening to what the teacher said, reading the actual e-mails, then I might (or might not) feel compelled to talk to the principal. Who knows what the teacher was thinking but I tend to think that the majority of teachers are not “baseless” in their grading criteria…they really can’t be. I know that one of my kids had teachers who gave a bump to kids who participated in discussions and contributed during classes over kids who came to class, took the tests, but did not contribute. This was spelled out in the syllabus at the beginning of the semester, too. You might review the syllabus for the class also just to ensure that your daughter qualified with all the teacher spelled out in the syllabus before you elevate the situation. It’s also possible that she argued over every point that was deducted on an essay or something and got hit with a “pain in the butt” factor - although I don’t think teachers ought to do that even though it’s human nature. Some people get downright passive agressive. I have a son who gets alittle argumentative about grades and we’ve had to address that throughout his schooling (this began as early as elementary school). I’ve had to work really hard with him on that rather irritating trait and try to steer him when it is “good” to be competitive and pushy and when he needs to listen and learn what is really being told to him and also make the teacher believe he really is “listening”. Which is an equally good skill to being agressive about something you care about.</p>
<p>How you decide to respond to this will also be instructive for your D. If she’s “getting geared up” for college and is happy enough, you might consider just moving on and not spending your energy and time on it. Just a thought.</p>
<p>I don’t understand how this teaches a lesson that you shouldn’t care about grades. If it’s not too much work, things like this should be reported, though.</p>
<p>Not his job to 1.) evaluate whether she cared “so much” about grades; 2.) teach her not to. What a fool.</p>
<p>Were I in your shoes, I’d ask her if you can look at the emails. If she can get further clarification from the teacher about the grade she *earned<a href=“scores%20on%20homework,%20tests,%20projects,%20etc.,%20this%20assuming%20it’s%20not%20already%20perfectly%20clear%20she%20should%20have%20received%20an%20A”>/i</a>, and/or if there are online records you can access and print out, I’d have her pursue getting clarification/printing out the scores.</p>
<p>And then yes, ask that the grade be changed, in email, and then yes, bring it to the principal’s attention if the grade is not changed (or maybe even if it is).</p>
<p>Not because she “needs” the grade, but because this is simply unfair. It’s unfair to your daughter, and if the teacher has done it before and may again, it’s unfair to other students.</p>
<p>(Yeah, yeah, before anyone goes there, I know life isn’t fair, but that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t be.)</p>
<p>[snark on] The teacher thinks he’s teaching her not to care about grades – what a fine lesson to want to impart on a student before she goes off to college! [snark off]</p>
<p>After further discussions with my daughter, a couple of fellow parents, and a school board member/friend, it would seem the teacher in question is a bit of a renegade at the high school, but his students typically do very well on the AP exam so historically he has been given a wide berth by the administration. He teaches a foreign language. </p>
<p>In class, this teacher feels entitled to lecture and instruct his students on things quite off-topic, even going so far as to criticize their parents and their occupations, blaming them and large corporations for “the downfall of western civilization”. In his own mind, I think he believes he is either broadening their perspectives or trying to prompt dialogue. He has made students cry on many occassions, and in my opinion, has crossed the line of propriety with several of his comments. </p>
<p>Yes, my daughter cares a great deal about her grades, but does not complain, argue or nit-pick. She works hard and does well. I don’t think it’s his role to try and change her work ethic. Furthermore, one undeserved grade will not achieve that objective! It’s certaintly not the way she had hoped to end her high school career, and feels very sad that he felt the need to bring her down at this juncture. She truly thought he respected her efforts and accomplishments. She did all he asked of her to the very best of her ability. According to him, that should be enough, and “the grade shouldn’t matter. In a few years from now, none of your grades will matter.” (His quotes to her.)</p>
<p>Part of me feels like mom in virginia: just let it go and don’t sweat it, but part of me feels it is just not right. My daughter is of the same split mind. It would seem the administration has tolerated him for years. Would or could they do anything now?</p>
<p>Yes, I have a print-out of her scores on all the assignments. He does not dispute the objective, numerical grade. He admits she earned one grade “on paper” but he gave her a lower one. Apparently he feels that is his right. Can a principal override a grade given by a teacher?</p>
<p>I actually have the opposite opinion. I would start with asking if there is a clearly defined scheme for calculating the grade? If yes, then I do not see how the teacher could lower the grade. It is just technically impossible. Most probably, there is a grade component that is oficially determined by the teacher (variations of “class participation”, usually about 20% of the grade)But in this case your daughter should not be able to claim that she “earned an A”.
As for “caring too much about grades” - I really hope that thiis does NOT refer to your daughter. And that she really earned an A. And that the teaches is just doing something weird. But it is possible that the teacher tried to give her a message with a good intention. Some students think that they should always fight for the grade and overdo it to the extent that they actually get the opposite result. </p>
<p>Have you ever graded an exam (not multiple choice)? This is how it works. Say, there are 15 guestions. The student writes answers. Not exactly right, not totally wrong. Called “partial credit”. To give 5 or 6 out of 10? Either will do. The teacher grades ALL TESTS the same way trying to be fair. Then 9 students accept their grades. And the 10th comes and demands a 6 instead of every 5. Some argue, some cry, some threaten, some just return 15 times. Eventually the student gets the 6s he asked for. And he does it for everything throughout the whole semester. I knew a girl who acknowledged that she managed as she put it “to scwease out” at least 1 point on every test on every course she took in college (a pre-med, as you can guess). These points accumulate and can make a difference between an A and B, but are they really EARNED? Some professors will let it be. Others will try to be fair. And they have two options: spend an hour arguing about every point (very time consuming). Or they will “fix” the grade on the next test (one can always find a reason to take-off points). And the resulting grade may end up being even lower that what the student would earn if he never fought for the grade. </p>
<p>As for the E-mail: it all depends upon the exact wording. If the teacher had points he awarded at his discretion he cannot be forced to give them.</p>
<p>Did you specifically ask the teacher to change the grade? If yes, definitely go to the principal; the principal can probably ask the teacher to change the grade</p>
<p>Wow.
At my D’s school, the grading policy is clearly stated in the course catalog (something like 93-100% is an A or 4.0, 90-93% A- or 3.7, etc.). Is there a school-wide grading policy at your D’s HS?</p>
<p>My daughter didn’t ask him to change the grade; she asked for an explanation of it. I think she was stunned by his answer, and that is where she left it.</p>
<p>I think most principals probably can. And they certainly can reprimand the teacher, which I think should be done in this case. I like the line about reducing the teacher’s salary. She’s out of the school, it’s not like the teacher can do anything further to her at this juncture, but he may be less inclined to pull shenanigans like this in the future.</p>