May 23 2008
Is any student entitled to an “A”?
At the end of almost every term, at least one student argues that they deserve an “A,” even when his/her scores did not meet that standard. Quite often, they just missed it with an “A-” or a “B+.”
One of the biggest pet peeves for an instructor is to hear a student say, “But I’m a straight-A student. I always get A’s.”
However, just because you’ve gotten A’s before does not mean you’re simply entitled to get an A every time. Each term is a new proving ground. An instructor is not influenced by your past grades.
Should “C” students be locked into “C” grades?
Consider this scenario: If you once received a “C” in a recent course, do you then expect to receive a “C” in another course even if you scored higher? That would be absurd. You want the chance to show that you can do better.
It is equally unfair to grant you an “A” just because you achieved that high score in the past.
It is great that some students are ambitious and strive for a stellar grade point average. However, it goes against the spirit of learning to expect a grade for anything other than your performance in a particular class.
