Taking the High Road
Quick Background
The following conversation pertains to my cm380 Theory and Process class. The class grade is determined by a total of 300 points, 100 points for an exam, 100 points for a paper, and 100 points for a final paper. I received 83/100 on the exam, and 86/100 for the first paper. In order to get a B- or higher in the class I would need to get no lower than a 71 on the final paper. Here’s what happened:
My initial email:
Hi Dr. xyz,
Not here to argue my grade ( how could I without seeing your comments 
) but I noticed that a 70 on the final paper gives me 239/300 (which is a 79.67, C+). If I remember correctly you said you do not do rounding up when it comes to final grades.
Just wanted to make sure before I start mentally hitting myself for choosing New Media Theory for my final paper (which I clearly struggled with)
Thanks again, and if I don’t see you again have a great summer,
AJ
The professor’s response:
Hi AJ,
Yes, it is true that I do not round up grades. You did seem to struggle quite a bit with the final assignment. The theory is a tough one. Your paper was very awkward and ended up reading as an application of the theory rather than an argument about it (exactly what I warned against in class). Since your grades had been rising (slightly, but still rising) over the semester, I had hoped to see a good finish from you.
You participated well during class and it seemed as though you learned quite a bit over the semester, so do not kick yourself too much for the choice of theory on the final paper. Not that it is any consolation, but there were folks who selected easier topics who did much worse.
I hope you have a good summer.
Sincerely,
Dr. xyz
My response
Thanks for the quick response.
My last question to you then is based on the grading of the final paper. Is a 70 set in stone? Is there no way to make a case for a grade of 71? If you graded the papers based on values of 5 (IE: 95,90,85 etc.) then I understand, and won’t bother you any further.
Thanks again for taking the time to respond,
AJ
Her response
None. 2 days without an email. It is at this point where I assume the conversation has ended.
Now what?
It is at this point where I was slightly tempted to send back a condescending email to my professor. Then I took a minute and realized that nothing good would come out of a sarcastic / negative email. I am going to wait to see my final grade, and no matter what grade I receive (most likely the C+) I will send my professor back and email thanking her for a great semester of academic learning.
What do you think of this approach? How would you handle the situation? Am I overreacting?
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May 7th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
I think you handled it better than I would have. Especially considering that you missed a B- by .33 points! I would be soooo upset.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Hi AJ –
For what it’s worth — and this is pretty cliche — with only one glaring exception, I have come to regret every sarcastic/condescending email (or note, yes, I’m old, and we wrote notes to our professors and stuck them on their doors when I was an undergrad) that I’ve ever written.
It might be worth considering that you don’t know her circumstances. To give you a short example, I employ quite a few freelance writers. A few years ago, one of my newest contractors sent in substandard work and we were in the middle of an email exchange about how to improve it when my mother had a brain hemorrhage. I had to rush home from Chicago to Florida. In the middle of all of this, I get an incredibly insulting and condescending email from the freelance writer because I had not responded to him in a timely manner. Needless to say, he never worked for me again and I went out of my way to forward his email to the colleague who had recommended him to me.
Sorry — didn’t mean to write you a book. I guess my bottomline is: if you do your best to send good out into the world, you might not always get good back in return. But if you send out meanness or pettiness (no matter how justified you feel), it will always come back on you.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
You’re right that only one point in one essay is actually quite a small deal. However, I totally understand the professor who has to grade fairly and can feel that it’s wrong to give away points like that.
Anyways, good luck with the B-!
May 7th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
If you really want to improve your grade in the class, ask her if you can rewrite the final paper, and tell her you want to meet with her to discuss the paper and see what she wanted. You might have to take an incomplete in the course in order to accomplish this, and she may not be willing.
Why haven’t you seen the comments–did she not return the papers?
May 7th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
@Bethany - I was upset at first, but realized it is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
@Cara - I completely agree, that is why I refrained from writing such an email. If I had to guess I would bet I didn’t get a response out of frustration, but you never know! Nothing good would have came out of a condescending / sarcastic email.
@F - I agree about grading fairly, but I figured that since I was one of the most active participators in class should play a part. I don’t think grading should be so black and white, in fact I don’t think life in general should be so black and white.
@RuthieAA - To tell you the truth I don’t think my professor would go for that. To be even more truthful, I don’t see the time spent on rewriting the paper and taking an incomplete would be time well spent. I didn’t see the comments because we handed the papers in on the last day of class, we can head over to see her during her office hours to pick it up, but I have been too busy working and studying!
Thanks to everyone for the responses!
May 7th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
AJ — The grade is a short-term, rather than a long-term, concern. It won’t matter later on. Take the grade, move on. Life’s too short, you’ve got better things to blog about
- ahg3
May 7th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Did you get 70 on the paper then? How will getting a B- differ from getting a C+? Are there any implications? If so, argue your case! I have just completed a group essay titled “When does a gift become a bribe?”; I’d be happy to send you a copy!
John
May 8th, 2008 at 12:29 am
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