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Friday, August 11, 2006
‘A Matter of 30 Points’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Let’s chew on this story, posted on an earlier thread, for a bit.
“One time when I was teaching at a troubled school in Middle Georgia, I had a senior who was taking 3 English classes because he had failed English each year. He was in my 10th grade class, my 11th grade class, and someone else’s 12th grade class. I think he passed my 10th grade class (can’t recall), but he had something like a 40 in my 11th grade class. It was strictly because he didn’t turn in work and made 0’s. Near the end of the year, the assistant principal tried to talk me into fudging his grade so he could pass. I told her it wasn’t a matter of a point or even a few points. It was a matter of 30 points. She tried to tell me if he didn’t graduate, he’d wind up in prison. Then she asked if I could give him extra credit if he worked for her over the summer in the office. Can you believe that? I said I didn’t really care what they did, because I wasn’t coming back to that school the next year, but I absolutely would not change his grade myself. They probably changed his grade.”
Teachers, has your administration pressured you to change a grade? How did you respond?
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