Last week I mentioned the emails from students are starting. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I told the students to let me know if there are any mistakes in their grades. I don't generally make those kinds of mistakes, but it can happen, and I'd rather they let me know than going to their counselor and having them send me an email questioning their grade...
So, when I got an email from a student immediately after inputting three assignments, I wasn't offended. The email:
I am writing because of my grade book. I finished the Lab Safety Packet, and the Scientist Card Sort.
I think you did both the Lab Safety Packet and the Scientist Card Sort wrong, but if i'm misunderstanding, please let me know.
Thank you.
The student did not get full credit on one of those assignments, and the other had not been graded yet, so it was missing from the gradebook for everyone (and did not impact their grade).
I wrote back explaining why they'd be missing points for the assignments. And when I passed back their graded work the next day, sure enough the student lost the points just as I explained in the email. (I didn't have the work in front of me when I responded to the email, but I deducted points for some very specific things.)
And the student? Wouldn't look at me during class that day. I think they were a little mad at me. I'm not sure why, entirely, as I deducted points for things like not fully completing the assignment as instructed. (They were required to write 5-6 sentences on one. This student did not.)
Ah well. Seventh grader. While I don't want them to not bring their grade concerns to me, I would rather they make sure their work is fully complete before assuming that I made a mistake in the grading.
And... I totally would have let them resubmit the assignment with corrections for full points. But, I would only tell them that if they asked. They did not.
(If I have to regrade every assignment after they've turned it in and gotten it back, I don't even want to contemplate how much work that would be.)
Learning to follow directions completely and accurate is an important life lesson. Better they learn it in 7th grade and not at their first job. Hopefully, this was a good life lesson for that student, even if they are miffed at you right now.
ReplyDeleteHopefully. Some of them clearly have to learn this lesson the hard way.
DeleteIt's great that you’re open to students asking about their grades, but it's important they double-check their work first.
ReplyDeleteIdeally, yes. This is the lesson they're learning. They're young. We can work on it.
Delete