I Want It, and I Want It Now!
Why are grades so important? Are they just important in all schools, or just in college? The meaning of A’s has been long gone, and a new meaning has come and changed a lot of standards. Why is the meaning of A’s changing? How is it changing? What is an A supposed to be? Understanding. A’s For Everyone writer, Shepard asked one of her colleagues about it and he said “One of the things an education should do is let you know what you do well in and what you don’t.” He continues on saying “If everyone gets high grades, you don’t learn that” (Levine, as qtd. in Shepard 460). To get an A means to understand what you have been doing, and not just receiving the grade. If everyone is getting A’s it is really worth all the hard work? If someone can get an A without understanding the information clearly understanding the material, is it fair? Someone could work every second of every day working towards that A, and if they didn’t how would anyone know? Also, transferring from high school to college is a huge change. Things change, the student gets distracted from the studies starts falling behind it happens all the time that doesn’t mean it’s okay to just assume they deserve an A. Another one of Shepard’s colleagues said “They come to college, and the grading system is much more rigorous. That’s one of the most difficult things to convey to the students. If you’re getting a B, you’re doing well in a course” (Mooney, as qtd. in Shepard 459). If a student is not receiving an A in a course it doesn’t mean that they are not understanding it, but they just need to try a little harder to achieve what they want. If someone is not understanding the work they are receiving it might be a good idea to study more, or even talk to a professor they would then likely help their out in your situation. Are students getting their grades changed, or are the professor’s just handing them out because they don’t want the students to harass them? Yes, harass it has happened throughout American University, and more than likely throughout other colleges too. Harassment is not cool at all, and it doesn’t get any better if someone is doing it because they want a better grade. Constantly calling, emailing, showing up to the professor’s offices demanding for a grade change, and even having the parents get involved! Shepard explains “My colleague Wendy Swallow told me about one student who had managed to sour her Christmas break one year” (Shepard 458). Going to the extent of ruining someone’s whole break because the student didn’t get the grade they thought they deserved is not okay at all. Shepard’s colleague Wendy with the same student explains “She pestered me for several days by phone,” “The whole exchange, though, made for a very unpleasant break” (Swallow, as qtd. in Shepard 458). Harassing the professor until the student made the whole break unpleasant, and still didn’t get the grade changed because Swallow saw that they didn’t deserve that grade. Shepard says “Though I haven’t received any menacing phone calls from parents, Mom and Dad are clearly fueling my students’ relentless demand for A’s. It’s learned behavior. I know, because I’m guilty of inflicting on my son the same grade pressure that now plays out before me as a university professor” (Shepard 460). A’s are being changed because students are demanding, and harassing the professor until they eventually get what they asked for. Professors are not standing up to the students, and telling them look this is what you got because this is how your worked turned out. Why, because professors don’t want to have to deal with students or parents complaining, so they just change it without a fight. If the meaning of A’s has changed, what does it mean now? That the student just does a good job, or tries really hard. Shepard’s colleague John Watson explains Many