Re: Eric and Fred's ideas on grading

[Lynne Belcher <lrbelcher@saumag.edu>]

Eric,

Thanks for elaborating your ideas about grades and power structures.  
Sometimes I think students are the biggest proponents of that power 
structure.  Giving students power means they have to assume many more 
responsibilities, and lots of young people aren't always ready for such 
responsibilities, and they will tell you so. 

Eric says "I'm not sure it's important to decide who should move on and 
who shouldn't or who moves on with honors and who with 'average' 
stamped on their forehead. I'm not sure it's important to move *on* at 
all, if "on" means the the next grade, the next degree, etc.  I'd 
rather see people move on to the next project, whatever it is they 
are ready to tackle and want to tackle. An utterly alien notion in our 
educational system, I know. A very unrealistic wish."

Eric, I believe your ideas about education would be very realistic if 
all our students were older, more motivated students.  But much of what 
I find myself doing in the classroom is trying to convince students of 
the importance of taking on the responsibility for their own education 
and encouraging them to want to move on to the next project.  Many 
students probably have no idea of what they really want to tackle until 
long after they've left an educational institution.

Thanks to both Katie and Eric for clarifying Fred's comments about 
writing teachers being writers.  Duh, I think I get it now!

Lynne Belcher
Southern Arkansas University