02-07-2021, 03:29 PM
I was a straight A student in high school. My freshman year of college, I got a D on my first English paper. I was shocked. I discussed the paper with the professor but still didn't think the grade was justified. However, I took his feedback as guidelines for what to change in the future.
I recently ran across that paper while sorting through old things. I read it. It was terrible. If I had graded it, I would have given myself an F, not just a D.
In retrospect, this happened because I wasn't really taught how to write well in high school. I was taught to write to a specific formula similar to the five paragraph essay. in high school, all I really had to do was stick to the format to get a good grade. In college, I had to make sure I had solid argumentation and used reliable sources to back up my argument. My paper had to be logical and coherent.
When I hear kids complaining that they got a bad grade because the professor has it out for them or didn't agree with the premise of their paper, my general impetus is to want to know what the paper actually said and what the actual feedback was that their professor gave them. Kids these days are raised to think that any disagreement with them or criticism of their abilities is an attack on their personal beliefs. Conservative or liberal or neither, maybe they just need to listen to their professors and try learning instead of digging their feet in.
I recently ran across that paper while sorting through old things. I read it. It was terrible. If I had graded it, I would have given myself an F, not just a D.
In retrospect, this happened because I wasn't really taught how to write well in high school. I was taught to write to a specific formula similar to the five paragraph essay. in high school, all I really had to do was stick to the format to get a good grade. In college, I had to make sure I had solid argumentation and used reliable sources to back up my argument. My paper had to be logical and coherent.
When I hear kids complaining that they got a bad grade because the professor has it out for them or didn't agree with the premise of their paper, my general impetus is to want to know what the paper actually said and what the actual feedback was that their professor gave them. Kids these days are raised to think that any disagreement with them or criticism of their abilities is an attack on their personal beliefs. Conservative or liberal or neither, maybe they just need to listen to their professors and try learning instead of digging their feet in.
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