spynotes ::
  December 07, 2006
Vodka Gibson, very dry

I turned in my grades and my keys and wished everyone a happy holiday. It seems so early to be on vacation � and really, I�m never on vacation. But I still felt a little celebratory about it.

The final exam had the strangest grade pattern I�ve ever seen in a class. Slightly over a third of the students got some kind of A. About a third got either a D or an F. The rest were scattered around the middle. The average was dead on C � 75 % exactly, but the scores were very polarized. Either they got it, or they didn�t. Either they studied, or they didn�t. Fundamentally, I don�t believe in grading curves, but this is the first time I considered an adjustment, just because the pattern looked so weird. In the end, though, since a substantial number did very well and since the percentages worked out, I left it alone. And when I calculated the grades for the course, they all got pretty much what they deserved.

I�m sure all this grading talk is not very interesting to you, at least to those of you who don�t teach. But I agonize over these things. I try to be scrupulously fair. I try to tell my students exactly what they need to do well, how much things matter in relation to one another. I don�t want there to be any surprises for them. I send midterm warnings in writing when things are not looking good. But part of why I agonize is because of the randomness of it. When it comes right down to it, grading is arbitrary. Some things matter more to me than they might to another professor. And some things definitely matter less. Unless I write assignments with right and wrong answers, there will always be a question in my mind about how I determine the grade, whether I�m swayed by personality or personal affinity. I want to be able to tell a student exactly why she got a B- instead of a C+ or a B. Sometimes it�s not a simple equation. And then there�s the fact that grades matter to them. A lot. In the long run, I know a failing grade in an introductory music class is unlikely to have much impact on their lives. But they don�t always know that.

But I managed to shrug off any nagging doubts about my own fairness and squeeze in a little Christmas shopping, taking advantage of my soon-to-expire faculty discount at the bookstore to buy a shirt for AJ and a book for my sister-in-law. I stopped by another bookstore and found a book I�ve been wanting to buy my youngest niece. And I found a fancy skirt to wear with the fancy top I already have for this weekend�s swank party (thank you, H&M for making cheap clothing that fits me perfectly). Unfortunately, I discovered shortly after making the purchase that the party has been cancelled. The host and hostess are sick. The swankiness has been postponed until after the New Year. I am disappointed. I mean, now how am I going to find out who my ex-boyfriend is dating? Meanwhile, Mr. Spy and I are plotting about what to do with some good outfits, a free night and a babysitter already lined up. We�re contemplating trying to make plans with some of the other party guests who are likely in the same situation. Whatever it is, I�m hoping it involves cocktails.


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