Reply to DD got her teacher to ground up her grade

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Today I learned: one polite email is “begging” and “groveling”   :D

Who do you think is going to be more successful in life: the person who takes what they get and never negotiates or asks for more, or the person who is smart enough to know when putting yourself out there and communicating what you want will pay off?[/quote]

It is really interesting that parents now see an email asking to raise a grade the same as assertive contract negotiations. This is what’s wrong with this generation. They think they can get what they want by asking, demanding, being polite or assertive, and writing emails and letters. No, what they need to do is the work. Hard work and completion the if the job.

Why don’t you try that. Don’t show up for work but write a polite email asking for your full paycheck without using your sick or vacation time. It’s the same, right?  [/quote]

I’m a high school teacher and I can confirm this.  Parents and students push and plead to have grades inflated, or as OP calls it, “grounded up.”

Many parents and students believe that if the student tries his/her best in my AP class, he/she deserves an A.  Students and parents often argue that “I worked really hard!” Or “Larlo studied late into the night for your tests.”  They truly feel that everybody who works hard deserves the grade they want, and that it is unfair for a student who “tries her very best” to be given a lower grade than the student or parent wants.

Three years ago I had a serious email from a parent asking me to raise her 11th grader’s grade, explaining that her son “needs an A in your class for the colleges he wants.”  Her son was a solid B student.  
[/quote]

The parents who are not educators just don’t get it. Every kid and every parent thinks that they have some kind of special situation that warrants special consideration. A PP is right that GPA is starting to mean less for admissions. And with a lot of places going test optional that brings us back to… rec letters! Which aren’t going to be very strong if a kid has a reputation for asking for things that they didn’t earn.[/quote]

Please. Kids are generally smart enough to ask a teacher in a class where they need to improve their grade for a recommendation letter. My daughter choose hard class where she had very solid As - she is exactly what they tell you to do when doing college prep in junior year English class. [/quote]

You'd think that.  I teach a math class that is mostly juniors, and I guarantee you I'll have 30+ requests for recommendations in August (I had 3 yesterday alone!)  I can't write 30 recommendation letters.  I will agree to write ones for kids who displayed the utmost integrity during their time with me. Grade grubbing at the end of the year will be a determining factor.

I have no issues with the kids who ask, "Is there anything I can do to raise my grade? Any additional work? Any assignments I can redo?"  If they ask early enough, there's usually something that can be done.  My frustration is with kids who literally just ask to have the grade changed because they want it changed, at the last second.  That's just...gross.[/quote]

+100. The latter situation is very different because it demonstrates a commitment to learning and improving. A last minute request for a bump, with no other communication before that, is someone just looking for free points. No one is obligated to write a rec letter. Students' attitudes and behavior matter when you are inundated with requests. I know people who will say yes to all letter requests but then write the most lukewarm letters you can imagine for students who were lazy or made annoying requests. If you're wondering why a kid doesn't get into a college you thought they would... could be a letter or two that don't paint the student in a very positive light.[/quote]

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