1st Quarter
4th October 2006
As the first quarter grading period will end this Friday, students are suddenly very interested in their grades. It’s so curious how they will wait until the last week of the grading period to ask forgiveness for the previous 8 weeks of sins. It usually sounds something like this: “Mr. B, is there anything I can do to bring up my grade?” or “Mr. B, do you have any extra credit I can do?” or “Mr. B, I really need to get a C in this class. Can I clean your board or your desks for some extra credit?”
I sure would like to get my hands on the scoundrel who invented “extra” credit. It’s almost like extra credit is a religion that students in which students blindy place their faith — they hope that it will save them from judgement for their sins. I just tell my students, “Sorry, you should put forth a consistent effort throughout the entire course. Then this wouldn’t be an issue.”
October 4th, 2006 at 10:34 pm
Did you hear about this?
A Japanese man has set the new world record for reciting pi, an astounding 100,000 decimal places all from memory. It took the 60-year-old mental health counselor 16 hours to accomplish the feat, shattering the former record of 42,195 decimal places.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20061005a2.html
October 25th, 2006 at 3:22 pm
it’s a sin passed down through the generations. it’s not uncommon for me to hear the same request coming from parents. “uh, can my child do anything for extra credit?” i think the appropriate response to the aforementioned question is: “no, but you can. why don’t you come by my class after school today and clean off my desk–it’s a mess.”
ps
mr. b. i hope all’s well with you and yours. it’s been a long time. i was talking with doug the other night and he mentioned your blog. -jon