An "A" Is Earned, Not Deserved

John Byron, Associate Professor of New Testament at Ashland Theological Seminary, makes the point well:

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One of the more shocking things that I have encountered since becoming a professor is the sense of entitlement that some students bring with them to the classroom. They assume that because they (1) paid tuition, (2) showed up for class, and (3) submitted the assignments that they therefore deserve an "A" in the course. I confess that I have been forced to disabuse a few from this type of thinking.

Don't get me wrong. I don't see my role as torturer in chief who only finds satisfaction by ruining the GPA of students. I am also not one of those professors who doesn't give out A's. I do, when they have been earned. I admit that I set a high bar in the class and I set it high intentionally. I suspect that if the bar is too close to grasp then the student won’t try. Set it high enough and the students who exert themselves not only will reach the bar, but will have a better grasp of the information that I am trying to deliver. In reality, I want my students to do well and succeed. But I also want them to learn at the same time. I spend a lot of time and effort to make sure that my lectures are well prepared. I expect/hope that my students will also put in the effort necessary to learn.

In a recent Forbes Magazine article, Art Carden who teaches economics at Rhodes College wrote a letter to his students. I think he gets it just right, and echoes my own sentiments. Here are three of the points he makes in a letter to his students.

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You can read, John's entire post, "A Professor's Letter to Students," here.