First of all, I want to let everyone know I really enjoyed teaching you this semester. Most of you passed, and some of you failed; if you are in the latter category, remember that I failed freshman biology the first time too. For some, the problem was priorities, and for others, the problem was that you had not yet figured out a study method that works for you. Some of you will do as I did—decide you really want this and come back prepared to do whatever it takes to make it through school, and others will find a different path in life. Believe it or not, there are many paths to a fulfilling and happy life, and my wish for all of you is that you find the best path for you….even if that path isn’t anything like my own.
I applied the same rules and standards to every single student without bias (that means the rules applied to you no matter what) and here is the outcome:
A—27
B—29
C—32
D—18
F—11
Of the people who made an F, only two took the final, and both of them missed four or more labs. The rest stopped coming to class without withdrawing.
No one who missed more than three labs earned enough points to pass with a C.
Seventeen people dropped after midterms.
Four people who made a D missed the final exam and could have made a C if they’d only taken the final and earned at least a high F. They just needed some more points to make the cut.
Three people who made a D did so because they missed a regular exam and did not contact me in time for the makeup exam. They just needed some more points to make the cut.
Four people who made a D did so because they did not turn in one of the writing assignments. They just needed some more points to make the cut.
If you did not get the grade you hoped for, you should ask yourself what you could have done differently and be honest with yourself. If you only look at what other people could have done differently to cause you to get a better grade, then you make yourself powerless to improve and put control of your life in the hands of others. This is true no matter what, even when you have a terrible teacher or a bad situation at home. These things do happen and they do cause trouble, but they are obstacles, not excuses, and if you treat them as obstacles to be overcome instead of using them as excuses, you can still succeed. Straight A students get terrible teachers sometimes, have bad things happen in their personal lives, get sick, have surgeries, and anything else you can think of too…they just figure out how to do well in spite of these things instead of letting them be excuses, and they make sure they stay ahead of the game so if they have a bad day or a bad week, they have plenty of leeway to still succeed.
We teachers have a saying, “There are three kinds of students: those who will do poorly no matter what you do, those who will pass in spite of you, and those who actually need you.” Yes, there are students who can make an A no matter how incompetent their teacher may be. I advise you to become that kind of student. Never make excuses. Excuses and accomplishments are mutually exclusive—that means you can’t have both. All that being said, it is my policy to assume all my students need me. I know that can be irritating if you don’t need me, and even more irritating if you don’t care about school, but I believe it would be wrong of me to do otherwise.
At this point, no matter what I have said or done to you or for you, it is out of my hands now. The semester is over and my part as your teacher is over. It’s all up to you and I wish you the best in life no matter what path you choose to travel.
See you around.
No comments:
Post a Comment