GUILT TRIP

Last Friday, the underclassmen's last day at school (the seniors finished last Monday), I received a phone call on my cell phone just as I was pulling into my driveway. Apparently, one of my students had gotten my phone number from her mother's caller id when I called to speak to the mother regarding the student's grades. The student proceeded to ask me whether the grade that she received in the class was correct. I informed her that it was; it was a 69. The student then began to cry and inform me that my class was keeping her from graduating. She wanted to know if there was anything she could do to get an extra point. I told her, with regret in my heart, that there was nothing to be done at this point. I told her that I structured the class such that students would be able to do those extra things all throughout the year so that it would not come down to the wire and a situation where I would have to grade numerous extra papers and tests. I told her that is why I allowed retests, assigned projects to pull up low test grades, provided tutoring services, and even allowed a comprehensive final exam to weigh heavily such that a student who was failing could pass if the student showed on the exam that he/she had mastered the material. Needless to say, the final exam showed that the young lady had not mastered the material, and I felt morally obligated to give her the failing grade that she earned.

After stating her case for a few minutes, the student broke down crying and said that she would call me back. A few minutes later, she called again. At this point, she started laying it on thick. While making herself seem quite sympathetic, she pretty much painted me as an insensitive teacher who was ruining her life. She told me that I don't know what goes on in her home or what's happening in her life that prevents her from coming after school for tutorial or from doing better in the class. She also told me, as if I don't want the same for her, that she wants to be something in life. Furthermore, she insisted, I should consider the fact that she attended class regularly and was never a behavior problem. While, in my mind, I was definitely suffering from a guilt trip, I informed her that this situation would not prevent her from being something in life. I told her that obstacles will always arise in life, and this was just one of them. It was up to her to have the determination and will to overcome the obstacle. I told her that although I understood that she was hurting, she should dust herself off and make up her mind to pass the class in summerschool and go on to reach all of the great goals that she has set for herself.

After our conversation, I was indeed second guessing my decision. But after thinking about it for a few days, I was sure that I had done the right thing. It does students no good to receive things that they have not earned; it gives them an unrealistic view of life that will harm them in the long run.

I attended graduation on Wednesday night. After all that, the student actually walked. Apparently she didn't need the class to graduate!