Doing what is asked of you is a C?

[Shivarage]

I'd extend that statement a bit so you don't get a low content warning (seriously, I hate those) but feel free to provide a link. I'd be interested in reading it.

A little thing called "getting out of the house and talking to people"

Geez, don't you know government stats are twisted to make them look at least half-assed? it's the only way you can really find out if people are getting jobs they trained to do

 

[Robert Ewing]

It depends on the course.

Over here in Britain, EVERYTHING you're taught, if applied in a exam in the right way can get you an A grade.

But tbh, it shouldn't even matter. A lot of people aren't completely average anyway, and you should try to excel in your class anyway.

 

[axlryder]

I'd extend that statement a bit so you don't get a low content warning (seriously, I hate those) but feel free to provide a link. I'd be interested in reading it.

A little thing called "getting out of the house and talking to people"

Geez, don't you know government stats are twisted to make them look at least half-assed? it's the only way you can really find out if people are getting jobs they trained to do

if simply "talking to people" is the basis for your claim, then your claim is founded on nothing but conjecture. What's more, being in college myself and knowing quite a few students who have graduated, I'd say that my personal experience contradicts your assessment of the opportunities available. Of course people are having trouble finding work, but it's not as though there a zero positions open. My particular college has a very good job placement percentage (and that's based off of my fellow graduates, not whatever number the university touts on its admissions portfolio or something).

 

[dark-mortality]

Doing exactly what you're supposed to do has, is, and will always be average. Teachers want to see you strive for more, and find new and interesting ways to solve problems. As one of my teachers say "Even if you fail at answering something, the way you have gotten too your answer may still have taught you something good." I like him, he is nice

 

[WanderingFool]

Hello Escapists, long time no see in the forums.

Anyway, I have a bit of situation I wanted your opinions on.

The new semester just started, and I find myself with a teacher who... Well, I don't like him. The general consensus seems to be he's a self centered jerk, but that's besides the point. What I wanted to ask you guys is if you agree with this statement: "Doing exactly what you're asked is average work, and will be rewarded with a C, an average grade."

Thoughts?

Personally, I don't like it. Maybe that's because my grade is on the line, but still, it just doesn't seem like a good way to grade. If I'm asked to do a certain amount of work, and I do it, I'm really going to be rewarded with a C? I don't know, that seems like a little spit in the face to me.

But again, that's just me. Am I wrong on this one? Please, tell me if I am.

Also, feel free to share stories of teachers you haven't exactly hit it off with. I love reading the silly stuff that teachers can do sometimes.

Umm, yeah, you are. He most likely means that if you just do what is asked of you, you will end up with a c average. This was the same way with my college classes, and im almost positive that this is the same for most every grading system. If you want better than a C, do more work, put more effort into it. If you work at a class, and put forth as much effort as possible, than you will get justly rewarded. If you just do enough to get by, than yeah, you get reap what you sow.

 

[PotluckBrigand]

When I was in school, I agreed with the idea that "Doing everything you're asked is average and therefore a C," but now that I've spent a few years in... well I know this is condescending but "The Real World," I recant that sentiment.

At my job, I am in charge of people. This is a nightmare. I'm not sure it's ALWAYS a nightmare, but it always has been for me. When someone simply does what I ask them to do without questioning me, arguing with me, or simply ignoring me (or doing it half-assed) I am ecstatic.

In the working world, doing what you're asked to do should be worth an A.

Buuuut some teachers (and bosses) just get off on having power over people, so sometimes you're just screwed. Unless you're a straight-A student and you care about that kind of thing, you may just have to accept the situation and use it as a learning experience for how your life is likely to be.

 

[Shivarage]

if simply "talking to people" is the basis for your claim, then your claim is founded on nothing but conjecture. What's more, being in college myself and knowing quite a few students who have graduated, I'd say that my personal experience contradicts your assessment of the opportunities available. Of course people are having trouble finding work, but it's not as though there a zero positions open. My particular college has a very good job placement percentage (and that's based off of my fellow graduates, not whatever number the university touts on its admissions portfolio or something).

Again, those figures are can be easily manipulated and average still hangs over from the times when there was opportunity so don't trust those

My old friend who graduated from Queens, a very well respected uni, had to take a job in telemarketing because there are zero positions above that in England

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Really it depends on what your marking scheme is, but if he's saying that answering the question is only worth 50%; then he needs to give you details on how to make up the rest.

There's a LOT of parents who will be very unhappy with their kids getting less than an A for anything.

 

[crazyarms33]

Hello Escapists, long time no see in the forums.

Anyway, I have a bit of situation I wanted your opinions on.

The new semester just started, and I find myself with a teacher who... Well, I don't like him. The general consensus seems to be he's a self centered jerk, but that's besides the point. What I wanted to ask you guys is if you agree with this statement: "Doing exactly what you're asked is average work, and will be rewarded with a C, an average grade."

Thoughts?

Personally, I don't like it. Maybe that's because my grade is on the line, but still, it just doesn't seem like a good way to grade. If I'm asked to do a certain amount of work, and I do it, I'm really going to be rewarded with a C? I don't know, that seems like a little spit in the face to me.

But again, that's just me. Am I wrong on this one? Please, tell me if I am.

Also, feel free to share stories of teachers you haven't exactly hit it off with. I love reading the silly stuff that teachers can do sometimes.

Think of it as a job. If you only do what is expected of you, you will only get paid your salary. If you go beyond what is required of you at your job, you will be in the running for a promotion and/or bonuses. I see no problem at all. If you meet the minimum guidelines, you should get the minimum passing grade.

 

[Queen Michael]

"Doing exactly what you're asked is average work, and will be rewarded with a C, an average grade."

Doesn't he know what "average" means? If every student is at least worth a B, then C is not an average grade. And if most of the students don't do what's asked of them, then doing exactly what you're asked isn't average at all. He fails logic forever.

 

[Monsterfurby]

Isn't the point of college to teach you critical thinking and independent work? In High School, yeah, maybe the standards could be lower, but in college you should be expected to go the extra mile. To illustrate: In the UK, instead of school-like grades, the marking system goes from "Pass" over "Honors" to "Distinction", which illustrates far better the amount of work expected from you. Even the German steps from "Sufficient" (C-) over "Satisfying" (C), "Good" (B) to "Exceptional" (literally "Very Good", but the official translation is "Exceptional") (A) make this pretty clear.

I'd suggest not thinking in terms of grades but simply in standards. If exceeding the average is expected of you, that's what you should go for.

 

[Olas]

Saying that C is average is absolute nonsense. In my highschool a student who recieved all Cs would probably be within the bottom fourth of the class. My parents always expected me to maintain at least a 3.5 GPA which is half As and half Bs and I was by no means an exceptional student.
I'm sure C was truly was average at one time, but grades have inflated quite a lot. Today I'd argue that a high B is closer to average.

Your professor may think that C SHOULD be average, and I'd agree with him. But that's irrelevant since it isn't, and you'll be compared with other students who's teachers didn't grade that way. Unless your teacher wants to go out and try to reform the entire U.S. educational system to fit with his own standards so that As are incredibly hard to get, he should grade the same way as everyone else.

 

[Stephen Wo]

Essentially what he means is go above and beyond. Sure, you could do the bare minimum in a short-story, but if you write the next Great American Novel, well, that is some A1 work right there!

 

[Shivarage]

Trusting one person's personal experience is worse. It is more easily biased and is limited in scope.

No... it's a fact that nobody else was hiring, he's not the only person with a degree who is still in a minimum wage job, in fact... everyone I know who went to univeristy and graduated is still in a minimum wage job

I would trust them over the government any day, real people don't have a vested interest in lying

 

[Folji]

Sounds like something my senior year history teacher would have said. Kind of. If you knew the course of history (explaining it being the usual basis of an assignment) you got an average C (or a 4, as it'd be over here, which everyone keeps advertising as a decent grade actually more than enough for a lot of higher studies), but if you wanted to climb higher you had to drag out every why and what for you possibly could. The more the better.

On the other hand, doing exactly what I was told to do was more than enough to surf through an entire year of that IT class I took with nothing but top grades. Hee hee.

 

[Shivarage]

See, one reason it's hard to trust people is that they show a lack of understanding. For instance, you fail to understand that saying everyone you know in said situation is in a minimum wage job does nothing to dispel the idea that your personal experience isn't trustworthy. I am attacking the idea that a single personal anecdote is worth anything in showing a trend across countries, you reply by repeating personal anecdotal evidence.

So everyone I know is lying to me because it isn't what the government (who apparently NEVER lie) states everything is...

It must be difficult to live with you if you needs statistics to prove everything before you do anything

Which fails to show that they aren't biased in other ways. For instance confirmation bias. Nor does it deal with the criticism on the potentially limited scope of the experiences in question.

Personal experiences are much more reliable sources of information than propaganda pieces, you do know the German government during WWII said the jews were going to a better place on those trains right..? (yeh yeh yeh, Godwin's law blah blah)

and please stop talking like a news reporter, you should know they only talk in jibberish to sound "professional" when really they are just raping the english language, it's an illusion to make people think they know what they are talking about even when they don't understand a single word

 

[Jake0fTrades]

Any chance you could provide more detail? You're asking me to navigate a cave with half a map.