This semester, I have had to apologize to my students about getting behind with grading: it seems to me that honesty is a good policy, and I wanted them to know I was working on their writing, but I wasn't finished with assessing/evaluating/grading everyone's work at the same time.
Now I have two students who are using my apology as a weapon by telling the dean that they "didn't know how to improve" because I "didn't give them any feedback." *Sigh*.
Aristotle defines rhetoric as "finding the available means of persuasion." I guess I've made a means available to these students. This morning the dean called to tell me what arguments my students are going to have "against me" when we meet later this afternoon. The dean counsels me not to say something like this again . . . maybe she's right?
Evacuation roots
5 hours ago
2 comments:
I had a similar problem at one point, although it didn't make it to the Dean level...
Since then, I put a standard kind of disclaimer on the assignment sheet. It warns that future assignments may be due before prior assignments are returned. Students with particular concerns about what they've written are told that they should bring a copy of their writing to my office and we'll discuss it.
Since then, I've had no complaints on that one... other stuff, sure -- but, not that one :).
That's a good idea, P. I hadn't ever thought to say something like that, assignments being due before others are returned.
I'm stealing *another* thing from you!
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