Students Should Not Settle for Less Than Their Best

by Mrs. B
(Indiana)

Of all the dumb ideas I've seen on writing assessment, your idea of teaching students to work for a C is the dumbest I've ever seen. I want my students to excel, I don't want them to just get by.
I've been teaching high school for 14 years. Lots of my students I've had go to really good universities. One of my students went to Harvard on a full scholarship. Would they have gotten in with a C in English? No. Students need to aim for A's. They should not be told to settle for less than their best.

Linda responds
I entirely agree with you, Mrs. B., that students should not be told to settle for less than their best work. I don't really do that. Honest.

What I do tell students is that they have to get a C before they can get a higher grade, just as a baby has to walk before it can run. Learning to walk doesn't keep babies from learning to run, does it? Don't most children who learn to walk also learn to run?

My "C-level" is like walking. For me, C marks the skill level all students have to have to function in school and jobs. In my experience, aiming for C-level takes the stress out of writing for struggling students who are my biggest student group. (I don't get a lot of students who are Harvard material.)

With college students, I usually have the luxury of being able to ignore work that doesn't come up to C-level. If students earn a C by three essay grades in a row of at least a C, I guarantee them no lower grade than a C. The difference between competent work and good or excellent writing is more practice and/or a bit of talent. If students want a B or and A, they have the foundation to get that higher grade after they've earned their C-level.

I consider it my job to being all students up to competence, C-level. What they do after they get to C-level is their own responsibility.

My first year of full-time teaching, I had five freshman composition classes. They were pretty much run of the mill students.The lowest grade anyone in those five classes earned second semester was a B-.

I hope that explanation makes what I do seem a little less dumb.