The student had requested a meeting with me for an unspecified reason, but I figured it had to do with the exam earlier in the week. He did okay, but not great (81%). He started off the meeting by saying, "I am a straight A student," which never bodes well. The way I see it is that you don't get to declare yourself a straight A student; it is something that you become by earning straight As. So, you can say, "I was a straight A student in high school," but you can't say things like, "I'm a straight A student, but I got a C in her class." If you got a C in a class, then you aren't a straight A student. Duh. It is the students' way of subtly - or not so subtly - putting the blame on the instructor. It irks me, but I usually just smile and nod my head.
However, this student went on to tell me that the 81% he got on my exam was the first B he had ever gotten in his entire life, and up until now, the lowest score he had ever gotten on a biology test was a 94%. I've heard various renditions of this story before, about a thousand times over. Whatever. I smiled and nodded my head. Then he went on to say that he was certain he would have an A by the end of the semester, because, "I do not let myself get Bs." I smiled and nodded my head. Eventually I asked him what I could do for him. He replied that he was transferring and needed all his professors to fill out a form for him with his current grade on it. I asked him if he had the form, and he said no, he would bring it by later. Then he said, "The thing is, since I know I'm going to have an A by the end of the semester, can you put that I have an A on the form?"
I think I stared at him with my mouth open for at least thirty seconds (okay, so maybe just three) before replying emphatically, "No. I'm not going to lie." We went back and forth for a minute or two, me repeating that I would absolutely not lie, and him repeating, "But I am a straight A student; I never get less than an A; I will not allow myself to." I told him if that were the case, then it was his responsibility to explain this to the school he was applying to, and that they would surely factor that into their decision. Then I suggested that he needed to relax a little; his attitude did not seem all that healthy. I told him I understood his desire to get good grades, and that I also have always wanted good grades when I was in school. However, in retrospect, I think I would have gotten a better education if I had worried a little less about my grades. In other words: CHILL THE FUCK OUT!
He nodded his head in agreement and acted like he was listening, then when I was done, he said, "So I was thinking, I was supposed to have this form filled out last week. And last week, I had an A. So maybe you can put that I have an A, because if I had given you the form last week, before the exam, I would have had an A." At that point, I started to get super pissy. Like... WHAT PART OF "NO" DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?! Needless to say, it did not end well; he left very angry, and I was also actually angry. Usually after meetings like this, I feel annoyed or frustrated or deflated, or some emotion that mostly goes away after I rant to a colleague. But I'm not usually all-out angry. And even after I went and ranted to a colleague, I was still angry. Then I left work to pick up my daughter from school, and on the way to school, I ran into a neighbor who teaches this same class at the community college, and I ranted to her, and I was still angry. So I got home and started to write about it here, which helped dissipate some of the anger.
Interestingly, while I was writing this, I got an e-mail from our registrar telling me that this student had requested to change sections, and was asking if I approved the drop and if my colleague approved the add. I started to reply, "YEEEEEEEEESSSSSS!!! I absolutely approve! THANK GOD ALMIGHTY!" but then I got ahold of my excitement and replied:
I am fine with this; it is really up to Missy if she is willing to take him in at this point. However, I do want to voice some concerns I have about this student's motives behind wanting to switch sections. John came by earlier today and asked me to lie about his grade on a form that he needs to submit because he is planning on transferring out of ABC College. I told him that I would not lie. He asked me at least five times, and I repeatedly told him no, and he was very upset about this. I am more than happy to have this be someone else's problem, but in the interest of full disclosure, I just thought I would share this information.
Now I'm sort of kicking myself, because I do NOT want this student in my class all semester, yet if I were my colleague, I would not let him into my class after this e-mail. (Plus, she had him last semester and told me he was sort of a pain in ass.) So now I am angry all over again, because it's very likely that due to my inability to keep my big, fat mouth shut, I will have to put up with this douchebag for the rest of the semester. And unfortunately for me, it is exactly this type of interaction that leads students to give you all 1s on your course evaluations. And so I face another semester of numerical ruin.
I should have just lied.
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