Final grade reactions

Like I mentioned previously, I'm just about done with the current school term. The past week has been spent giving final exams, grading final exams and computing final standings. And so it was with great relief that I finally posted the final grades of my students in the various courses I teach.

Since I post the grades on the corkboard nailed to my office door, I can overhear my students' reactions to their grades as well as to their classmates' grades. Often what they say add to the little entertainment I get each day at work--one of the few things I enjoy about these end-of-term periods. You get those who go absolutely hysterical when they learn that they had just about passed the course. I can hear exclamations of disappointment from those whose standing went down due to a poor final exam showing. Some obviously scan the entire list to see what the others got because I can hear a few wonder aloud who it was who got that unbelievably high score in the finals. Or else some are aghast to see that many failed the course. (I believe these are not my students but rather those who are planning to take the course in the future and want to get an idea of how easy or difficult the course is.)

What I dread though are students who received a failing and come into my office to beg me (which is against the University code, by the way) to give them a passing grade, often asking me to give them some extra project to do to make up for the deficit. I get a multitude of reactions as well when I, of course, refuse to change their grades. I've had one, like many others in the past, look totally downcast and eventually break down in tears as she left my office. On the other extreme, a few bounce in with smiles on their faces and bounce out almost just as cheerfully. I suppose these students make going through college as some kind of a game: take a course and see what happens. Most though, after listening to why I can't change their grades (an unnecessary explanation if you think about it) or else seeing what contributed to their failing grade (often extremely low scores in the exams or quizzes), appear to accept their fate more calmly and with a heavy sigh leave the office. A few take a more optimistic outlook and look forward to re-enrolling the course hoping to do better.