Comments on: No-Zero Grade Policy: What a Bunch of Bullfeathers

By: Dave Powers

Dave Powers — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 04:35:13 +0000

While I have never seen any research as to the effects of teachers who employ cutting sarcasm as a technique in their classroom or with colleagues, I have unfortunately had the displeasure of having to discipline more than one who chose to use it on a regular basis. I find this author’s tone and sarcasm to be unprofessional and offensive. Make the point and leave the sarcasm out.

As for grading, what is the grade supposed to communicate, a level of knowledge and competency, or how responsible and disciplined a student is? Not handing in the work is a behavioral problem, not an academic one. Punish the poor behavior and make the student complete the work in order to earn a grade. The learning we ask students to do ought to be worth insisting that they learn it. Educators can teach plenty of life lessons, with failure as part of the equation, while leading their students to eventual success. Retest, redo, and edit until passing proficiency has been demonstrated. Please don’t let the “one and done” philosophy of letting failure teach life lessons by themselves, guide the students toward acquisition of the knowledge they need for their futures.

By: Abby Brown

Abby Brown — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 03:03:42 +0000

I have taught in the higher educational system for 15 years and have surely seen an increasing number of slackers and plagiarizers. When being challenged, hardly any of them ever admitted that what they did was wrong. I’ve heard all kinds of excuses from “I didn’t know”, “I made an honest mistake (to turn in someone else’s paper)”, and “I did the same thing in the other class, and the teacher didn’t say anything”. I also notice their sense entitlement as many of them view themselves as customers who pay instructors to provide services. I don’t know what k-12 educational leaders these days are thinking, but not allowing students to fail is simply setting them up for failure. Do they also expect Wal-mart to pay its workers 50% when they don’t show up for work?

By: Dave Powers

Dave Powers — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:38:00 +0000

If the teacher/author of this article uses the same cutting and sarcastic tone and comments with students that he does in this article, he has no business teaching and I would question why he does. I hope there is greater professionalism in front of a class than was demonstrated in building a case for the continued use of zeros in the gradebook. The point was valid. The method of communicating is unjustifiable.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:58:17 +0000

Holy Moly! This is just fantastic!! I have always been pro-zero. I would be pissed if I tried really hard and got a 50 and someone else didn’t do squat and got the same grade! In my foundations of ed class this is my topic for our paper/project. Thanks for the insights.

By: Kristi Stephens » Blog Archive » The profit of labor

Kristi Stephens » Blog Archive » The profit of labor — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:15:29 +0000

[...] out of our earned consequences is showing it's ugliness clearly in the school system. I enjoyed this teacher's response to a school district's new no-zero grading [...]