Expecting an A

Everyone wants an A. Especially in grad school.

The problem is not necessarily that everyone wants an A...it's that everyone expects an A when they don't necessarily earn an A.

It can be tough being a professor. It's like being a parent. Parents have to maintain a balance between being their child's friend and their disciplinarian. Though I'm not a parent, my understanding is that parents do this so that their child will have some healthy guidelines when they grow up. For the sake of our children, I wish more professors would grasp this concept.

The more we "give" out A's, the more our education system loses it's integrity (like we need any help doing that these days!). Giving A's doesn't do anyone any favors. If teachers aren't ready and equipped to teach our children, we need to ensure we help them get ready, not inflate their grades and make them think they are more prepared to teach than they really are.

Same for the children. We are setting them up for failure when we pat them on the back and tell them how good they are doing when their work is less than adequate.

Let's be honest with ourselves and with others. We aren't going to improve anything by letting people slide by.