Grades!

November 11th, 2017| Topic: RaMbLeS | 2

Who wouldn’t subscribe to a “stress reduction policy”?

Especially students under the strain of deadlines, quizzes, exams, and so on and so forth? Sounds like a great idea—a “stress reduction policy.”

Well, Dr. Richard Watson, teaching at the University of Georgia, Athens, since 1989, instituted exactly such a policy in his Fall 2017 classes. BTW, Watson is a “Regents Professor” at the university, an honor “bestowed by the Board of Regents on truly distinguished faculty.”

And his “stress reduction policy”? You, dear, fragile, snowflake of a student, get to choose your own grades!

Because, Watson said:

Emotional reactions to stressful situations can have profound consequences for all involved.”

Poor babies!

So:

If students feel unduly stressed by a grade for any assessable material or the overall course, they can email the instructor indicating what grade they think is appropriate, and it will be so changed with no explanation being required.”

That’s not all.

If in a group meeting, you feel stressed by your group’s dynamics, you should leave the meeting immediately and need offer no explanation to the group members. Such students can discontinue all further group work with their remaining grade being based totally on non-group work.”

There’s more:

All tests and exams will be open book and open notes and designed to assess low level mastery of the course material. All tests and exams will be designed to be completed in half the allotted time by the majority of students.”

Watson confesses:

While this policy might hinder the development of group skills and mastery of the class material, ultimately these are your responsibility.”

Well, the University of Georgia, thankfully, didn’t care for Watson’s “stress reduction policy.” He has been made to remove said policy after facing a lot of negative publicity.

Here’s the formal rebuttal from Benjamin Ayers, Dean of the Terry College of Business at UGA:

A recent online report published a syllabus that a Terry College of Business professor had placed on his website. The syllabus stated that his grading policy would allow students inappropriate input into the assignment of their own grades. I want you to know that the syllabus did not conform with the University’s rigorous expectations and policy regarding academic standards for grading. I have explained this discrepancy to the professor, and he has removed the statement from his syllabus. Rest assured that this ill-advised proposal will not be implemented in any Terry classroom.”

I kinda like that idea of choosing your own grades. That would enable me to mark all my sins as righteousness and my failings as successes and my deficiencies as sufficiencies!

But, alas, the heavenly Dean says, “No!”

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23

All we humans have accomplished is failure: a BIG “F”!

“There is none righteous, not even one.”
Romans 3:10

This is not a grading on the curve.

“There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God;
all have turned aside, together they have become useless;
there is none who does good, there is not even one!”
Romans 3:11

But … there is a “stress reduction policy,” nonetheless. Somebody else took that “F” upon Himself.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried ….
He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed ….
The LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
Isaiah 53:4–6

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and … relieve your stress!