I'm My Own Best Teacher

I had one of those nights last night that I truly enjoy, but don't often reflect upon. It all started when I was going to write a post about something Lorrie Shepard said at the Realistic Math Education Conference about instructional and assessment tasks. But first, I thought, I should look to see what she's written about the subject so I would have a greater background.

Since I'm not currently at the university, my access to full research articles is restricted, but I know CU has a VPN through which I can look like I am at the University. I found the VPN instructions on CU's website, but because I run linux the setup was more complicated. To their credit, the university had a linux client you could download and instructions for installing it, but I wanted to use whatever client that was already in the Ubuntu repositories. It took a little while, but after downloading the university client and sorting through the source code and configuration files, I had the information I needed to get the native VPN clients running on both my netbook and workstation.

Now, back to the Shepard article. Now that I had the same access I'd have if I were at CU, I could download full copies of papers from multiple sources. I was using Google Scholar, and lately I've been trying out Zotero to manage bibliographic sources. Instead of focusing on the papers, I was focusing on how the bibliographic entries were being stored by Zotero. Zotero wasn't detecting the sources very well on its own, but I was having good luck choosing Scholar's "Import into BibTeX" option,copying the entry to the clipboard, then telling Zotero to import from the clipboard.

I'm a long-time LaTeX user, but I've never used BibTeX. For a while now I've been wanting to reformat my undergrad senior thesis I wrote in 1999, but to do so I knew I'd want to re-manage the sources I used. I found my old thesis and started searching Google Scholar for the same references and I stored them in Zotero using BibTeX imports. I had imported about half the references when I could not hold back my curiosity any longer. Could I export these from Zotero and use BibTeX and LaTeX to re-format my paper?

After a wild goose chase trying to get the Gentium font in LaTeX (I guess I'll have to make that work some other day), I spent an unknown amount of time learning how BibTeX worked with LaTeX. My thesis had been formatted in some unknown format before (something for which I had always been disappointed in myself), so this time I was determined to format the paper using an APA style. There is an APA style package for LaTeX, and after much troubleshooting I was on my way to formatting the thesis. I went to bed at 5 am with the second half of the paper left to reformat.

What's the point of telling this story? Look how much I learned through my curiosities and distractions! I learned how to configure a VPN on linux, how to import, edit, and export bibliographic entries in Zotero, how to use BibTeX, and how to get LaTeX to automatically format papers in the APA format. I had been tired throughout the day, but learning all these things drove me well into the next day, hardly tired at all.

Everybody seems to have an answer to the question, "Who was the best teacher you ever had?" My answer? Me. I'm my own best teacher. I don't mean to sound cocky; in fact, I can only make such a claim because I'm humbled by the effect that education, including my many teachers, has had on my life. It's because of them and the many great opportunities they provided that I have become the life-long learner they wanted me to be. Teachers gave me the knowledge and skills I would need to learn on my own and become my own best teacher, and for that I'm forever grateful.

Cases in the Ethics of Grading: Jodi Warren and Mr. Kennedy

The following is my fourth and final (as far as I know) in a series of hypothetical cases meant to raise questions about grading practices. I'd like to recognize Kenneth Strike and Jonas Soltis for their book "The Ethics of Teaching," which inspired the style and structure of this case. Enjoy and discuss!

Louis Kennedy and Jodi Warren are two teachers within the Metro City School District. Louis is a popular fifth grade teacher at Worthington Elementary and Jodi is a new, 23-year-old sixth grade English teacher at Carter Middle School. Most of the students at Worthington Elementary matriculate to Carter Middle, and many of Jodi's students had Mr. Kennedy as their fifth grade teacher.

At her very first day at the school, Jodi Warren listened to her principal preach some of the reforms they were instituting that year at Carter Middle. The biggest change was the enforcement of course requirements and credits that must be earned before being moved on to high school. "No more social promotion!" the principal cried. "We will teach these kids to be responsible and prepare them for high school!" Jodi wanted to be tough her first year of teaching, so this was a philosophy she was willing to get behind, even at the sixth grade level. She'd heard horror stories of teachers who were pushovers and let the kids run the classroom, and she was determined to not be one of those teachers.

Several months passed and Jodi stuck to her plans of holding kids responsible and grading rigorously but fairly. Many students were earning grades of C or lower, but Jodi did not seem too concerned, as she had always viewed a C as an average grade. At the end of October, she faced her first parent teacher conferences. Parents were not happy. Conference after conference, Jodi listened to parents make comments like, "This is the worst grade my student has ever gotten," and "My son was doing much better in Mr. Kennedy's class last year." Jodi tried to explain the new expectations at Carter Middle, and how it was part of a plan to better prepare students for the rigor of high school. "Well, my daughter has As and Bs in all of her other classes," some would reply. Jodi also learned that a number of the parents had already complained to the principal about her ineffectiveness as a teacher, and it did not appear that her principal gave her much support. Jodi left school that night with serious doubts about her future as a teacher, wondering if her teaching really had been so poor despite her best efforts.

The next day Jodi attended a district workshop where she had an opportunity to work with other teachers, including Louis Kennedy. Jodi was curious to hear if Louis had experienced problems similar to those she was having with students Louis had taught the year before. Maybe she could gain some insight as to what she was doing wrong, or pick up advice from a popular fellow teacher. When Jodi asked about trying to be a tough grader, Louis gave her a surprising reply. "We give A-F grades in fifth grade, but I never take it too seriously. They don't count for anything. They don't end up on a transcript for college or factor into a GPA. A few years ago I had given a couple students Ds and Fs, and I found out that it only created animosity between myself and the students. They weren't happy in class anymore and parents assumed I was doing a bad job. Now I never give a grade below a C, everyone seems to be happier, and I have an easier job connecting with struggling students."

Jodi is now unsure what she should do. If she suddenly raises her students' grades, she'll become the easy pushover she did not want to be. If she keeps grading the way she is, parents will think she is not a good teacher and that could put her future as a teacher at risk. If she complains about Mr. Kennedy's easy grading practices she'll be seen as whiny and a tattle-tale, a trait she despises in her students.

Questions
  1. Does it make a difference that Jodi is a new teacher, and has several years of teaching before she receives tenure?
  2. Given Jodi's choices (raise grades and be a pushover, be firm on grades and risk her career, or complain about Mr. Kennedy) which would you choose and why?

Cases in the Ethics of Grading: Mrs. Lemon and Troy Mann

The following is my third in a series of hypothetical cases meant to raise questions about grading practices. I'd like to recognize Kenneth Strike and Jonas Soltis for their book "The Ethics of Teaching," which inspired the style and structure of this case. Enjoy and discuss!

Troy Mann is a struggling student in Mrs. Lemon's Algebra 2 class. By all accounts from Troy's previous two math teachers, he barely passed Algebra 1 and Geometry, and his Geometry grade might have been artificially inflated to compensate for his weak skills coming out of Algebra 1 and suspicions of a possible undiagnosed learning difficulty. Still, in both classes, Troy's modus operandi was the same: "coast" through as much of the semester as possible, do as little work as possible, and then apply just enough sincere effort to avoid being ineligible for sports. Troy understood if he failed Mrs. Lemon's Algebra 2 class he would be ineligible for the beginning of the second semester, meaning he would miss most of basketball season. Troy expected to start on the varsity team, and Mrs. Lemon happened to be one of the biggest basketball boosters at the school.

Using athletic participation as a motivator, Mrs. Lemon and Troy began to meet almost every day after school to improve his math grade. Unfortunately for Troy, his lack of effort earlier in the semester and in previous classes left him unprepared for the rigors of Algebra 2, and most of his time with Mrs. Lemon was spent relearning skills from Algebra 1. After six weeks Troy was showing great improvement on his Algebra 1 skills, but was running out of time in the semester to master Algebra 2 skills well enough for the final exam. Unable to fully catch up, Troy badly failed the final exam and received an F for the course.

When school resumed after winter vacation, Mrs. Lemon was called to the principal's office to meet with Troy's parents. This was the first time Mrs. Lemon had met Troy's father, but had talked previously on several occasions with Troy's mother, who worked in the school district administration office. The principal explained to everyone that a failing grade would mean Troy would be ineligible for basketball. Both of Troy's parents emphasized how important sports are to Troy, and without sports he may not have any motivation to be successful in school. Troy's parents also expressed their difficulty in understanding how Troy could spend all those hours after school, learning and showing steady improvement, and still fail the course.

Mrs. Lemon explained that to pass the course students must show mastery of Algebra 2 objectives, and while Troy should be commended for remediation of his weak math skills, it was not worthy of Algebra 2 credit. When the principal asked if there was any way of making Troy eligible for the second semester (implying Mrs. Lemon should change the grade to passing), Mrs. Lemon bluntly suggested that he ask the athletic director to ease the eligibility standards instead of compromising her own academic credibility. With that, the meeting ended and Troy's parents left.

Before letting Mrs. Lemon go back to class, the principal stopped her and said, "I want to tell you a little story. When I was in college, I really struggled in some of my classes and for one class I failed the final and was going to fail the class. The professor for that class, instead of sticking me with that grade, brought me over to his house, made me dinner, and went over the test item-by-item. I didn't retake the test – he was just helping me understand the material. He changed my final exam grade and I passed the class. Think about sitting down with Troy and doing him the same favor."

Questions:
  1. State content standards are meant to guide curricula, but should mastery of that content be the sole determinant of a student's grades? Should Troy's grade reflect his effort and skill improvement?
  2. Was it ethical for the principal to ask Mrs. Lemon to consider changing Troy's grade in the presence of Troy's parents? What's more important, the perception of a principal's fairness and neutrality or his/her willingness to be open and helpful to students and parents?
  3. What do you think was the principal's intent of telling the personal story after the meeting?
  4. If you were Mrs. Lemon, would you change Troy's grade?

Cases in the Ethics of Grading: Mr. Green and Tracked Classes

The following is my second in a series of hypothetical cases meant to raise questions about grading practices. I'd like to recognize Kenneth Strike and Jonas Soltis for their book "The Ethics of Teaching," which inspired the style and structure of this case. Enjoy and discuss!

Mr. Green is the sole history teacher at a small high school. Last year the school experimented with having an honors science class and feedback from teachers, parents, and students was generally positive. This year the school has decided to expand its selection of honors courses and Mr. Green will be responsible for teaching the school's first section of Honors World History. The class is designed for 10th and 11th graders, almost all of whom Mr. Green has already taught in lower-level courses.

Because of the school's size, there are only enough students to warrant two sections of World History: one honors and one regular. Mr. Green is responsible for selecting which students are to be placed in the honors section, and he overwhelmingly and sensibly chooses students who have earned grades of A or B in his previous courses. That naturally leaves almost entirely C or below students for the non-honors section of World History. Mr. Green is fully aware that the creation of Honors World History amounts to tracking, a controversial subject thought by some to be outdated and unethical. To ease his own concerns, Mr. Green ensures that both classes receive the same curriculum, the same textbooks and materials, and the same styles of instruction. To make the honors section worthy of its title, he skips the chapter review day before each test, thereby slightly speeding up the class, and makes the grading scale marginally more challenging.

The first semester of the two sections of World History seems to go smoothly. Mr. Green's plan to teach both classes using the same materials and methods appears to have avoided controversy. Having not heard any complaints from students, parents, or administrators, he proceeds into the second semester using the same class policies and procedures.

Three weeks into the second semester, the Mr. Green's principal, Mary Williams, checks the grades for both honors and regular World History. She is upset to find that while there are plenty of students earning As and Bs in the honors class, not a single student in the regular World History class has a grade above a C. Ms. Williams calls Mr. Green into her office, accuses him of grading unfairly, and demands to know why the regular World History class doesn't have "its own As and Bs." Mr. Green offers several reasons, including: A) Tests usually help students raise their grades, but it's early in the semester and they haven't taken a test yet, B) The regular World History class doesn't have students with a previous record of earning As and Bs, so the lower grades should be expected; and C) It would be unfair to arbitrarily give As and Bs to students in regular World History if they weren't mastering the content at levels similar to the honors students, and doing so would take away the incentive for students to take Honors World History.

Ms. Williams is not swayed and flatly tells him that he "needs to give higher grades." When Mr. Green asks, "Does that mean I should give higher grades without regard to ability or achievement?" the she only responds by repeating herself: "You need to give higher grades."

Questions:
  1. Is it reasonable for Ms. Williams to expect each class to have a distribution of grades A through F?
  2. Suppose you raised some of the grades in the regular World History class, believing the class does deserve a broader distribution of grades. Would it be hypocritical to do this unless you also lowered some of the grades in Honors World History to include more Ds and Fs?
  3. Did Mr. Green trap himself in this dilemma by trying to make the two sections so similar? In other words, do you think he would have been more comfortable assigning each class "its own As and Bs" if the two classes were drastically different by design?
  4. Schools use grades and GPA to measure and sort students. For honors vs. regular scenarios such as this, whose responsibility is it to ensure the sorting is done fairly? Is it Mr. Green's duty to sort the students across both sections, as he was attempting to do, or should the district handle that burden through policy? (Example: Districts often choose to weight honors courses on a 5-point scale to reflect their increased difficulty over regular courses.)
  5. If you were Mr. Green, would you raise the grades? If so, why? If not, why not?

Cases in the Ethics of Grading: Dr. Jones and Tara Hightower

The following is a hypothetical case meant to raise questions about grading practices. I'd like to recognize Kenneth Strike and Jonas Soltis for their book "The Ethics of Teaching," which inspired the style and structure of this case. Enjoy and discuss!

Dr. Susan Jones, an assistant professor in her first year at Central State University, is teaching a molecular biology course to a class of about twenty undergraduates, most in their second or third year of college. The content of the class comes easy to Dr. Jones, but showing up on-time at 8:00 three days a week is not. Most of the class is struggling with the material and disliking the class, so to make the class more enjoyable she occasionally interrupts lecture with some "fun" activities, such as watching cartoons or playing games. Dr. Jones's primary suggestion to those struggling in the class is for them to see her during her office hours for individualized help. She is very generous with her time and has helped many students make improved progress with the coursework.

Tara Hightower is an honors student at Central State and is one of Dr. Jones's struggling students. Tara is proud and independent, and somewhat stubbornly chooses to not see Dr. Jones for individualized help. Tara attends every class, is always on time, and studies both the text and her notes for hours each week in order to keep up with the material. This has always been a successful strategy for Tara in the past, and she resents the idea that she should have to see Dr. Jones individually, especially since some class time is already being wasted on fun, games, and Dr. Jones's tardiness. Tara's scholarship and status in the honors program is dependent on her maintaining a 3.5 GPA, and she received a notice at midterm that she had a D in the class. If Tara can not substantially improve this grade, she'll be given a warning by the honors program and risks losing her scholarship.

At the end of the semester, Dr. Jones asks Tara to come see her about her final exam and grade for the course. At the meeting, Dr. Jones explains to Tara that while she passed both the homework and the final exam, she did not perform up to expectations and should take the course again. To ensure Tara retakes the course, Dr. Jones assigns her a failing grade. Tara feels that receiving an F for passing work isn't fair, but agrees that her performance was sub-par and knows she needs to retake the course, regardless if her grade was a D or an F. After meeting with her advisor, Tara changed her schedule so she could retake the course with a different professor the next semester. Tara received an A on the retaken course and regained a positive standing in the honors program.

Questions:
  1. Can the extra hours Dr. Jones spends working with students individually make up for misused class time?
  2. Should Tara's refusal of any out-of-class individual help influence the grade she receives from Dr. Jones?
  3. Should the fact that Tara must retake the class, regardless of earning a D or F, matter to Dr. Jones?
  4. Teachers typically retain autonomy over their own grading practices. If Tara were to choose to protest the failing grade, who should have the power to change it? What are the ethical implications for Dr. Jones if her grades can be overturned?