What Were They Thinking

Here's a couple of those little experiences that teachers love so much. First, I gave a test yesterday. One student finished the test and left after about 25 minutes, then returned 20 minutes after that. Here's a transcript of the conversation that followed.

Student: "Was there a question on the test about Freud's stages?"

Me: "Yes."

Student: "I talked to some of the other students and I don't think I answered that one."

Me: "Sorry."

Student: "Well, can I see my test to see if I did?"

Me: "OK."

Student (after seeing that her answer for the question was left blank.) "See, I didn't answer this one."

Me: "Sorry."

Student: "Well is there anything I can do? I know the answer?"

Me: "Well I can't let you answer it now. The only reason you realized you didn't answer it was because you talked to other students who finished the test."

Student: "But I promise I know it."

Me: "You realize that I can't let people leave a test, talk to other students who have finished the same test, then come back in and answer questions they left blank?"

Student: "I guess."

Me: "Sorry."


Second experience: About a month ago a student who had graduated several years earlier emailed me to ask for a letter of recommendation for graduate school. After looking over her records I found that she'd had only one class with me, barely passed it with the lowest "C" possible, missed nearly a quarter of the class periods, failed to hand in anything on time, and that her transcript showed that she'd performed about the same way in most of her other classes. I wrote back to say that I was sorry but that "I really cannot write a positive letter for you." I told her to try some of her music professors from here since her grades were better in those classes. I heard nothing back until a phone mail message yesterday: "Dr. Gramlich, I'm sending you that recommendation form for me that we talked about. Please fill it out for me."