You Won't Believe This One

The second Friday of every month we have an English Department meeting. It is more a time to come together, pray for sanity, and sometimes vent frustrations. Let me not forget that we do discuss actual business.

Well, last Friday, as I sat in that meeting, I discovered something astounding, something that helps me understand my students a little better.

You see, in Greenville County Schools, it is apparently against the rules for teachers to give students zeroes. That's right. You heard me. No zeroes. The lowest grade a student can make is a 61. I'm not kidding. Quit laughing.

Let's say little Johnny Lazypants doesn't turn in his semester project that is worth 30% of his grade; he gets a 61. Little Lizzie Mediocre can turn in her paper and only get 15 more points that little Johnny. Fair? I think not.

I sat with this dumbfounded expression on my face when they told us that because the way I remember it, if you didn't turn something in, you got a big, fat, round ZERO on the top of the page (probably in red ink, but you can't do that anymore either).

All of that to say, it is slowly coming into focus why my students come and beg and plead for extra work when they "forget" to turn in assignments.

SHEESH, I say, SHEESH!