Thank you very much for the kind manner in which you graded our exams. You should take it as a complement that three people got up and left in disgust while you were discussing your grading standards.
Further, I complement you on your bold choice to ignore the instructions that the professor wrote on the exam itself. I’m sure that when he said “Answer 6 of the 8 short IDs in 2 sentences,” and then further clarified as you handed out the exams that we were not to spend a lot of time on these, he was just kidding with us. Your decision to take of 20-40% for anyone who did not write a paragraph worthy of a graduate thesis is sure to be hailed by the department and your students.
I was also glad to see that you extended this to the essay questions. That we were supposed to be brief in our reasoning for the fall of france, and that it is up for historical debate anyway, should in no way hamper your ability to take off points for, say failure to provide and in depth comparison of the french and german command structure.
I would also like to take the time to thank you in writing for not putting down any information about why an essay lost points. The number out of 30 was all that I needed to immediatly see what it was that I had done wrong, and what I needed to do in the future to get a better grade on tests.
Finally, it certianly was good of you to forget that the students taking the exam only had 50 minutes in which to write, and that your “perfect” answer would take a good hour and a half of simple writing time. We should have bent space time in order to not conflict with the next class, right?
Oh and finally, get a grip on reality you cow like, maggot eating, vacuum headed ignoramus. In a class where you look to most of us to answer questions for you, where the bulk of the student body is senior history majors slumming, where the topic is the Second World War, the class average should not be a 75%. Might I suggest you reread the criteria given by the professor on this, before we get torches, pitchforks, and head to the professor’s office hours.
Definitely take your concerns to the professor. The TA must answer to him/her, and I doubt the professor knows that the TA is doing this (much less condoning it).
When you go in, go in alone. (NOT with a group!)
Use your “I’m a little bit intimidated by your position of authority but I’m really afraid that I might not do well in your class and will have to change my major to business or something so I screwed up all of my courage to speak to you about this” attitude. Unless your one of the Slummin’ Seniors. Then you can just march in with a “What the hell gives?” attitude.
You are entitled to receive the grade you EARNED, not the grade assigned.
When I mark essays and exams for other profs, as a TA, I write extensively in the margins. My students get a full mark breakdown of all the answers or, with the case of essays, they get my marking scheme (BEFORE they write the essay!) and about half a page of comments, typed.
When I have classes of 76 odd students to mark, it takes a long time. But that’s what I’m paid to do.
I also read drafts of papers, and hold tutorials for those who want an extra hand. Maybe it’s beyond the call of duty - but we get evaluated, too, just like profs.
Go see your professor. He needs to know about this.
As well, I might also recommend a letter to the department, expressing your concerns. They’ll keep these on file, and such a letter might affect a department’s decision to bring that particular person back next year. And if a TA isn’t providing you with comments on the papers, or with office hours where these kind of issues can be discussed, then he/she’s not doing his/her job, plain and simple.
On a related note, any TAs or professors that you do think are worthy of praise (or a promotion) will definitely appreciate a letter saying so. These are usually kept on file as well.
Perhaps this TA person should teach teenagers for a few years. They’d chew him up and spit out his non-digestible bits.
Education is about helping the students learn. Part of this process is having the teacher learning about the students – their “levels.” The TA needs to do this (unless he’s not an education TA).
I agree that most of what your TA did falls under fucknuggetry, but just a few comments as a TA myself.
Often, this is not possible for a few reasons. Space is limited, or time in which to grade is limited. The answer is right in a textbook, and you can look it up yourself. It leads to, “You took off two points on my test because I forgot to say this, but only ONE point on Mortimer’s test! What gives?” (Consistency is an oft-elusive Holy Grail of grading. I can make up the most comprehensive keys in existence, and still not be all-inclusive. Fortunately, it all balances out in the end). But perhaps, IMO, the most obvious reason is that sometimes, you just can’t exactly quantify how well a person seems to grasp the concept(s). A TA might know the difference between a 25/30 and a 20/30 essay, and it might not be obvious to you, even if s/he were verbose in his explanation. shrug
What the hell kind of logic is this? Most professors I know would kill for a natural 75% average, and play all sorts of statistical games to get the center of that Gaussian curve at 75%. 75%=C=Average. And just because you’re lazy, he should cut you a break? :rolleyes: Not in my world, pal.
Still, he sounds like a dickhole. But you’re done, right?
Quix