I just finished assessing and sending back a group of student papers. I never feel like the assessment cycle is done, however, until the (unofficial) window where students might email me about the grade they received is closed.
Last week, I received just such an email from from a high-achieving student who had gotten a high B that wasn’t quite the A she had wanted. She wasn’t rude. She just wanted to meet and talk about the grade. Typically, conversations like this make me anxious because they invite me to get defensive.
But I knew what the problem was.
The student had sent me a draft of the paper before it was due, and I had given it a green light. The student had submitted the same paper as a final draft and now found returned to her comments and questions that were more critical (though, it must be said, in a paper that earned a B+).
The student took the time to come and discuss it with me in person. She was able to articulate her confusion, which came from the way I had okayed the draft but not the final version which was basically the same as draft. I was able to apologize and explain; the draft was really strong, and I was mostly okaying the paper’s major pieces (thesis, solid organization, strong quotations) rather than its details. My assessment came from reading the paper with more precision. Gratefully, the student thought the comments on the final version were accurate. She just wanted a way to have addressed them before she turned the final version in.
I gave the student a solution: come talk to me in person about the draft. It will help me slow down enough to have a more substantive dialogue. The emailed draft is convenient and offers a permanent record of typed comments and editing. The personal conversation takes longer but provides a chance for exchange and, more than that, slows the reading of the paper down which in turn allows me to catch more than I would otherwise.
The student left glad for having come by, and I felt blessed to have the opportunity to slow down and reflect on the role speed plays in my own assessment patterns. It was a genuine moment of discipleship for me and the student, a chance for us to learn from each other and make sure that we were caring for and respecting one another.