Student sues to get A+, not A.

[danacara]

1. I think that this lawsuit will alienate this kid at his high school as much or more than he already may be. When you were in high school, how would you have treated the kid who got an A and promptly sued over it? What a loser. Clearly Mom and Dad do not realize that there is a social component to high school that is more meaningful than the kid's grade in paralegal class;

2. Did all of his honors classmates also have the option of enrolling in this co-op type program? If all of your competitors received As as well, didn't that basically level the playing field;

3. If not, why did the dingbat (edit: please excuse my language, i was surprised that it wasn't st*rred out) sign up for this class anyway? (Reason = he could have sat there surfing playboy.com every day and Mom was going to give him a top grade - it was a sure thing.) Even given that, wasn't it spelled out in advance that this program didn't award A+ grades? Shouldn't he have figured this problem out beforehand;

4. Grades are to college what paycheck is to job. They are the "end of the day." Some people work purely for pay, others work for the job and basically disregard compensation. The same is true with school. There is no right or wrong philosophy on this count, we're all different;

5. I was valedictorian of my HS class and it absolutely helped me get into an Ivy League college. I was an honors grad in college and it absolutely helped me get my current job, which is basically a delightful professional position. It is my observation that the name of a top college gets you interviews at will, for positions that don't necessarily exist but the company will willingly create. The relationships are absolutely there with respect to high scholastic performance and ability to achieve other goals and objectives;

6. My college has no A+ grading aside from the mandatory senior thesis. Naturally this is an impediment for those students applying to med/law/mba programs. The college's response? That's the way the cookie crumbles. It's non-negotiable. COPE. And that would be the same response I'd give to Mr. Popularity, the 11th grader who brought the suit.

 

[RitaZ.]

It is my observation that the name of a top college gets you interviews at will, for positions that don't necessarily exist but the company will willingly create

Dana, you made some excellent points.

I agree with the first part of this statement, but not the latter. My brother earned a J.D. from an Ivy League school, also attended another Ivy League school for his undergraduate degree. The firm that he was working for had to let go all of their junior associates in December (1 week before Christmas), he was one of them. Yes, he did receive generous compensation, but he is still unemployed. While he hasn't had any difficulty getting interviews, and the law firms are quite impressed with his credentials, no one has offered to create a position solely for him. There is no doubt that his credentials impress potential employers and they have opened doors for my brother. However, I doubt that employers would willingly create a position specifically for an Ivy League/top college grad. I really don't see that happening in today's economy.

 

[Banzai]

Originally posted by smileybrat
it's the teachers decision. if they feel the student deserves an a instead of an a+ it's their choice. i don't think they should be able to sue.

The student earns the A. He doesnt deserve it, it is his from his work. I say, "Deal with it".

 

[SPAGo 98]

 

[roque]

whatever,whatever, w h a t e v e r

 

[Val]

Whatever happened to students EARNING a grade? As a college professor I get awfully tired of the entitlement approach, as in, "I am a premed major and I NEED an A, so even though I only EARNED an 89 percent you MUST raise my grade because otherwise you are responsible for keeping me out of med school".......

I do not want a doctor who did not EARN their grades and as a result puts my life in jeopardy due to their lack of actual knowledge....I do not want my children educated by a teacher who cannot teach, but was only given a grade to "keep" them in the program....I do not want to drive across a bridge built my an engineer who's profesors "rounded" to give him/her a break. You earn what you earn (kinda like you reap what you sow)....

I make my courses darn difficult to fail. They also require a fair degree of studying. You earn what you earn. I am there to help you learn- but I am NOT there to earn your degree for you (you see, I already EARNED mine).....

.....and my the way, I EARNED the highest teaching award at my university. I really care about students who WANT to learn. Its those who can't seem to wake up and actually come to class, but then whine abou how unfair I was that I wish would.......well, that's not nice so I will stop here.

 

[jfulcer]

Originally posted by Disney845
I am confident that my skills and abilities are what will take me to where I want to go, not my university or HS grades. I was only trying to convey my opinion that grades do mean more than "zilch" in life.

Awesome! That kind of attitude will, IMHO, open more doors for <i>anyone</i> - more than grades will.

I agree that the difference between an A student and a C student will open more doors. But in a situation where the door is open for both there is good chance that the C student may excel in the interview. I guess my whole point (along with the other posters) is to point out that TOO much stress is placed on the grades, especially in this situation.

If it were me interviewing this guy some years down the road (of course, if I were in HR too.. ), and I heard that he sued to get his grade changed, I might NOT hire him because he's proven that he can't handle dealing with tough situations. I know that's weird, and snoopy (isn't the HR rep here on the DIS?) would probably tell me it's illegal, but there would be that voice in the back of my head.

 

[becka]

Originally posted by jfulcer

I agree that the difference between an A student and a C student will open more doors. But in a situation where the door is open for both there is good chance that the C student may excel in the interview. I guess my whole point (along with the other posters) is to point out that TOO much stress is placed on the grades, especially in this situation.

This reminded me that I once had an employer tell me that he would never hire someone with a 4.0 GPA because he said that in his experience they could not handle failures and/or criticism well. Both of which are necessary in the programming/system analysis fields.