In cleaning out my inbox (and we are talking five or so years of old e-mails) I found an e-mail exchange between me and a college administrator about a student that I had assigned a failing grade in Psychology 101. The student rarely, if ever, attended class, never participated, made horrible grades and did not attempt to complete any of the extra credit offered to him. So I gave him the grade he earned--an F.
I am not comfortable with adjusting grades. If any student received a low grade or failed in the class they did absolutely nothing. Time and again they were given opportunities to do extra work and to bring up low grades.
I think making any changes is a disservice to the students who did their work.
Additionally, I think it is a disservice to the students who did not do their share.
As an undergraduate, I failed accounting because I simply decided did not want to go anymore. Failing that class and realizing that there are penalties for lack of performance was one of the most illustrative moments of my academic life.
I copied my boss on the e-mail and that was the end of that (it's nice to have a boss who has your back). And I meant every word I wrote. I had used charm and bullshit to get through so much of high school as well as my undergraduate program. Thank God someone decided I was not going to get away with not going to accounting (I went so few times I cannot remember the man's name or I would name him and thank him now).
He taught me something valuable and it stuck with me; my actions dictated my fate. I hope the student I failed learned something similar instead of blaming it on "mean old Professor Ezell." Taking responsibilities for all our acts--the good as well as the bad--is the difference between being a kid and an adult.
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