After His Lucky Grades...

My grades for the Fall 2005 term have come in. I busted my butt to get good grades this last semester. I think I put more time and money into my grades this semester than any previous. I also think that I have killed more than my fair share of trees as well (thank you, English 315).

One class that has, and continues, to complicate the grade issues is IS307, AKA Systems Analysis and Design. One day the teacher took about 40+ minutes to explain his grading rubric. He wrote on the board a bunch of symbols. There was a check, a "+", a "-" and a 0. Apparently, we are to decipher a check+, a regular check, a check- , and a 0 into some coherent grading system. He explained that a check+ was basically an "A". A regular check was a "B". A check- was a "C". and 0 meant "F". So, I bet you are thinking the same thing I was. "Uh, excuse me for being a cynic, but, if each of those is simply a different way of meaning the standard grading system, why not just use that standard grading system?"

He didn't like my answer. He explained that each symbol can only be interpreted as such grade equivalents and are not those. He then went on explaining how they were tallied and such. By this time my eyes and the 36 eyes of the other 18 students were glazed over. Next thing I knew I saw him in green shorts. Then a green pipe hat with a large green four leaf clover sticking out of it. He was singing about our new lucky grading system. We had blue diamonds, pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, green clovers, purple horseshoes, pots of gold, rainbows and red balloons; each tallied up with his rainbow magic to give us our lucky grades. "Aw, yer always after me lucky grades..."

Including his class, my semester's grades are as follows:

ICS 262	CULTR COMM ASIA	A-
COMM 211	MEDIA WRITING	A
COMM 280	COMM CULTR & GENDER	A
IS 307	SYS ANALYSIS DESIGN	Green Clovers
ENGL 315	EXPOSITION & REPORT WRITING	A
Semester Total = 3.925

Now, if you do the math, his lucky green clovers are worth nothing. His overly confusing grading system that he couldn't even figure out made it impossible to have our grades in by the time they were due. I am pretty darn sure I got his Pot of Gold, also known as an "A", but I have no way to be sure.

I might make fun of him, but he is actually a very nice guy. I enjoy his company as a person. However, if you ever get this same teacher, I recommend you bring along a lucky rabbit's foot to rub during his lectures.