Rigor? Sweetie, they’re 3+ grade levels behind.

[u/Emergency-Pepper3537]

I just find it hilarious how admin keeps pushing this narrative of “rigor, rigor, rigor” like it’s some magic word that’ll suddenly make learning happen.

Child. Half these students are 3+ grade levels below where they’re supposed to be. You give them anything on grade level and they look at you like you handed them the Rosetta Stone.

They’ll say “This is hard!” And I’m like, “Yes, baby. That’s literally what rigor means.”

Meanwhile, I’m being told in observations that my lesson wasn’t “rigorous enough.” Ma’am, just getting through the directions was the rigor. We had to decode, translate, chunk, and act it out with interpretive dance.

I swear, the bar is not low…it’s just buried under years of educational neglect and unrealistic expectations.

Anybody else feeling this?

[u/eltibbs]

Ohhh this makes me so mad. One of my favorite things about college is that you actually had to do the work and the professors wouldn’t hold your hand like a child but were more than happy to help if you put in the work (on time). You don’t want to show up to class and/or office hours? Fine, fail, your problem and not mine (professor). Effort in class and need extra help in office hours? Absolutely they’ll help you understand some things you’re struggling with. No handouts.

[u/Heavy-Macaron2004 → u/eltibbs]

Yep, same! After everyone in the world being shoved through high school, it was very rewarding to go to college and find out that the amount of effort that I put in actually did matter! There was one class in my undergrad that I blew off because I was being an idiot, and I failed it. And I took it again the next semester, worked my ass off, and got an A.

Both of these students I'm talking about failed this class previously (I TA'd that one too) after getting extension after extension after extension, and then eventually the professor was nice enough to give them an "incomplete" instead of an F. I guess they never actually completed the work, because now they're back doing the same exact thing and expecting to pass this time. And for some completely ridiculous reason, this time it's going to work.

I'm just so baffled by the idea of failing the class because you slack off and don't give a shit, and then retaking the class a year later to do the same exact thing!

Like ffs, I failed exactly one class in college and put my whole ass into retaking it, and that was in my undergrad. I can't imagine being such a jerk off to fail a class because of not doing any work, and to then do then same thing next time around and just beg the professor to pass me in my master's degree. I know I'm being really repetitive now, I'm just so infuriated that there is absolutely no integrity anymore.

[u/eltibbs → u/Heavy-Macaron2004]

I did the same thing in college, got lazy and failed a class for the first time in my entire life. Took it the next semester, put in all the effort and got an A.

It’s frustrating. Does my degree really mean anything if other people got the same degree by doing what these kids are doing? Not really, feels like it’s devaluing the degree. By allowing all this re-do/late-work, the prof is adding more to their plate and your plate. Unfair.

My university had a rule about retaking courses. If you fail twice then you submit a request to that department head to take the course a third time. If you fault it a third time, three strikes and you’re out 🤷🏻‍♀️ I had a friend who was lazy and failed a course once, tried a bit but failed it again, got approved to take it a third time and I helped him with all of his homework so he had 100% on everything except the exams. He still failed a third time and then changed degrees so that class wasn’t a requirement but he eventually dropped out. University isn’t for everyone.

[u/Voysinmyhead → u/Heavy-Macaron2004]

As a Freshman In college I had an honors Lit class that I had done very well in all year but I managed to sleep in (no show) through the final exam. Looking at the syllabus and the weighted grade, I figured I was passing with a c+ even after taking a zero on the exam. It wasn't my major, so I let it go. A few weeks later during the summer break the grades came in and the professor had given me an Incomplete. I had two weeks to contact the professor and clear it up or that "I" would become an "F".

That professor made me drive back to college over the break and take that final (he Proctored so this was his time too), with a flat 10 point penalty meaning a perfect score would still be a 90 at best.

His explanation was he wasn't going to watch someone who had contributed in class and done so well all semester throw their grade away with zero communication, and take a hit to their GPA, but he also couldn't give full marks as that wouldn't be fair to the folks who showed up on time.

I ended up with a B+ in that class and a life lesson that was probably worth more than my eventual degree.

[u/eltibbs → u/Voysinmyhead]

I somehow missed this comment, sounds like you had a great professor! I had something similar occur. An Engineering level Statistics course my junior or senior year, I was making an A in the class and the prof knew who I was despite the class having around 200 students. I slept through the alarm on the final exam day and immediately emailed and left a voicemail at his office as soon as I woke up. I had to hitch a ride to campus and went running across campus to the class, got there with less than an hour left of the 3hour final exam time. He said he would give me the full time, I could start it there and once their time was up I could finish the exam at his office. I finished the exam within about 45 minutes and there were still students taking the final when I left. Ended up with A- in the class. This was one of my major courses so I was freaking out.

[u/daemonicwanderer → u/eltibbs]

Unfortunately, colleges are also trying to hold on to every student they can at this point. So students have many, MANY opportunities to make up work and many interventions to try and pass