[nabs-l] professors and preferential treatment

Thu Apr 21 04:49:24 UTC 2011

Thanks for clarifying. I understand now why your testing arrangements
make the most sense for this particular course. It does sound like
skipping the final is a more convenient arrangement for both you and
your professor, and I don't see a problem with accepting it. You are
getting a break in having your current (pre-final) grade bumped up
from a C to a B, but it sounds like this is because this is how your
prof handles repeat students, not because of your blindness.
Arielle

On 4/20/11, Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> wrote:
> Arielle,
>   Yes, I was going to take the final late because of alternative
> testing procedures.  Since this class is pretty heavily mathematical,
> I use a brailler and take the test with a TA as a scribe...so I work
> out the problem in braille, then read the TA the problem.  For this
> class, doing the test on a laptop just wouldn't be practical for me,
> although I'll definitely keep the suggestion in mind for future
> classes.
>   So...yeah, the reason I would've taken the final late is
> blindness-related.  In that regard, blindness was a factor, but I'm ok
> with the arrangement my professor worked out.  Do any of you guys
> think I shouldn't be?
>   Take care,
> Kirt
>
> On 4/20/11, Arielle Silverman <nabs.president at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi Kurt,
>> I'm a little confused-did the final already happen for the rest of the
>> students? If so, were you planning to take it later because of
>> alternative testing procedures? Or, has your section's final not
>> happened yet?
>> You're definitely in a tough situation and I admire you for seeking
>> the fair path rather than the easy one. I do have a couple of comments
>> based on my past work as a teaching assistant. First, nowadays there
>> is a lot of external pressure on professors to be lenient (sometimes
>> overly so) in their grading. It does sound like this guy is generally
>> very lenient in his grading for all students. Since he did say he
>> offers grade adjustments to all students who repeat the class, it
>> doesn't sound to me like blindness was a factor at all in the
>> decision, unless, as I asked about above, you are taking the final
>> later than everyone else because of your particular testing
>> accommodations. This brings me to my second observation from teaching
>> and that is that oftentimes professors don't like dealing with late
>> tests. We tend to grade tests (and especially finals) all at once and
>> so it takes some extra effort to grade the tests that come in later
>> and add the new grades to the gradebook. I have TA'ed for professors
>> who have waived students' late finals in order to avoid this extra
>> hassle. So if you are needing to take the final exam late because of
>> alternative testing procedures, it may well just be easier for your
>> professor to not have to grade it.
>> One way to avoid having to take tests late, if you don't already do
>> this, is to request to take your tests on your laptop in the regular
>> classroom. Your prof can email you the test, or give it to you on a
>> thumb drive, and you can email it back. In my experience about 95% of
>> professors are fine with this arrangement. This has the advantage that
>> your test is received and scored at roughly the same time as everyone
>> else's.
>> Best of luck!
>> Arielle
>>
>> On 4/20/11, bookwormahb at earthlink.net <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
>>> Kirt,
>>> How good of you to ensure your grade is fair rather than out of sympathy
>>> or
>>> something because you're blind.
>>> I'd say if the final would raise your grade then take it. But if it would
>>> be
>>> lower, just go with the work you've already done.
>>> Also another idea to earn the grade is extra work or doing the homework
>>> you
>>> missed for some credit.
>>>
>>> Ashley
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Kirt Manwaring
>>> Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 11:53 PM
>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] professors and preferential treatment
>>>
>>> Dear nabs list,
>>>   So here is my professor's reply to my email.  I'm accepting it, but
>>> I feel a little guilty about doing so.  He offered to let me not count
>>> the final exam because he offered the same to other students who were
>>> taking the exam late.  I want to hear your guys' thoughts, I'm still a
>>> little bit hesitant to do this even though I know I probably will.
>>>   (message begins below)
>>> Ahoy Kirt:
>>>
>>> Thanks for your e-mails. Honestly, I can't say that your blindness was
>>> not a factor in deciding your grade, but if it was, it wasn't
>>> decisive. On your exams you averaged a B. True, you didn't do the
>>> homework. That would have lowered your grade a full letter. But I
>>> almost always raise, by one grade, the grade of any student who is
>>> repeating the class--after listening to my corny jokes for two
>>> semesters, I think they deserve it. So that brings us to the final. On
>>> Monday, while we were grading the exams, two students who had medical
>>> excuses to take the exam late, were just about to get started. I
>>> basically told them, what [teachers aid name omitted] probably told
>>> you, namely: I'm willing to give them the grade they had already
>>> earned in the course so they didn't need to take the final unless they
>>> wanted to or unless they thought they could improve their grade by
>>> doing so. One of them got an A the other a C+, but they were both
>>> content with the grade I offered them and neither took the final. So
>>> if I cut you some extra slack on account of your blindness, it wasn't
>>> much. You were graded pretty consistently with everyone else. If, at
>>> some point, you would still like to take the final, you can tell
>>> [teachers aid name omitted]--she has a copy just in case you want to
>>> take it.
>>>
>>> Hope that clarifies things a bit.
>>>
>>> Cheers
>>> [professor's name omitted]
>>>
>>> On 4/20/11, Serena Cucco <serenacucco at verizon.net> wrote:
>>>> Hi Kurt,
>>>>
>>>> I think you're doing the honorable thing by making sure your prof. isn't
>>>> giving you a B just cuz you're blind and you might well be correct that
>>>> he/she is.  I hope he/she learns from your honesty.  BTW, what
>>>> accommodations did you use or know you should've used?  I'm wondering
>>>> cuz
>>>> I'm taking Stats this summer online through Rutgers.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>> Serena
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>>> Behalf
>>>> Of Kirt Manwaring
>>>> Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 7:35 PM
>>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>>> Subject: [nabs-l] professors and preferential treatment
>>>>
>>>> Dear nabs list,
>>>>   So I'm currently retaking a class I took last semester.  It's a
>>>> logic class, which involves a lot of tables.  Last semester I took the
>>>> class, I got a d+, mostly because I was lazy and didn't do all the
>>>> homework, which made me bomb a few tests.  This semester I did enough
>>>> in the class to probably get a grade in the C range...but today I
>>>> found out the professor isn't requiring me to take the final and he's
>>>> giving me a flat B in the class.  I'm putting a copy of the letter I
>>>> sent this professor below my message here, I'd love to know what you
>>>> think of it.  If he's giving me the B just to be merciful, as I know
>>>> some professors do to students who struggle in classes (especially
>>>> this professor, he gives students breaks and errs on the side of
>>>> compassion when handing out grades to all his students), but I want to
>>>> make sure him cutting me this slack has nothing to do with my
>>>> blindness.  And I fear blindness is a factor...I'm not sure if this
>>>> letter will prompt him to change his mind and give me the grade I
>>>> deserve, but at least I tried.
>>>> -------------
>>>> Dear [professor's name omitted],
>>>>  [teacher's aid's name omitted] just told me I'm not required to take
>>>> the final and I'm
>>>> getting a B in the class.  I apreciate the sentiment of what you're
>>>> doing...and, honestly, a B would look much better on my GPA than what
>>>> I probably deserve.  It would certainly be more advantageous for me to
>>>> get a B in the class.  But I can't help feeling it's cheating me of a
>>>> valuable learning experience, and here's why.
>>>>  In retaking the class, I knew exactly what I was in for.  I still
>>>> chose to be lazy and not do most of my homework.  In retaking the
>>>> class, I was totally aware of the accomodations I needed to make with
>>>> the course...and those accomodations were made in such a way as to
>>>> pretty much make my blindness a non-factor.  Or at least a very
>>>> minimal factor.
>>>>  I knew exactly what I needed to do in the course to be successful,
>>>> and I didn't do it all.  I did do better the second time around...but
>>>> I honestly think my homework score the second semester taking the
>>>> course was worse than it was the first time I took it.  If we're going
>>>> purely by points, I'd probably deserve somewhere in the C range.  And
>>>> I'm totally aware a B looks much better on my GPA.  But I didn't do
>>>> the work to deserve that kind of grade.
>>>>  If you're cutting me a break to be compassionate...I'm really not
>>>> going to argue because I like having a B on my transcript.  But I feel
>>>> a little uneasy about it because I know I don't deserve it and, were I
>>>> not blind, I doubt you'd be quite so kind.  And I can honestly say my
>>>> blindness wasn't the reason I gave you C quality work.  I know you've
>>>> had blind students do amazing in your class before.  I know how to be
>>>> successful as a blind student...I just didn't do everything I needed
>>>> to to get a B grade.  And, although it's really attractive to me and
>>>> I'm kicking myself for asking you this, I hope you'll reconsider and
>>>> give me the grade I deserve rather than the grade I want.
>>>>  Take care and thanks for the class,
>>>> Kirt
>>>>
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>>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Arielle Silverman
>> President, National Association of Blind Students
>> Phone:  602-502-2255
>> Email:
>> nabs.president at gmail.com
>> Website:
>> www.nabslink.org
>>
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>
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-- 
Arielle Silverman
President, National Association of Blind Students
Phone:  602-502-2255
Email:
nabs.president at gmail.com
Website:
www.nabslink.org