Voices
cuts to get to the reward with
minimal effort, including cheating, shallow learning, and ineffective cramming. The satisfaction of learning for its own sake
is completely lost.
Rather than worrying so much
about this student’s C+, his litigious parents might want to
worry more about their son’s
Type A reaction to it. It’s easy to
sympathize with his initial distress, but maybe the real lesson
to be learned here is about rising
above setbacks and taking disappointments in stride, rather than
seeking redress. This may be
more a test of character than of
chemistry proficiency.
Have a little faith in college
admissions officers, scholarship committees and employers, too. Even at highly selective
schools, they are real people and
they don’t require students to be
perfect grade-achieving automatons who can walk on water. (I
say this from experience, having
been admitted to an Ivy League
school myself with a C in high
school Chemistry—not even a
C+.) Admissions reps understand
that a C+ in one class can be the
equivalent of an A in another,
and that any number of variables
BONNIE
SNYDER
HUFFINGTON
08.12.12
can influence a grade.
Colleges give applicants opportunities to explain any grades
that seem inconsistent with the
rest of the student’s academic
record, and guidance counselors
can call to discuss special situations and extenuating circumstances. All is not lost.
There’s an old c’est la vie saying that goes, “You can’t spell
Calculus without two ‘Cs’.” If
Maybe the real
lesson to be learned here
is about rising above
setbacks... This may be more
a test of character than
of chemistry proficiency.”
that’s true, then it stands to
reason that you also can’t spell
Chemistry without one ‘C’. It’s
time to lighten up, disgruntled
chem student, and rediscover
your sense of humor. It’s great to
be a high-achieving student, but
it’s even greater to develop the
ability to roll with the punches
rather than resorting to litigation when things don’t
happen to go your way.