Tomorrow I hand back a quiz to the undergrad conducting class. There are multiple Ds and Fs. I feel bad. But I shouldn't, right? The teacher in me thinks, "If I have motivated students and they put forth an effort, shouldn't they do better than Ds and Fs?" But I've come to conclude that is the wrong perspective. In teaching high school, if our students fail than there is feeling that the teacher has failed. If any student fails, we have failed in our job. That mentality is very strong. I wanted to teach everyone.
Is it different in college? I'm not sure. I cannot give up on the idea that all students are able to be engaged and learn. But again, my perspective may be wrong. A bad grade does not mean they have not learned.
This thought process is a work in progress.
Tonight my goal is to fall asleep before midnight.
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