College Education

     As a student, I can certainly relate to the internalized personal standards, although I try not to be too disconcerted when I do received a B. At least I know that I tried, maybe not enough because I did not ask enough questions or understand the material as completely as my instructor wished, but I tried.

     Ms. Shepard’s article was informative and was supported by her own teaching and parental experiences as well as the experiences of other teachers and students. My belief is that a teacher should not budge on a grade and should have the numbers to support the final decision of that grade.

     Ms. Shepard’s article differed from S. Georgia Nugent’s article College Makeover(2008) which asks the reader “What is the knowledge most worth having?” (pp. 434) and is her opinion and thoughts about a morality based education (pp. 443-446). Ms. Nugent states that her “…goal is not the mastery of a subject but maturity as an adult–attaining a degree of self understanding, an appreciation for the limits of the human condition, empathy for others, and a sense of responsibility for evil society” (pp.435).

     I thought Ms. Nugent posed some very good questions about what a techer’s goal should be and supported it with national surveys, but did not mention who did the surveys.

     Perhaps the grades we as students receive reflect our own dedication to the pursuit of our education, and if we are not achieving the grades we desire then perhaps we should evaluate the reasons for which we are receiving our education.

Works Cited

Nugent, S. G. (2008). College Makeover. In G. Goshgarian, The Contemporary Reader (pp.443-446). New York:

     Pearson Longman. 

Shepard, A. (2008). A’s for Everyone. In G. Goshgarian, The Contemporary Reader (pp. 417-422). New York:

     Pearson Longman