Dear Student II
Dear Student,
Much like the last student letter I wrote, this one has been a long time coming. I've watched you enter class each day, dragging your overloaded bag behind you. You usually have a soda in your other hand and a quick grin on your face. You sit right in the front corner, near my podium, and you pay so much attention to what I say, that I always hope the words will sit right in your head. I pray that when you nod your head up and down, you are doing so because you comprehend what I'm saying. But as I found out today, when I spoke to you at great length, it is clear that you do not understand anything. At least when it comes to Anatomy and Physiology.
So unlike last semester, when I lamented the presence of a student because that student never even bothered to try, I lament now that I have to say this to you: I think you need to go. As much as I enjoy having you in my class and answering your questions and as much as I want to help you understand the intricacies of the plasma membrane, the writing is on the wall, as they say. (Or, on the Smartboard.)
Why, you ask? Because you're missing out on the fundamentals. (I won't belabor the point and go into the details. That would be like rubbing salt into a wound.) But without comprehension of those fundamentals, learning anything beyond a narrow scope of focus will be difficult, if not impossible. Don't believe me? Look at your scores. (And truly, I KNOW it's not all about the scores. But when we spoke today, despite what you said, I could hear that you didn't understand what I was talking about...that the information seemed new to you, when really, we'd covered it three times in class.)
So, much to my dismay, I think you should walk away from this course. That means you will need to deal with a W on your record, but W is better than an F when it comes to the GPA. And instead of registering for my course again in the fall, I'd suggest finding an alternate class--a lower level biology perhaps, or a course that provides the basic biology and chemistry background necessary for true comprehension of the body systems. If you do as I suggest, I think you'll thank me.
It's a tough job, this teacher thing. Especially when you care for your students. And you? I care about you. Which is why I'm writing. (In case you didn't quite get that.)
Sincerely,
Your Teacher
Much like the last student letter I wrote, this one has been a long time coming. I've watched you enter class each day, dragging your overloaded bag behind you. You usually have a soda in your other hand and a quick grin on your face. You sit right in the front corner, near my podium, and you pay so much attention to what I say, that I always hope the words will sit right in your head. I pray that when you nod your head up and down, you are doing so because you comprehend what I'm saying. But as I found out today, when I spoke to you at great length, it is clear that you do not understand anything. At least when it comes to Anatomy and Physiology.
So unlike last semester, when I lamented the presence of a student because that student never even bothered to try, I lament now that I have to say this to you: I think you need to go. As much as I enjoy having you in my class and answering your questions and as much as I want to help you understand the intricacies of the plasma membrane, the writing is on the wall, as they say. (Or, on the Smartboard.)
Why, you ask? Because you're missing out on the fundamentals. (I won't belabor the point and go into the details. That would be like rubbing salt into a wound.) But without comprehension of those fundamentals, learning anything beyond a narrow scope of focus will be difficult, if not impossible. Don't believe me? Look at your scores. (And truly, I KNOW it's not all about the scores. But when we spoke today, despite what you said, I could hear that you didn't understand what I was talking about...that the information seemed new to you, when really, we'd covered it three times in class.)
So, much to my dismay, I think you should walk away from this course. That means you will need to deal with a W on your record, but W is better than an F when it comes to the GPA. And instead of registering for my course again in the fall, I'd suggest finding an alternate class--a lower level biology perhaps, or a course that provides the basic biology and chemistry background necessary for true comprehension of the body systems. If you do as I suggest, I think you'll thank me.
It's a tough job, this teacher thing. Especially when you care for your students. And you? I care about you. Which is why I'm writing. (In case you didn't quite get that.)
Sincerely,
Your Teacher
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