Tough day

Today was difficult for me. I had to deal with several students who failed one of my classes. Nursing 123 is different from any class they have ever taken. Instead of memorizing facts and regurgitating them, they have to KNOW the material and THINK about how it applies to a situation. Unfortunately, they haven't always had classes that challenged them to think.

In Nursing 123 the students are introduced to more advanced levels of questions than they have ever seen before. Simply remembering bits of information will not guarantee success. Former "A" students see grades like they have never seen. One such student was in my office today.

This particular student failed the course. I believe she came in thinking she could convince me to give her the points she needed on the final to pass the course. The final wasn't the test that failed her. She had a failing grade before the exam. I don't think she realized that she is not the first person to try to argue her way to a passing grade. She argued almost every question she missed on the exam, hoping that I would see her side. She said she needed 4 questions on the final to give her a passing grade. Did she really think she could bully me into giving her 4 questions after the test was reviewed by faculty? While I appreciate her situation, I had to put my foot down and tell her she was not going to win the fight. I hate being put into the role of bad guy.

I think my biggest complaint about today's confrontation is that I wasn't even the lead instructor for the course. The lead instructor took today off--the day after the final. She should have been the one who handled the students who came by, as I would have done if I were in the position. I'm so used to the way we handled office hours in Texarkana. If you weren't in clinical you were in the office 5 days a week. I don't think I'll ever understand the instructors who maintain only the minimum required number of hours. I want to be accessible to students. That's why I'm here. Plus, our new offices are so darned nice. I really enjoy working in mine!