Thanksgiving break is just around the corner, and many students’ grade standing in some classes is unknown. Assignments have been submitted, but the turnaround from professors is at a standstill. Without knowing grades, students have no means of knowing how to prepare for the last stretch of the semester.
Some students arguably work as hard if not harder than professors and manage to juggle 12 to 18 and, for a select few, 20 hours of classes. To maintain this quality of work, they must be able to plan ahead and know exactly what is needed throughout the semester to succeed. Since students balance so many classes, work and private lives, professors should respect the deadlines that they set for returning papers.
Professors also have their own private lives to deal with besides their responsibilities at Baylor. Professors could be every bit as busy as students, but ultimately, professors should respect the student enough to return graded work in a timely manner. If the professors set deadlines for returning graded papers, then their students can know when to expect papers – just like professors expecting students to turn in assignments.
Grades are motivational for a lot of people. For example, if a student makes a B, then he or she will most likely strive for an A and adjust study habits, among other things, to achieve that. On the other hand, if students don’t know they made that B, their habits and amount of study time is likely to remain stagnant, ultimately resulting in another B. If professors give an assignment, they should grade and hand it back in a reasonable amount of time so students have the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.
Teachers have complete control over what they assign, and they have the opportunity to know exactly how much time they have to devote to grading. If teachers say they will have it graded, they should have it graded. If a student turns in an assignment late, there would be a penalty. It is a double standard to expect any less from those doing the educating. Professors should hold themselves to the same standard, even if a penalty won’t come for delayed grading.
It is important to note that while a student only turns in one 10-page paper, a teacher may have 20 10-page papers to grade. While it is hard to equate these workloads, both parties have a hefty load and both are working hard. However, deadlines should not be thrown to the wind just because the work piles up.
Professors should not forsake grading thoroughly just to meet a deadline, though. An avenue of transparency between students and professors needs to be opened in this circumstance. If the professor doesn’t have the grading done, then simply let the students know.
We can acknowledge that everyone busts deadline, including professors. While it is not OK, once a semester is understandable. Most students will be late to class or turn in a homework assignment late at some point. But, as in any situation, making habits out of bad behavior is when the problem begins. For either students or teachers to value the others’ time, the respect must be and should be mutual.
For a class to run smooth, it is imperative that teachers hand assignment back in a timely manner and in doing so they should give themselves a reasonable deadline to have it graded.
