Before
I get started today, here is a short 3 minute video
that my university produced where I talk about great teaching. I was allowed to write the questions so it was interesting to consider what questions I
wanted to address.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgH5-ynmOmo&list=PLL1AktCDmRQisJ9YnIJoUQXUvH0pjyzjY
**
Since
I first began writing this blog, I have virtually never repeated an essay. One of the primary reasons that I created
this site is that it forces me to think of new things to say and do. It helps my teaching stay fresh. However, I loosely based the following essay
on a posting I published back in 2012. I
updated my earlier posting for two reasons:
(1)
– Over the years, I have had more professors tell me that they adopted this specific idea than any other idea I have ever circulated (without a doubt). Teachers quickly recognize the benefit and
like how it rewards good work and helps get new students
ready for the upcoming semester.
(2) –
It is a topic that is on my mind at the moment.
I just sent out these emails a day or two ago. Very little I do as a teacher is more likely
to make me smile. I hope you will get
the same enjoyment from this as I do.
**
Over
the past weekend, I graded final exams, read term papers, and computed averages and
awarded course grades. In one course,
23.8 percent of the students made an A and in my other course, 21.4 percent
made an A. I always want more
outstanding work but these percentages were fairly typical.
After determining the grades but before I post them officially, I always email
every student who made an A to let them know of their accomplishment. I have two goals for this email, two very
specific goals. (I like to tell people
that when it comes to teaching, I never do anything randomly.)
GOAL
ONE:
Each
of my two courses was challenging. I
pushed the students to be prepared for every class. I called on them in class every day and questioned them—often
intensely—about the material at hand.
The tests were hard. The semester
was long. This was no picnic.
At
the end, the A students had shown consistently excellent work. I had no doubt that they deserved the grade
of A. Consequently, I really wanted them
to know how proud I was of their work. I
wanted them to hear it directly from me.
I know they will get a formal report from the university that will show
the grade of A but that seems so impersonal.
Somehow that just does not seem to be an adequate amount of recognition.
I want each of those students to feel
very special.
I
often think that the reason we do not get as much outstanding work as we want
from our students is that we do not acknowledge personally those people who
actually do outstanding work. Why work so hard if no one is going to
notice? I think that is a sentiment
that every person in authority should ponder.
GOAL
TWO:
No
one knows more about how to earn an A than the students who just did it. Therefore, I want them to convey that message
to my next group of students. Students
do not necessarily take advice from professors but are often inclined to listen
carefully to advice from their peers.
Notice in my email that I ask them to tell me how they made an A. Be serious and be honest. Rell me exactly how you
went about earning the grade of A in my class.
I accumulate all that advice into a Word document that I forward to my
next class of students. “Read this – it comes
from my current A students. They will
tell you how to make an A. Learn from
them what you need to do to excel.”
Below
is what I wrote and emailed a few days ago to my A students. I really would urge you to consider doing
something similar. It might seem corny
to you but I bet that it will not seem corny to the students. (I cannot tell you how many students have
written back to me over the years to tell me how much they cried when they got
my note about them making an A. I
obviously never set out to make anyone cry but it does indicate how special the
recognition of hard work can be to a young student. I often say that the world
would be a much more efficient and effective place if we all gave out a lot
more pats on the back.)
I get
back some genuinely nice responses. Here is
one that I got this morning. “Thank you
so much for this kind e-mail. I have worked harder for your class than I have
for any other class in my academic career, and it is so rewarding knowing that
my hard work has paid off. Since
September, I have had a small piece of paper taped onto my laptop with the goal
“Get an A in Accounting” written on it. Taking
it off in the coming weeks will be satisfying knowing that I met my goal but
also bittersweet with the class being over.”
**
December
18, 2018
Congratulations!!!
I am
sending this note to you as one of the students who earned the grade of A this
semester in our accounting course.
Although 28 students took the course, only 6 (21.4 percent) managed to
earn the grade of A. And, you did it –
Congratulations!! On the first day of
the semester, I told the class that it would take truly outstanding work to
earn an A. And, you did outstanding
work. That is never easy. You should be proud of yourself and your
effort.
I
very much appreciate the work that it took to excel in such a challenging
class. Few classes on any college campus
are as demanding as our Intermediate Accounting II course. From the first day of the semester to the
last, we pushed through some complicated material: gift cards, bundling, callable
debt, frequent flyer miles, bonds, leases, deferred taxes, pension plans,
comprehensive income, earnings per share, statement of cash flows, stock
options, and much more. It is quite a
list but it takes a deep knowledge of such topics to truly understand how accounting works.
Even
before the semester began, I said that I would throw out odd and complex
problems and then help you figure out how to report them so that they would be
fairly presented in conformity with accounting rules. You did the work that was necessary to
achieve that goal. You didn’t let the
challenge overwhelm you. I am proud of
you and pleased for you. I sincerely
believe that all 28 students who started the course back in August had the
ability to make an A. But you were one
of the few who managed to achieve the goal.
In life, success comes from a lot more than just ability. It comes from taking on challenges and
investing the time necessary to be outstanding.
I occasionally get frustrated that more students don’t set out to
excel. However, I cannot say that about
you.
Go
out and celebrate your accomplishment!
Not many people can say they made an A in this course. It is always fun for me to have students who
want to do well and then do the work necessary to make it happen.
As
you will likely remember, I always ask students who make an A in my class to
write a short paragraph or two directed to next semester’s students to explain
exactly how you did it. I really believe
this provides important guidance that can help the next batch of students do
their best. You figured out what I
wanted and then you did it. Many
students never seem to catch on to my goals.
It is always helpful when the A students at the end of one semester
explain success to the next group of students: “Everyone can make an A in
this class but you really have to do certain things.” Okay, what are those
things?
I
only ask two things as you write this paragraph: be serious and tell the truth. There is really nothing more I can ask of you
than that.
Have
a great holiday break. Spend time doing stuff
that will expand your horizons and make you think more deeply. Read a good book, see a thoughtful movie,
check out a museum. Those are the type
of experiences that can change the rest of your life (for the better). Never let life fall into a rut. Open your mind and pour as much interesting
stuff into it as you can. Hopefully,
that is one of the lessons that you will take with you from our class.
Congratulations
again. It has been a genuine pleasure having the opportunity to work with
you.
