Message to Math Teachers: Why does he have to mark so hard?
Why does he have to mark so hard?
Why does he have to mark so hard?
Why does he have to mark so hard?
You're in your last year of high school and have a singular objective. Get into the top university for Business. When you're vying for a coveted university spot, every mark matters - it’s the difference between an offer or no-offer.
Nothing new there, but then fathom for a moment that you have a teacher who's a hard marker. Very hard. So hard, it makes the playing field uneven.
Marii, not her real name, was aiming for 90s in her Calculus course because that’s the mark she needed to get the offer she cherished.
Marii was the student who checked each square on what a ‘stellar’ student would look like; the picture of how to prepare throughout high school to be ready for this final act – acceptance into your choice university:
90s in her math the year before.
She had a clear objective.
Was highly motivated.
Followed the steps to understand the math.
Did all her homework.
Solid preparation for tests
Marii wrote her first Calculus test. She understood over 90% of it. Then she got it back.
It was a 65%.
That 65 broke her heart. Devastation does not begin to describe her shock and disappointment. She did everything right, but something was not right. The reason for the 65? The title gives it away, “Why does he have to mark so hard?”.
She did everything right, but something was not right.
There was one question that Marii knew how to answer; she wrote all the steps but made a slip-up error on one step. That question was worth six marks, she was given one mark. One. One out of six. 1 out of 6, 1/6, a 17% mark on a question where her work demonstrated she understood over 90% of the question*.
One slip-up error on a 6-mark question does not equal 1/6 on the question. The math doesn’t make sense. Her full test was marked this way – make a slip-up and many marks taken away. *Most teachers would have given her 5/6 or 5.5/6.
One slip-up error on a 6-mark question does not equal 1/6 on the question.
The math doesn’t make sense.
Backstory: I’ve experienced this ‘hard marker math teacher’ one too many in high school:
Takes the wind out of every student’s sail when a high number of marks are taken off for a lowly slip-up error.
Hurts more when they realize that with another teacher, they would get a much higher mark.
Becomes paralyzing in the last year of high school, when marks are the decider and influencer on where the next step in their academic life will be!
Why does he have to mark so hard?
Is it fair?
What would you do if you were the student?
What would you do if you were the parent?
Message delivered by Edison