Q & A Table of Contents
He Makes Promises, Then Waffles On Delivery
From: Dave, Las Vegas, Nevada
Question: I got a grade in a class in school that was below a B. I negotiated with the teacher to allow me to resubmit 2 assignments.
The teacher told me I did well on the resubmits and I would get at least a B grade for the course.
My problem is the teacher hasn't changed the grade. I am getting nervous. He seems to be waffling on changing the grade. I don't know what to do.
Can you provide some advice?
Response: First you should learn as much as you can about the process a teacher has to follow in order to change an existing grade. He may face some significant bureaucratic rules about changing grades. If this is the case, you may want to approach him as a potential partner, offering to do whatever paperwork you can to assist him through the process.
If the grade-changing process is not that complex, you should learn about the rules the teacher has to follow in terms of satisfying his immediate supervisor(s). You should also try to discover as much as you can regarding his grade-changing history: has he had to do this before? Does he have a negative reputation within his department or school relating to changing grades? In other words, is there any chance that changing your grade might be troublesome for the teacher’s professional reputation? In that case, you may want to meet with him and discuss the issues he faces and brainstorm together ways to overcome the problems.
There is also the chance the teacher is lazy; once the term is over, he wants to get away on vacation and not bother with paperwork. Here it might be a good idea to let him know that you are prepared to be persistent until he fulfills his promise to you. That may motivate him to get you ‘off his back’ on this issue.
You may also want to ask the teacher what he faces in terms of the grade-changing process — trying to discover his interests and objectives as it relates to your situation. Ask him what he is trying to demonstrate to you by making promises and then ‘waffling’ on fulfilling the commitments he has made — but do this very diplomatically.
As a last resort, you should investigate what kind of appeal process is available through the school’s administration. Then you need to determine whether you can succeed at getting the grade changed through the use of that process — and whether it will advance or have a negative impact on your interests.
Good luck,
Steve
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