Is 95 really the best you can get?

[jaxsue]

It seems like DD is ready for college at this point; nothing is ever perfect for graduate level courses according to the professors or department board.

This.

One of my most effective college profs gave high 90s at best. It was an expository writing course, and he put us through the wringer! You had to work off your you-know-what in his class. Then he'd have you re-write it until it was up to his standards. I got the highest grade in the class and worked harder than I'd ever worked in my life. I got an A, and I earned it. I recall a lot of the students failed or came close to failing.

The result? I learned stuff from him that I use to this day. It helped me immensely as a copy editor (which, sadly, is a dying job sector) and as a writer. And I'm grateful that he was so tough on us.

OP, your DD is being prepped for college and, honestly, the real world this way. I agree with PPs that you're too involved. This is no big deal.

[Diane AKA Traska]

Here's the thing though.  If the teacher honestly cannot offer a single thing a student can do to improve, shouldn't *that* earn a 100?  If not, why even grade on a 1 to 100 scale?

EDIT: Correcting some grammar issues, for which I gave myself an 83.

[LadyL]

I am afraid I will be brushed off and quiet little Hortense will continue to shrink away, because she will not see the point in trying. 

If there is even the most remote possibility of this truly happening in the grand scheme of her life you have failed her as a parent and as her original teacher.

Grades don't matter in the real word. 

The point of doing school work is NOT to get a good grade from someone else for someone else.  The point is to improve herself and to impress herself.  If she can only be happy with a 100 from someone else your daughter hasn't learned her own self worth. 

Yes, 95 is good.  But, it does not teach my daughter anything.

This has got to be the meanest thing I can ever imagine any parent ever uttering about their child's school work.

I have to POD WillyNilly here. In college I had dozens of professors and they all graded differently, some more fair than others. I had a 3.9 GPA and graduated summa cum laude but I had plenty of A- grades from professors who were just very tough, or in some cases the class was so uninteresting that I wasn't motivated to put in the extra work for an A. If anything I wish I had been more ok with a few B+/A- grades because I missed out on a lot of the "college experience" because I often cared more about grades than about how much I was actually *learning.*

If you think getting the highest grade in the class while still being told there is an opportunity to do better doesn't "teach your daughter anything" then you are sending the message that the learning experience doesn't matter, only grades do. One of the best courses I ever took in college, a Master's level Shakespeare course, I got a B+ on my first paper. That was unheard of for me. I worked hard and got an A- on the second paper, and an A on the final paper (and an A in the course). It actually taught me that even though my writing skills were strong there is always room for improvement.

[bonyk]

Here's the thing though.  If the teacher honestly cannot offer a single thing a student can do to improve, shouldn't *that* earn a 100?  If not, why even grade on a 1 to 100 scale?

No, it shouldn't.  The philosophy of the school has determined this.  They did not ask for input.  People who disagree are free to find another institution to send their children.

[JenJay]

Never giving a 100% teaches kids one thing:  Don't try so hard.  You won't be recognized for it, so why bother?

If a teacher told me that he never came across a paper written by one of his students that was worthy of a 100%, I'd be tempted to pat him on the hand and say "Don't feel so bad.  You'll get the hang of teaching, and then I'm sure you'll be able to teach them well enough that can write those papers."

I agree.

I understand what PPs are saying about RM being overly concerned about a 95 versus a 100, but I'd be really annoyed if my child was told they'd never earn over a 95, period. Imagine if your boss called you in for an annual performance review and said "On a scale of zero to five you got a four. Don't worry, I know you work really hard and are one of my top employees, but I never give a five. Ever." Okay, fine for this job, but I don't want to explain to my next employer why I never managed to score an excellent review. To be honest if the person down the row isn't putting in 100% and also gets a four, I'm going to be pissed. I'll either scale back my own effort or continue working my butt off but resent it until it affects my enjoyment of the job.

[Diane AKA Traska]

That 5% is room for improvement and your daughter can write an even better essay next time. If all 'great' essays get 100% then that leaves no room for rating each one against each other. To expect teachers to exclaim 'yes, that's it, it's the ultimate essay ever, 100% A++++++' ? it's like that bit in the Christmas Story. It doesn't need to happen.

Even if the teacher can't think of a single thing the student could have improved?

[perpetua]

I can't express how deeply it saddens me that we now live in a world where 95 (%?) is no longer considered 'good enough' by the very parents who should be congratulating their kids on a job excellently done.

How on earth are these kids ever supposed to feel as if they measure up?

[WillyNilly]

Here's the thing though.  If the teacher honestly cannot offer a single thing a student can do to improve, shouldn't *that* earn a 100?  If not, why even grade on a 1 to 100 scale?

EDIT: Correcting some grammar issues, for which I gave myself an 83.

Because the teacher can't explain or teach 'soul' and 'feeling' but I'd be willing to bet that a kid who thinks the only thing that matters are grades and not ultimate personal value is missing a certain indescribable but oh so important element to absolutely everything she writes.

[JenJay]

I can't express how deeply it saddens me that we now live in a world where 95 (%?) is no longer considered 'good enough' by the very parents who should be congratulating their kids on a job excellently done.

How on earth are these kids ever supposed to feel as if they measure up?

I don't think RM would be upset if her DD earned a 95. I think she's upset that her DD was told she cannot earn higher than a 95, regardless. RM's DD was upset about the grade and frustrated that she can't earn a 100.

Edited because I re-read the OP. The teacher said she's never given higher than a 95, not that she necessarily refuses to. I think, RM, that if your DD is frustrated she should email the teacher and say "I would love to challenge myself and become the first student to earn higher than a 95 from you. Can you offer me some feedback on what it is you're looking for in a "perfect" paper?"

[perpetua]

I can't express how deeply it saddens me that we now live in a world where 95 (%?) is no longer considered 'good enough' by the very parents who should be congratulating their kids on a job excellently done.

How on earth are these kids ever supposed to feel as if they measure up?

I don't think RM would be upset if her DD earned a 95. I think she's upset that her DD was told she cannot earn higher than a 95, regardless. RM's DD was upset about the grade and frustrated that she can't earn a 100.

Fair point, but if she cannot earn higher than a 95, then a 95 is an excellent grade and she's done the best she possibly can. Where's the sense in pushing the issue? What does it matter? Seriously, is a 95 not seen as good enough?

[WillyNilly]

I can't express how deeply it saddens me that we now live in a world where 95 (%?) is no longer considered 'good enough' by the very parents who should be congratulating their kids on a job excellently done.

How on earth are these kids ever supposed to feel as if they measure up?

I don't think RM would be upset if her DD earned a 95. I think she's upset that her DD was told she cannot earn higher than a 95, regardless. RM's DD was upset about the grade and frustrated that she can't earn a 100.

I get the impression RM is extremely upset at her daughter only getting a 95.  RM has repeatedly posted about about grades and getting perfect 4.0 and making a perfect impression on colleges is of the absolute utmost importance above and beyond anything else her kids get from school. 

Colleges will not see that it is the highest grade, they will see that her overall is less than unweighted 4.0

[Twik]

I can't express how deeply it saddens me that we now live in a world where 95 (%?) is no longer considered 'good enough' by the very parents who should be congratulating their kids on a job excellently done.

Absolutely. Why on earth is getting the best mark in class being treated as some sort of disaster? If anything is going to make Hortense "shrink away", it's being told that even being the best in the class is not good enough unless you score those elusive perfects every.single.time.

[Sharnita]

The parents want to see their kids giventhe gradesthey earned. OP isn't sayi.g thatwhather daughter has produced isn't good enough. Her objection is that DD has been denied  a higher grade to feed the ego of somebody who feels it is a point of pride that nomatter how good work is it will never get the highest grade - because his.standards are so much higher than those of mere mortals

[JenJay]

I can't express how deeply it saddens me that we now live in a world where 95 (%?) is no longer considered 'good enough' by the very parents who should be congratulating their kids on a job excellently done.

How on earth are these kids ever supposed to feel as if they measure up?

I don't think RM would be upset if her DD earned a 95. I think she's upset that her DD was told she cannot earn higher than a 95, regardless. RM's DD was upset about the grade and frustrated that she can't earn a 100.

I get the impression RM is extremely upset at her daughter only getting a 95.  RM has repeatedly posted about about grades and getting perfect 4.0 and making a perfect impression on colleges is of the absolute utmost importance above and beyond anything else her kids get from school. 

Colleges will not see that it is the highest grade, they will see that her overall is less than unweighted 4.0

I don't disagree, I'm just focusing on RM saying her DD was dissatisfied with the situation. If so, then I'd encourage the DD to discuss it with the teacher. I personally think a 95 is awesome. That said, I have been in the situation of having an employer tell me there's nothing I can do to earn a top review and it was very frustrating, so I do sympathize with the DD.

[JoyinVirginia]

I agree with Slartibartfast, having your dd approach teacher  is best, and she gave great suggestion.
One professor in grad school program that all the students were very neurotic about gave some of the best advice I ever got. She told the entire class ” Your patients are not going to ask you what grasses you got. In ten years, will thisgrade matter?”