Unlocking the Learning Potential: 'I like you but I can't pass you.'
I've said something along that line to a number of students over the years and it's been especially tough for me to say to students I am fond of.
One of the things that I've had to deal with over the past five years has been separating my personal feelings for a student from my desire to enforce sanctions fairly and equally. I pride myself on the fact that I treat my best students the same way as I do the not-so-good ones, particularly when it comes to grading.
I find it funny that, despite being a proud left-of-center thinker and a progressive social advocate, I ascribe to a more conservative teaching approach. I seem to be channeling my inner John McWhorter or Bill Cosby every time I'm in the classroom, which puts me at odds with the 'systems of oppression' research I do.
