Look kids, something worthy to protest.

[kamikazitaxi]

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/0505/04neace.html

Thats the website, but it cause you to spend about 15 minutes signing up for AJC in order to get the article.
***

Comments

[sonicnature]

I agree.

I have met maybe three people that I can actually stand from that school.

However, I cannot bring myself to agree with this man's policy. Grades are ACADEMIC evaluation marks, not "this kid dissed me by sleeping in class" marks. Sleeping in class is a disciplinary issue, and should be handled as such through parental consultation and discliplinary actions such as detention. Grades should be left as what they were intended, academic performance evaluation tools.

I think it sucks that this is only coming out because of a stupid football player, though. Sports favoritism permeates our culture, especially in ass-backwards Georgia. They've had problems with this stuff at UGA before, too.

[punkitup]

yes but in order to answer questions on such a worksheet correctly the student must be engaged in the lab or else he was cheating so is the 0 wrong?

[sonicnature]

The instructor should have said that the assignment was due at the end of that particular lab period if he wanted to prevent that. I'm not encouraging cheating, but it has to be expected when assignments are due on a later date than the relevant class. Other students can simply stay awake, not do anything of import, and copy someone elses work. How is that fair?

[haideetepilini]

I was amused by that as well. But I don't think it's an issue that you give a kid a zero on classwork for sleeping in class. But c'est la vie.

[wakeuphappy]

hehe. the lawyer's name is michael kramer. i didn't even notice that until i read the comments. that is pretty darn funny

ARGHHHH!!!!

[go_msdee_go]

I believe there are several salient points here

Re: ARGHHHH!!!!

[_susurrous]

As I am aware, Gwinnett County has a policy against participation grades. Therefore, a student's grade cannot suffer because of a lack of participation, a lack of materials [book, supplies, &c.], or absences. The only way these things can affect a student's grade is if, for example, the student refuses to fill out a worksheet assigned in class to be turned in at the end of class, the student's lack of materials means a lack of prepared or completed work, or the work missed through absences is not made up

Re: ARGHHHH!!!!

[sonicnature]

I've been pretty much playing devils advocate here all day, but I agree with you on most points. It's really backwards that it takes a football player complaining to get something done, when most likely he does not represent the population of the school that plan on using their educations for something beneficial. I hear it's worse in places like Texas, though... It's also a problem at state schools that put too much emphasis on their athletic programs, something I have been critical of UGA for (although the academics at UGA have not dissapointed me...)

[go_msdee_go]

GCPS has a policy against class participation grades? I am obviously missing something here, as I have gotten info from my kids' teachers for, oh about 18 years now, on grades regarding participation in class discussions ...participation in chorus... etc, etc.

I obviously do not know all of the details of the situation, but I think it reprehensible that a reportedly excellent teacher's career might be terminated because he cared enough to make sure his students actually stayed awake in class...a minimum requirement for any learning to take place. And I think, if county policies would dictate that what this teacher did was wrong, the policies should be changed. It is pretty simple to make this only about the elitist culture surrounding athletes. I think the issue is a much deeper one, however.