A Successful Protest

I recently received an e-mail from a student requesting a higher grade on a speech. I actually thought that he went about this the right way.

First of all, he did not turn this into an all-on-one attack. It was not done with any of his peers or classmates around and, in fact, it was not even done in the classroom, it was done via e-mail. The e-mail actually made reference to some comments I made on his critique and his responses to those comments.

I was already impressed. Even though he was arguing for a higher grade, he did not just come at me and tell me he thought he deserved a better grade. He actually read my comments and then gave me his, well thought out, responses.

While I understood his comments, I still felt that my comments on his critique were accurate and that the grade was fair. Still, since he was willing to take the time to talk with me, to actually think about what he did well and what could have been improved, and put his thoughts together, coherently, in writing, I raised his grade. It was not as high as he was requesting but it was raised.

He appreciated it and now has a better understanding of what I will be looking for in the future.