Legal Commentary

In courses with anonymous grading, there are usually a few surprises (for me, anyway) when the students' grades are posted.  That there are such surprises makes me, I admit, a bit nervous:  If student X does a lot better than I would have predicted (based on conversations, participation, past performance, etc.), I worry that maybe, in other ways I didn't even notice or other contexts I didn't recognize, I might have somehow shortchanged X.  If student Y does less well than I would have expected, I worry that the student might be struggling through some tough times . . . or that I made a mistake.  On a happier note:  I very much enjoy writing notes to the students who earned "A" grades.  Back to worrying:  I also try -- though I can't pretend to enjoy it as much -- to reach out to students who did less well, and to see what benefits can be extracted from the disappointment.  And, I try to remember that whatever turmoil, doubts, let-downs, and happiness I experience at exams-and-grades time is nothing like what the students are experiencing.