Are you confronting Your Professor, not happy with your grade? Want to engage your professor? You better have a game plan; we all have that one professor who is a complex marker and show’s no mercy to students; your grades are essential. That is why you are attending school to get educated and get that magic piece of paper called a ” Degree” after four years of schooling,
Most professors do not take kindly to being nagged about their grading system; Ethiopian Gazette surveyed 22 professors at the University of California, Irvine, the studied Grade Inflation under the Threat of Students’ Nuisance.
According to Ethiopian Gazette, 72.7 percent of survey respondents agree with the statement: ‘Students’ complaints about grades are annoying.’
What does this mean to you? Do you want to confront your professor? Well, if you plan on engaging a professor about a grade, it means you better be very careful how you approach the situation:
Here are some tips for engaging your professor about your grades
Take a Minute
It may be best to wait a day before confronting your professor about a grade. Many professors have this policy in place anyway. This policy gives you time to calm down instead of storming into a professor’s office in an angry state. It also gives you time to think about whether or not you deserved the grade you were given. Is it the professor’s fault or your own? Did you meet all the requirements she was looking for? It’s often easier to blame somebody else than take the fall yourself.
Remain Calm
If you still feel that the grade is unfair after a day, remain calm while talking to your professor. Becoming angry may make your professor refuse to hear any of your points because you can’t control your temper. It also makes you look unprofessional and possibly psychotic.
Be Polite
Manners count when trying to get what you want. However, it’s easy to forget your ways if you’re feeling hurt. So try to watch your tone of voice and your body gestures. These subtle (and not so subtle) gestures speak volumes.
Avoid Comparisons
Try not to compare your professor to other people. For instance, don’t say, ‘My sister, a grad student at Stanford, thought my paper was good.’ This translates to ‘My sister is at a better school than you, so she knows more than you.’ Instead of this behaviour, try asking politely why you were given that grade and then ask how you can improve. Many professors love to hear that students want to improve. It makes them feel like they’re doing a good job.
Be Diplomatic
Try to confront your professor in a diplomatic way to get the results you want. Remember, your professor is a person too, so they will want to be treated with respect.
Good Luck!
