Shannon Costello

In a recent moment of extreme cynicism it ocurred to me that teaching is really all about filling the appropriate number in the appropriate blank next to the appropriate name. Each year I really need to fill in 8 numbers for every student—interim reports and progress reports—and my work is done. If I assume 30 graded assignments for each class, and 113 students, I punch in 3390 numbers per quarter and 13,560 per year in order to arrive at the final 8 grades for each student. That’s easy to write here, but when I picture myself mindlessly doing that much work, I begin to get depressed.

More and more I notice that students think the same way: it is all about the number. As long as the number translates to an A or a B, they are in good standing with their parents and teachers. The end justifies the means. My own personal experience, anecdotal evidence I have heard, and articles I have read lead me to believe that cheating is rampant among students. Worse, there is no appreciation of learning. How much reading and writing can one avoid before the overall level of education is affected?

Every human being has a job to complete “to the glory of God”.

For the student, this means working hard and with integrity. Although such a student’s reward is in Heaven, there are earthly benefits. Extensive study leads to becoming a well-educated person—a person who can apply his reasoning and communicate its application to the people around him. Such skills are less common than they should be, especially given the availability of education today.

The teacher must also work hard and with integrity. The numbers are the tip of what I do; they do not constitute the real work. They will not tell me anything about my work or that of my students unless I can attest to the quality of the teaching behind them. It is my job to provide opportunities for my students so that the number is as accurate a reflection as possible of the quality of their work. The appropriate number in the appropriate blank next to the appropriate name…