'You have to work for it': Incorruptible professor outsmarts an entitled dad when he tries to buy straight A's for his daughter

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    "Being wealthy doesn't mean your kids are entitled to a free pass in education"
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    I really pity this young woman. S Just a quick post about something that just happened. I was sitting in my office at the University where I teach and had a knock on the door.
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    One of my second year students came in and an older person I found out was her father followed her in. I had barely finished asking then how I could help when dad opened up with "It's not acceptable that my daughter got such a low score in her last
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    assignment, I want you to change the marks." The poor student looked so embarrassed as her dad went on. The classic "We've paid good money to get on this course so I expect better marks, I've paid cash for this she won't have a student loan to pay off at the end."
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    I let him continue ranting and eventually got to respond. I simply asked the student if she had read the feedback I provided on the assignment, she said she had, I asked if she felt it was a fair reflection of the work she submitted and again, she said it did. I
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    then suggested that she needed to put more effort into revising for the examinations coming up in a few weeks and that overall, while it was a summative assessment, it was not going to prevent her passing the end of year assessment. I then told the dad,
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    I'm paid to provide realistic feedback on her work, the fact he paid cash for her tuition does not mean she gets good marks without her submitting work that merits good marks.
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    We hear this argument so often now in Universities, I know tuition is expensive, but you don't pay for the grade you get, you have to work for it. Simply being wealthy doesn't mean your kids are entitled to a free pass in education.
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    Illustrious_Leg_2537 23 hr. ago At least she seems reasonable and smart enough to be embarrassed by dad. There is hope!
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    Entarotupac 23 hr. ago When I was lecturing (in the US), I got this warm and fuzzy feeling being protected by the feds. "FERPA says I can't talk to you" is such a wonderful sentence. There were no landing pads for helicopter parents where I used to work.
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    Best-Cardiologist949. 22 hr. ago My son says one of his classmates and his mother went in to see one of his teachers. Before she even started her rant he said, "This is college and mommy can't help you. She can leave the room and I'll speak with you. Otherwise you can both get out of my
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    office." Mom said she'd complain to the school admin and he laughed. He said " I have tenure and admin will praise me for this. If you don't like the way we do things your child is free to enroll at another college now get out of my office or I will call security." She left and he spoke with the student who was very embarrassed.
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    klc20 hr. ago These parents think they're 'doing what's best for their child' but really they're booking a one way ticket to a nursing home 36 Reply Share ... eighty_more_or_less 6 hr. ago Sorry, Sir; it was her idea, not mine.
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    WomanInQuestion 23 hr. ago Those parents are paying for access, not results. 177 Reply Share ThatDiscoSongUHate 19 hr. ago Or you could even argue that they're paying for the experience
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    wildwill921 15 hr. ago A lot of people are really just interested in the piece of paper that will help them get a job. Even more so if your college is somewhat prestigious in the area
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    Pantokraterix - 21 hr. ago I once had a student say, "I tried so hard." I had to say, "Sometimes that's not enough." 45 Reply Share NiobeTonks 21 hr. ago Yes, me too- "you're expending your energies in the wrong place" was my answer. I don't care about borders or formatting. I want to know that the student has met the learning outcomes for the assignment.
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    jtslp 22 hr. ago Professor here. Holy I cannot believe this dad walked into your office and talked to you like this. Your response was fantastic. I don't know that I would have been so level headed.
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    Ddp2121 22 hr. ago I used to invigilate college exams. At the end of an exam I would tell everyone pencils down and as I went around and picked up everyone's papers. I'd also tell them that their paper would not be marked if they didn't stop writing, 2 or 3 times.
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    In one particular class, I had to repeat this a few times. One girl was still furiously writing and when I got to her I took her paper and said, just so you know, this exam will not be graded. She looked at me and promptly burst into hysterics - loud bawling (with no tears)
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    at the top of her lungs, so over the top that a passing campus security guard came into the room to see what was going on. I let her carry on for a few minutes as everyone left the class and then said "are you done? You can reschedule, it will cost you $125."
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    If looks could kill. She was obviously used to getting her own way. Immediately stopped "crying" and sashayed out of the room. The few people who were still there all burst out laughing as she left. I often wonder how she's doing in the "real world".
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    Uncle Norman - 21 hr. ago Simply being wealthy doesn't mean your kids are entitled to a free pass in education. You have to buy a building to get the free pass
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    Low_Comfortable_5880 20 hr. ago It doesn't stop at the University level. Those same parents call HR when their little darling gets a poor review at work. 20 Reply Share pupperoni42 19 hr. ago Or simply go to the interviews with them in the first place, and don't understand why no one will hire their darling.
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    Dranask 23 hr. ago I thought money was the answer to all things. 16 Reply Share ... eighty_more_or_less . 6 hr. ago maybe your first two words are right....

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