63.5

Ahhhh...midterms.

Yes, it's that time of year again. The panic in the air is like a living thing. The hallways smell of Red Bull and desperation. And all I can think is that I'm glad it's them and not me.

As I mentioned, I teach introductory classes. I'd love to tell you that my classes are hard. But honestly, they are what they are--general education, meant for those who will never take another class in the field. It's not rocket science, and if my students read the book, come to class, and stay awake, they pass. Given those odds, you'd think that my midterm scores would be pretty darn good.

Well, here's a piece of friendly advice. Don't bet those odds in Vegas. Ever.

Which brings me to the title of this particular post. 63.5. This would be the average score of my latest round of midterm exams. And that's 63.5 out of 100, kids.

The scores are the same every semester. That doesn't mean I'm used to it. It certainly doesn't mean that I like it. But within one or two points in either direction, it's the same every semester.

At first I used to think it was me. My teaching, or lack thereof. But after tweaking and fine-tuning my lectures, I realize that I'm not the problem in this equation. I give them the material they need. They get a study guide. They get lecture notes. Hell, I tell them during lecture that "you may want to write this down, 'cause it may show up on the exam."

To beat a cliche with the proverbial stick, you can lead a horse to water...but you can't make them come to class.

Someday they'll listen. Then...ONLY then...maybe we'll break that threshold of 70. But honestly, I'm not holding my breath.