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We have a real entitlement problem in the US
If you pay attention to social news in this country, you come across it everywhere. In one corner, young students are given participation trophies for little achievement, scholarships for getting into the same college as one’s parents, and expecting a BMW for one’s 16th birthday instead of a less stellar brand. Where this really started to become noticeable to me was when a college student showed up to my office hours and asked:
“I ended up with a C in your class. In order for me to get into the engineering program, I need at least a B in your class. Can you possibly change my grade so I can apply?”
Now, it’s important to point out that I give 3 extra credit assignments in my class. All 3 of them completed would have been enough to raise his grade to a B. 2 of them would have made it close. 1 wouldn’t have made much of a difference. How many did he do?
You guessed it. None.
When I pointed this out to him, he scoffed at the extra credit, saying they didn’t interest him. Plus, he was really busy.
And then: Can you please raise the grade?
An immediate thought would be to cast off millenials with a shrug. But I remember a time ago when I was teaching at a university in Michigan when two of my female students had found my blog online and then…
