I don't know if any of you have read the article linked below, but it's an interesting read that merely reinforces what many professors could easily explain to you about this generation of college students.
They think they deserve above average grades for doing average or below average work. The "gentleman's C" has been replaced by the "gentle person's B." (must avoid gender-specific language, of course)
This generation is increasingly narcissistic and is more focused on whatever affects them, rather than focusing on what's going on in their communities, cities, states, and the US. Forget politics;
Facebook is more important.
I read this article after a somewhat heated discussion with a student who was bitching about how he's not making the grades he wants on his professional writing documents. After explaining to him to him that, at the end of the day, I have to evaluate the written product above everything else rather than "how hard he worked," he still has a sense of entitlement, a sense that, "Hey, this professor isn't giving me what I want." The main problem with this particular student is that he wants me to do the critical thinking and writing for him instead of doing it himself. He has a brain and
needs to use the damn thing. End of story.
Such misguided attitudes from students such as the one above leave a mark on student evaluations at the end of term, especially when some professors grade heavily (sometimes a third of the overall grade) on "participation," an amorphous category that lends itself to a great deal of grade inflation. We don't want to hurt people's "self esteem," now do we?
If there are symbols of this generation, I can give you two: 1) The response "whatever" merely is an anthem that denotes this: "I don't have anything really intelligent to say, but I'm going to be vaguely sarcastic because that seems to make people look smart." 2) And surely the "participant" trophy that is given to all competitors at various sporting events sums up the idea that no one can "lose." We're all winners.
People lose. And people do poorly on exams. And people write poorly from time to time.
Welcome to reality.
What's perhaps even more interesting about this article is that it lucidly points out how we all are being influenced by this thinking, which is scary as hell.
Anyway, enjoy the read. Thus
endeth my rant.
The link to Dan Zak's "Me: If It's All About You, You're in Trouble. Why a Sense of Entitlement Can Wreak Havoc on Happiness":
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/28/AR2008022803315.html
