When should students fail?

Who is responsible when students fail? If students aren’t meeting the bar for learning, what should the response be from the teacher? What is the appropriate balance of accountability and opportunity, especially for taking a risk, when the stakes are so high for students? Now that they’re both treading water a little bit better with the start of a new school year, Marcus and Jim are happy to be back talking shop. In this episode, they react to the New York Times story of a Chemistry professor being dismissed because, according to students, his class was too hard. There’s a lot to think about here, but one thing seems pretty clear: we don’t seem to be aligned on grading standards even a little bit. Have a listen & let us know what you think!

Link to the article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/03/us/nyu-organic-chemistry-petition.html

Thanks to Courtney Milavec for graphic design, Casey Roberts for writing and recording original intro music, and Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band’s recording of, “Woodstock,” from their 2020 album, Garden, available now on Spotify.

Check out Tom’s work: uncivilizedtom.com

Email thoughts, ideas, and feedback to thebrokencopier@substack.com.

Thanks for listening!