Coming from a land of "computer-generated everything" and the non-negotiable value of privacy, I never cease to be amazed at the seemingly utter lack of privacy in our host country.
Not wrong, just different...
This week I saw another example. Last week I was meeting with a student for Bible study on campus and as we were walking to catch a taxi, we noticed a large crowd of students trying to catch a glimpse of something that was thumb-tacked onto an outside wall of the English Department. It didn't take too long to realize that the results from several recent exams had been posted.
16-20 is Très Bien (Very Good);
14 -15 out of 20 are Bien (Good);
12 -13 are Assez Bien (Average);
10 -11 are Passable (Passing)
and below 10 is Ajourné (Didn't pass, take it again)
This week I saw another example. Last week I was meeting with a student for Bible study on campus and as we were walking to catch a taxi, we noticed a large crowd of students trying to catch a glimpse of something that was thumb-tacked onto an outside wall of the English Department. It didn't take too long to realize that the results from several recent exams had been posted.
I saw the name of someone I knew and two of her grades for two different classes: a 17/20 on one which is very good, and a 3,50/20 on the other one which is pretty bad. Everyone's scores on the exams, including their first and last names were posted for the whole world to see (or at least anyone who happened to walk through the English Department).
The grading scale is out of 20 points. In French, they use a comma rather than a period in decimals. As you can see, there are also a couple words noting the meaning of the grade:
16-20 is Très Bien (Very Good);
14 -15 out of 20 are Bien (Good);
12 -13 are Assez Bien (Average);
10 -11 are Passable (Passing)
and below 10 is Ajourné (Didn't pass, take it again)
Sometimes students scratch out their names if they are ashamed of their score.
I tried to explain the extreme effort educators in my home country put forth to give the students the privacy they consider so vital to their well-being and self-esteem. Even parents aren't allowed to see the grades if the student hasn't given them permission to access them. The response here was a quizzical "why?"
Did I already mention that just because it's different doesn't mean it's wrong?
I tried to explain the extreme effort educators in my home country put forth to give the students the privacy they consider so vital to their well-being and self-esteem. Even parents aren't allowed to see the grades if the student hasn't given them permission to access them. The response here was a quizzical "why?"
Did I already mention that just because it's different doesn't mean it's wrong?
Thomas and I have been watching Leave it to Beaver at night and I'm surprised at how little privacy there was in the late 50's. They post test grades or announce them all in front of the class. Such a change from now!
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