My college TA is docking my grade because I have real-world experience.
By @noelok2 · School
I'm 45 and taking a class for a work certification. Our 22-year-old TA just gave my group a B- on a project because we solved the problem using a real-life method instead of the slow, academic one in the textbook.
The full story
I'm a mechanic. Been doing it for over 20 years. I'm taking this engine diagnostics course at the community college for a new certification my job wants. The class is me and a bunch of kids who are barely 20. We had a group project where we had to diagnose a complex simulated engine failure. The textbook gives you this very neat, 12-step process to follow. It's clean, organized, and in the real world, would take you about three times as long as it should. I taught my group the way you'd actually do it in a shop. You see a certain reading, you know you can skip the next four steps and go straight to the likely source of the problem. We found the issue, documented it, and wrote up our report explaining our logic. We got the right answer, plain and simple. We just got the grade back: a B-. The TA, who is a grad student that can't be older than 22, covered our report in red ink. His main comment was that we didn't follow the 12-step diagnostic procedure from the chapter. they said we 'skipped critical steps' and our process was 'out of order.' I went to talk to him after class. I told him, respectfully, that no working mechanic would follow the book's method because it's inefficient and would cost a customer extra money in labor. He just sort of stared at me with a blank look and said, 'The grading rubric requires that you demonstrate the procedure taught in the course materials. Your personal methods are not part of the curriculum.' Now my group members are annoyed with me because they think my shortcut cost them an A. I'm debating whether I should just let it go or take it to the actual professor. It's just one project, but it’s the principle of the thing. I'm here to get a piece of paper that says I know how to do my job, and I'm being penalized for actually knowing how to do it.
How people voted
- OP Is Right — 30% (32 votes)
- Both Messy — 42% (44 votes)
- OP Is Wrong — 28% (30 votes)
Readers say “Both Messy” (42%) — 106 votes and 5 comments so far.
What people are saying
@truesame — I wonder if the TA's side of the story is 'this student was condescending and refused to do the assignment as instructed'.
@hankee — Let it go.
@ughme — Why not just take it to the actual professor and explain the situation?
@matt — You are handling this with a lot more grace than I would. That TA is on a power trip because it's the only power he's ever had. Take it to the professor.
@wesish — I'd go straight to the professor and after you get the A you deserve, I'd ask the TA if he's ever actually seen a real engine.
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