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January 29, 2010
Htoo Htoo Lu
Often times, students rejoice at the chance of being able to receive extra credit for simply buying things for the teacher. We give little thought to as to whether it is the right thing to do or not. Even those students who believe it is wrong would find themselves dashing to the store to get those few extra points.
Who cares if it is right or wrong? It’s better than staying up until 2 a.m. to study better than having to put in any amount of effort at all, right? There is nothing to lose by buying that box of tissue, is there?
Most students, including me, have this mindset However, after giving much thought to this, I realized that teachers should not give out extra credit for such a simple act. Teachers should encourage students to work harder and expand their curiosity. Every thing a student does in a class should be related to the class. Each student’s grade should clearly reflect his or her understanding of the subject.
“I don’t offer extra credit to students for simply buying things because I don’t see how that’s related to what [students] are learning,” English teacher Stewart Perlman said.
Nowadays, the idea of extra credit is losing its actual purpose as more and more teachers are using them for other purposes I believe that it is important for both the teachers and the students to realize this and begin to use this extra credit opportunity for the benefits of the students.
However, some teachers may argue that they are doing good deeds to the community and others by using this extra-credit method. AP English teacher Teri Hu gives out extra credit to her class for bringing gift-quality children’s books. The students are given a chance to share their favorite and most memorable children books with other children. She then donates these books to the Union charity program.
“I want to encourage young people to read. Some books may even be life-changing,” Hu said.
Nonetheless, extra credit should only be given to students for “extra” work that digs deeper into a certain subject they are learning. For example, AP Government teacher Elizabeth DeWitt gives out extra credit to her students for watching documentaries and news, reading non-fiction government-related books and other such activities that would enhance the student’s understanding of government. By making the students work harder for their grade, students would no longer slack off the thought of not being able to raise up their grade by effortless extra credits.
