It all started when I slept in due to extreme tiredness and missed the only midterm in the class; it was until I asked the prof about it a week later that I realized this. She kindly offered me a time to re-write the exam in her office on Friday.
Fridays were always tough, with three consecutive 90-minute classes. Balancing at the brink of sleep, I did my best to capture the ideas that trudged by my heavy mind. Not surprisingly, I could only make of over a page by the end (most others wrote 2-3 pages). It felt like I just ran 10 miles by hand. I had the paper returned in class, interestingly on the same day, with exactly the following comment:
“[my name], I have decided to award you a mark of 50, in order to enhance your prospect of passing the course. I hope that you will learn from your mistake of not turning up on the day of the midterm; strictly speaking, you should have been awarded 0% and denied a final grade for the course, as the Course Outline states that all assessment components must be completed for the student to be awarded a final grade for this course.”
As I read this, I felt gratuitous that the prof has given me a second life. Touched, I had a slight urge to cry. It wasn’t that I didn’t care less for the course beforehand, but this note was a powerful motivation for me to strive for my absolute best. After class, I wanted to say something deep to express myself, but there were others around. I only managed to thank her, give her a warm handshake. She patted me on the back. (I was thinking of a hug, but it would’ve been awkward). I feel I could do better than that.
I’m thinking of preparing a letter and a gift to present to my prof for the end of the term. The former wouldn’t be a problem to compose, but I’m struggling on the latter.
I don’t want to grab a cheap item because it looks bad and destroys everything – while it doesn’t need to be a statue of solid gold, I don’t mind spending about $200 – I want it nice and presentable. As the term ends around Christmas I could use a few ideas, but I’m stuck now. I’m thinking of a beautiful candle or perhaps a batch of cookies I made myself, but I hate to make it cliché.
I need serious answers here. If you’re going to make a lot of inappropriate remarks please spare me the frustration and wasted time, none of which I want or need. Thanks a lot!
Yeah, I take the grading period and any unnecessary drama into consideration. I tend to avoid flowers for the latter reason, as it might seem I’m going about a relationship or something. I’m thinking, chocolates might work. Gift cards seem a little cliche, though.
