"In vacant or in pensive mood..." I am: Bekah; 24; Law Student / Favorite Things: Carbs (so there!), Johnny Damon, Smiling at babies, Grilled cheese, Comfortable silence / Favorite Supreme Court Justice: Brennan / Favorite Wilson: Owen by an inch / Today's Special: Song: Elliott Smith, "Bled White"; Quote: "You know, there's like a butt-load of gangs at this school. This one gang kept wanting me to join because I'm pretty good with a bowstaff." Please love me: mmbekah@yahoo.com


February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 September 2005

 
Memo #2
To: Law Professors
From: Your Conscience (yes, me again)
Re: Update on Emulating Satan: It’s Still Not Friendly

Dear Law Professors:

I write again to inform you that your performance of late has been decidedly sub par. Granted, my April 29th memo was directed specifically to the writing of exams, so I can appreciate your feeling mildly confused when the time for grading rolled around. That being said, I must confess that I expected more of you. I expected a more subtle capacity for creative cognition, and a slightly more sophisticated intuitive grasp of the idea I was attempting to convey.

Today I would like to emphasize, so that future misunderstandings may be avoided, that my request for you to harness your demonic tendencies pertains to both the writing and grading of exams. Let’s look at a case-in-point, shall we? A certain 1L, who I will refer to as “Fekah” in order to protect her identity, recently received all of her grades. Please take note of the following points of interest:

1. The two classes for which Fekah studied the hardest, longest, and most intensely (read: tabbed and color-coded outlines; highly annotated casebooks) were her lower grades.
2. The class for which Fekah studied for a mere two days prior to the exam was her highest grade.
3. Fekah received identical grades for the exam she felt best about and the exam she felt worst about.

Query (to use language to which your kind is accustomed): Given this information, how can it possibly be said that law school exams are an accurate measure of a student’s knowledge? How is a legal “education” accomplished if students can never be sure whether or not they actually understand the material? Let me explain. In law school, a student can make it through the semester, really feeling confident about his coursework, only to discover, by proclamation of one grade, that he did not understand anything after all. Conversely, someone may think, “Golly gee, I don’t get this stuff and I didn’t really work at all in this class. I’m screwed,” and end up with an A. What, may I ask, is the function of such an academic system? And where might a student who is rewarded for studying less and punished for studying more get the motivation to study at all? Might she rather decide to watch Joe Millionaire and alphabetize her cd collection? (Don't strain yourself. The answer is: yes, she might).

Please know that I am not undermining your intelligence or your capabilities as educators (for the most part). I merely wish to inform you that law school exams are ineffective, unrealistic, and unfair measurements of a student’s worth and capability. There is too much room for an unfair variable (misreading a question, having a headache, sitting next to a heavy breather), and not enough time for the student to make the professor understand how much he studied and how much he knows. If the question is too pointed, the student is precluded from exhibiting his creativity or depth of knowledge. If the question is too broad, the student can’t be sure what information he should include. It is a completely backwards method of evaluation, and it needs to be seriously reconsidered.

Unless I get an A.

posted by Bekah at 2:17 PM :: |