He said that the work I did for my incomplete was "cold"...that I had "lost my edge" in the month between classes ending and finishing my work. The thing is, I still got an A in the class, despite the B I got on the exam and the B+ I got on the paper. But, he told me that that was because he knew what kind of work I could do (I should have gotten an A-). So, now on top of knowing that I did crap work, I also feel like I got an A that I don't deserve.

He said that the work I did for my incomplete was "cold"...that I had "lost my edge" in the month between classes ending and finishing my work.

To me, this doesn't translate to "crap work," nor does it mean you didn't earn your grade. I would take it at face value -- he noticed a difference in your work during a time period that put you further away from the class you were writing for. I think that kind of time lapse is bound to make anyone "colder" towards the subject, because because you've lost the immediacy of the class itself.

That DOESN'T equal crap work.

I think that kind of time lapse is bound to make anyone "colder" towards the subject, because because you've lost the immediacy of the class itself.

What Teppy said. You were further from the class, so it would make sense you were less invested in it.

(And an A- is still an A, so I'd say you earned it.)

I do know this is partially a distortion...which is one of the reasons I came here to post about it. I've got to process it so I can move on and get to my other two classes for today. But, damn. Sometimes fighting those distortions are really, really difficult.

vw, really, who are YOU to decide what grade you deserve? He weighs all the intangibles, work on paper and enthusiasm and participation and he decides, in comparison with everyone else in the class and his exeprience and other things you aren't privy to, what grade you deserve. You have to trust his judgment on this.

vw, I think he was trying to say that you do better work if you don't have to take an incomplete--nothing more and nothing less. It's up to the professor to decide what you "deserve." Sometimes you'll get a higher grade than you think you deserve and sometimes a lower one. Your job is to do the best work you can at that particular time. That may not be the best work you're capable of, but sometimes the stars just don't align to allow that.

I just spent a half an hour on the phone, mostly on hold, to determine that the pharmacy thinks it hasn't filled my prescription and the doctor's office thinks it has. I fear I'm going to have to just go to the pharmacy and stand there until something happens.

Is this the same prof who tried to discourage you from taking incompletes in the first case (wasn't there one)? In addition to what Teppy said, could it be that this prof has his own issues with incompletes?

I did kind of pathetically say, "I do get points for getting it done, right?" And he was like, "Oh, yeah. You get tons of points for getting it done. You also get tons of points for being competent." So, that's something...

Oh, and he LOVED my paper on Internet discourse. Not that he's grading it, but it was good that he had nice things to say about it. To quote him actually, "It was cool."

vw, I think he was trying to say that you do better work if you don't have to take an incomplete--nothing more and nothing less. It's up to the professor to decide what you "deserve." Sometimes you'll get a higher grade than you think you deserve and sometimes a lower one. Your job is to do the best work you can at that particular time. That may not be the best work you're capable of, but sometimes the stars just don't align to allow that.

t nods

Ginger is very wise.

What Ginger Said.