I just finished a draft of a paper on funeral prayers. It is right now bouncing around a USB flash drive, emitting a hum I can only describe as 'satisfied.' Now I just have to write about Christmas for Saturday and, if they both turn out well, I can relax a little bit before jumping into the next phase of research.
Of course, given the all-too-familiar rattle of certain of my Christmas presents, research may be more concerned with building gray plastic castles than with translating Greek verses on death. I can't say as I would be too sad about the change, though. I mean, castles!
For the moment, though, I am just glad I've gotten as much done as I have. Or, rather, I have decided to be glad at what I've done. I have consciously decided to take the path of satisfaction as opposed to cruel self-flagellation. Which is not to say that I am in any away against self-flagellation but I don't think it would help right now. Right now, Christmas, a bit of relaxing, and the Volsung Saga, are what I need. Fortunately Christmas is on its way (happy almost-halfway-point of the Nativity Fast!), I just rented a copy of the Volsung Saga and, well...two out of three isn't too bad.
Well, actually it really is, when you think about it. That just about 67%, which is what? A D+? Maybe? So, actually, I need to get on to relaxing. Or, maybe I just need to change my requirements. That would work. Or I can add numerous extraneous categories--specifically ones easy to achieve, like, 'don't cut hair' or 'take a shower' or 'love your wife as Christ loved the Church.' Well, okay, maybe the last one isn't so easy. But then I can at least get my average up to eighty, eighty-five percent. That's a solid B. I will gladly accept that.
Oh, hey, funny thing. I don't think I have ever described the grading system here. It is, like the American one, a scale of 100. However, here, a 70 is considered 'distinction-worthy.' And 'eighty is the new hundred.' Of course, 50 is the pass-mark. So, instead of a 30-35 point range for passing, with distinction being in the 90's, we have a 20-point system with distinction in the 70's. It is, in some ways, very difficult for the American mentality to handle. If I get less than 100, I assume I have, in some way, failed. Grading, for me, is essentially a measure of error. Here, that is simply not the case. Marks may take in to account how interesting the teacher found the topic, or whether the essay was demonstrative of professional-level expertise in its topic--obviously that is rarely the case. In fact, one might ask markers what 'grades' their published papers would get, and you may hear anything from seventy-five to ninety.
The system is strange, baffling, at times offensive. But then I think of that student at St. John's, informed in his Don Rag that he had an excellent year and had, in fact, done the best he could do. His transcript later showed an A- for the class, rather than an A, which he, like most of us, would consider 'the best.' When he confronted his tutor about this, his tutor confirmed that, in his case, A- was actually the best he could get. That's how I feel here, except it's not an A-. It's a C-.
It does make me wonder how on earth they grade math papers? Of course, I'm not sure even what they do over here--something called maths, rather than math. It may involve fish 'n' chips. I don't know.
And, quite frankly, I don't want to know.
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2 comments:
I relax a little differently. I like a good book, a glass of wine (even a beer), a fireplace (if I can get it), maybe an old movie (pre- 1960s). But I have never relaxed or viewed myself as relaxing while considering college grades. My grades would have been far better if my numbers transported to the British system without morphing.
Your idea of relaxing is unqualifiedly better than mine. You shame me.
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