The percentages game
Many, many years ago I did A-level Maths. Our class started off with 27 people in it. The jump from GSCE to A-level maths was too much for most and numbers dropped. To help us understand the concepts our maths teacher decided to go through homework answers in class and we'd mark it ourselves...

Marks suddenly improved - everyone (that is the 15 that remained) suddenly was getting 85-95%. Woo yeah - all we had to do was look intently in the marking session, ask the right questions and then tell her a mark. The only maths we had to do was calculate a percentage. Not too high LSJ, we don't want to arouse supicion.

Only that doesn't help when it comes to exam time. Bam - end of first year only 8 people pass, most scraping through, a couple more continue, the rest drop out.

Realising that we *might* not be doing the homework, our lecturer in the second year starts asking for the homework to be handed in... but not after we have marked it ourselves (read: furiously scribbled down the answers as she goes through them). By the time she twigs onto our game, half way through the second year it's too late. She requests our homework first, our maths marks fall off the cliff, 15-50% becoming the norm apart from the 2 genuinely clever types in the class. She realises that we are screwed and so's her career. We spend the rest of the time just going through past exam papers taught how to get 'easy' marks but in the hope that we might scrape a pass, but it's too little too late, we simply knew fuck all

End result: 3 out of 8 who stuck around for the exam pass (A/B/E - I was the one who got the E) and the teacher goes on LT sick and then takes early retirement.

Sorry Mrs Humphries for ending your career, but you did used to wear pop socks.
(littlestanjunior, Wed 3 Apr 2013, 22:58, 5 replies)

Staggering stupidity all round.

( 4Q just lurking, Wed 3 Apr 2013, 23:14, closed)

Getting an E in a relatively easy exam is 'winging it'?
Are your wings made of shit and brickdust?
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Wed 3 Apr 2013, 23:29, closed)

Did they stop offering A-level maths courses after that?

( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Wed 3 Apr 2013, 23:31, closed)

Story about a fucking lazy, stupid teacher. I hope someone got well about her bins.
( Ken Oath, Thu 4 Apr 2013, 1:41, closed)

So your story is that your teacher was winging it due to being incapable of teaching?

( BraynDedd Natasha Kaplinsky's labia majora, Thu 4 Apr 2013, 8:13, closed)