Back on the job

Okay, I spent all of last week grading midterms. It made for a miserable Spring Break, but I got it all done. It's a bit frustrating dealing with disgruntled students, though. I handed back the papers this week. The grades, by and large, were pretty good. Sadly, grade inflation has reached the point that many students expect an A. I had a young man come to me, very frustrated, complaining about his C-. He said, "But I worked so hard!" I wanted to say, "Well, work harder next time. This was mediocre work at best." Instead, I tried to be encouraging. Sigh. We have created a generation afflicted by the "Lake Wobegon effect," wherein all the children are (or expect to be) above average.