It must be the end of the semester and I have college freshmen

I did a reflective exercise with freshmen in my English 12 class yesterday (a course required of all first year students to demonstrate an ability to do literary analysis and demonstrate a collegiate argument that draws on textual evidence to make a point). I thought the exercise was light and rewarding, but it was interpreted with angst and total fear.

Why? Students have been conditioned that the grade matters most and that the learning (and self-reflection) is irrelevant to the letter given to them. "I need an A. The A speaks. That is what mattered. Comments are distractions."

I am thinking this is developmental. Students are used to taking control of the one thing that belongs to them...the letter assigned to acknowledge their achievement. Less important is the feedback on ways to improve their writing, to demonstrate better critical thinking and an ability to articulate their thinking in written form. This, I was told, doesn't matter as much as the letter provided them for their performance. That means something to them.

I've written letters after assignments to explain what needs to be done and where they can improve their writing and, I guess, I failed because I acknowledged they are heading toward a C'ish or a B'ish grade. Many are in the A'ish range and this is what caused the problem. They want to know that they are getting the Scarlet A because that matters to them more.

This, however, is perplexing. What happens to this generation when they are out in the world and letters aren't provided to them to justify their existence? That is the question I posed to the class and this was not satisfying. They made it known that they've learned a lot but it is the grade that is carried forward and not the feedback.

I'm not sure if this is a generation thing, but I am afraid we're heading into an angst-driven culture that have not intrinsically invested in the importance of learning. My head is spinning in a tizzy of their concern. I only have my story about grades and what they mean and it is hard to articulate that a letter indicates the ability to meet an objective. The objectives were clear and some are closer to demonstrating them with proficiency. Then there are those who haven't even begun. Oi vay. Teaching.