Extra Credit

Not a week passes by that a student doesn't ask me about extra credit.

"What can I do to bring my grade up?"
"Can I do some extra credit to pass the class?"

The obvious and easy responses are, respectively, "Do your work" and "No, you should have done the original work in the first place." In our culture, however, it seems as though "extra credit" is a scourge which is here to stay. My husband, also a teacher, likes to say that only two groups of students ask for extra credit: those who already have A's and want higher A's and those who are failing and will never do it. While this doesn't always prove true, more often than not, he is right.

What is it about our society that has given students the idea that extra credit is a right? Even a short *gulp* fifteen years ago when I was in school, extra credit was like a gift. The best I could expect consisted of a few extra questions on the occasional quiz. That is definitely not the case today. Students demand extra credit as though they deserve even more opportunities than what is offered in class. I find nothing more frustrating than when a student asks if they can "just write a book report" to bump up their grade.

If extra credit is offered, it should be meaningful to the class. I have come to the conclusion that fighting the battle against extra credit is a lost cause. Now, I try to think of ways for my students to earn extra credit that, ultimately, force them to become engaged with something meaningful and create as little work as possible for me. By no means do I want to grade more papers every week because a student wants a higher A.

One of the ways I have accomplished this is to show films outside of class which are connected to in-class studies. This accomplishes two goals for me. One, I can utilize class time differently. Now time which I would have spent showing a film I can use to add instruction time. Second, I can enhance the set curriculum with films which may not even be shown in a traditional classroom setting.

For example, my Sophomore Honors class is currently in the middle of a Holocaust unit. In the past few days I have shown "Schindler's List," "Hotel Rwanda," and "The Pianist." Two of those films cannot be shown in class due to their "R" ratings. With a parent's permission, my students can experience these films with a group of students learning the same things they are learning. Between my section and my husband's section of students, approximately 40-45 students watched all three films. I believe watching these films has truly enriched the lives of those who have viewed them. Sophomore boys have been brought to tears, a feat I thought not possible.

So, while extra credit may be a scourge which is here to stay, I think teachers have an obligation to make sure that any extra credit they offer be beneficial to the overall academic improvement of their students.