Where is justice? Who throws a monkey wrench on it?

[Nicholas Kang]

I supposed that most of you are well aware that I did quite well in my studies. However, there are some incidents and cases where I might make a mistake. Yet, somehow, a case happened last year was deeply etched in my mind. I would like you to help comment on this issue. Here is the story.

 

Last year, I studied a lot of physics articles and books. I felt like my knowledge had increased a lot. All language subjects require you to write essays, either in the exam or daily practise. Usually, students have to choose the materials needed or maybe conduct some researches before entering the test venue. Most of the time, I will choose the materials that I know a lot- Physics, then only it is possible for me to write with minor to no flaws. And, also, given the fact no one in my school really likes Physics (they just take it as if it was just a subject, not their cup of tea) or studies quite a lot of it, Physics contents in my essay sets me apart from the others. I got Number 1 for my English essay competition last year. The title of the essay- My ambition. I drafted the contents quickly. I want to be a physicist, so I used a lot of scientific jargons while introducing my career.

 

But this was not the case for Chinese language. I tried using the same way, adding stuffs that others, I supposed, won`t use. But I failed. This time, the background of the essay was about 60% similar to the English version. I also used Physics jargons and related them to the main topic/title. The essay was open-ended. The title consisted of just a few words of a sentence and you need to substitute your own words that is suitable to complete the title. The given title was "I love xxx the most". (Substitute xxx with any words, in this case, I used science) I drafted and started writing. The problem was its result.

 

When my teacher returned the papers, she simply marked through it. She just put a "check" (the opposite of cross, x) behind every punctuation of the last sentence of a paragraph. Upon completing, she wrote the marks 18 out of 30 or 18/30 plus a circle around it. No lines, straight or wavy, indicating any errors ; no words and comment. The whole essay was merely filled with words of mine, "checks" and marks with circle. I am dissatisfied. I walked bravely to the front desk, inquiring reasons. Her words:

 

"I am a (Chinese) language teacher. I don`t understand what you are writing, I am not a science teacher. I don`t understand, really."

 

A huge let down. Really. I took the papers and reported her to the principal`s office a few days later. I questioned: "Is it my fault for not letting a teacher to understand technical jargons? She didn`t even mentioned it to be right or wrong. The teacher should be diligent enough to do her homework-look up those words in the internet or a dictionary, shouldn`t it?"

 

Also, I told quite a number of teachers of other subjects. Firstly, my English teacher. She told me to just ignore her. Maybe to her, this was just a minor case, an exception? Others advised me to talk to her, discuss directly with her. How is that possible? She hurt me in first place. Plus her mind was somewhat conservative. She kept telling us Buddhism philosophies in her classes. I found another unorthodox phenomenon. When you write about essays that require you to elaborate the benefits of reading, stating the point "study Buddhism books can make you feel peace deep in your heart and spirits" instead of just writing "read more reading materials like newspaper, books and magazines can enhance your knowledge" can result in a mark or two higher than the average. While including scientific points may result in a mark or two lower than the average. Some of you may argue this is just a myth or feelings but it did happen in my essays-I have proofs.

 

This year, I supposed I am going to "inform" my teacher about this rare case before indulging in my scientific world. Any comments?

 

Thank you.

 

 

[John Cuthber]

A mark of 18 out of 30 suggests that you got 30-18 i.e. 12 things wrong.

Ask her what those 12 mistakes were so that you can avoid them in the future.

Of courses, if she can't point out 12 mistakes, she has more or less admitted that she gave you the wrong mark.

[Nicholas Kang]

No, no, no John. You are wrong. I don`t know how things really are in the UK. In Malaysia, things aren`t as simple as 1 mark for 1 criterion. Some mistakes are considered minor and half mark is deducted. Students usually take advantage of the "round off" rule to gain marks. For example, 0.5 marks is deducted for wrong spelling but it does not impede communication, so 30 becomes 29.5. But when you round off the figure, it becomes 30 again. Also, essays, like language, are subjective. In Malaysia, only wrong formats in formal essays like formal letter, CV, reports, articles etc. will be deducted marks. The open-ended essay I had written does not constrain the writing style. It is open, no format. So, in this case, the way you present your ideas, the sentence structures, gain more weightage.

 

For instance, a person writes "The US is different from the UK" will gain less mark compared to a person who writes" The US differs from the UK in quite a number of aspects". Why? Because we used to write and convey our ideas in the first form, it becomes a norm. Nothing sets you apart from the others. So, you gain less mark. This year, a new teacher will teach us, so my plan is to discuss with her, so as not to ensure she "goes crazy" with my "scientific" essay.

[Endy0816]

Is she grading based on how easy an essay is for her to relate to?

[imatfaal]

Frankly Nicholas it seems to me that you didn't understand your reader. One doesn't fill an essay written for a language teacher with language they will fail to understand or appreciate.

 

1. Jargon is worth avoiding. If you are writing for an expert audience then use the correct terms (to demonstrate that you understand the science behind the scenes) and if you are writing for a lay reader then use commonly understood terms - but jargon should be avoided in most academic settings.

 

2. There is no point putting beautifully crafted mathematical theorems etc into a Language paper; they will not be understood, they are not proof of your mastery of the subject, they distract from the areas in which you are showing your ability, and they may make the teacher feel you are diminishing their subject in favour of another.

 

Remember the advice given to Stephen Hawking when he first went to his publisher with the draft of A Brief History of Time - "every equation you put in will halve the readership".

 

Generally English language essays - unless otherwise advised - should be aimed at "the educated layman"; this is a conceit of course - but you should write as if the reader is very intelligent and well-educated but NOT an expert in your subject area. The task was to show your mastery of the Chinese Language - not to show your love of physics (or anything else) and it seems you might have failed in the set task.

[Tim the plumber]

Just because you are able to express an idea in a forign language does not mean that you have actually communicated the idea.

 

Understanding the background level of knowledge of the people reading the stuff you have written is vital.

[MonDie]

Were her directions clear? Did she encourage students to bring in a rough draft first?

[michel123456]

Imatfaal is correct.

You must focus on what you have been asked to do and be smart.

[StringJunky]

Write in the language of the reader and to their ability.