<p>I was given a 0 by my physics teacher for a lab which I turned in on time. However, the next day when I was absent (for a school math competition) he gave back the lab to my partner as it had a couple of common technical errors that he wanted the class to fix and turn in again. My partner who is clueless and didn't write one word on the entire thing, thought we didn't have to and kept it in his binder without telling me it having needed to be fixed. Today when I saw the 0, I asked my physics teacher and he told me that he gave back the labs for adjustments and that my partner would most likely have it. Unsurprisingly, I looked through his binder and found it. After fixing the errors, my physics teacher told me he wouldn't take it because it was to be turned in on Thursday and that it would remain a 0. I'm obviously ****ed, but I wanted to take it to your opinions on whether or not my teacher's action is justified. It is only my second grade in the class and I have a 30% as this assignment is weighted as 70% of the grade. I can't stare at the 30% and think that I could have an A by trying to convince him. So, what are my arguments if this action was unjustified? Thanks!</p>
<p>This is not reasonable. I would try explaining the situation (I’m guessing they just don’t realize you were gone) after school one day.</p>
<p>That sucks, but my teacher would probably do the same thing lol. You can try to explain to him about not being there… and I’d choose a better partner in the future.</p>
<p>I think it should be your lab partner that should be having the conversation with the teacher. Tell him to man up, take the blame for the late assignment and explain to the teacher why he should be penalized and not you.</p>
<p>You’re not going to like this answer, but I think it’s justified. </p>
<p>If the lab was due Thursday, that means you missed Wednesday. You should have asked him about the work you missed WELL before seeing the zero today. You have had ample time. If you don’t want zeros, ask about make up work in a reasonable time frame (ie your first day back, or BEFORE if you know you’ll be gone). Seeking make up work is your responsibility; it is not your teachers job to find you and tell you. If you didn’t ask about make up work until three days later, it’s really your own fault - not your partner’s, and certainly not your teachers.</p>
<p>Wrong bailey - if the OP didn’t see the grade until it was posted to the grade book he would have no way of knowing the assignment had been returned to the lab partner’s and lucky he doesn’t have some of the teacher’s in my D’s school who post grades weeks later (so, for example, it might be three weeks after the assignment was due before OP knew he had a zero). Also it’s a team project (there’s a partner) so yes the lab partner does have a hand in it and they should go TOGETHER to the teacher to plead for something (half points, anything but a zero). If the lab partner doesn’t want to do that the OP should again plead with the teacher for some type of consideration (extra credit?) Be nice, OP and go ask for some extra credit.</p>
<p>Our school also gives two school days to make up work for an excused absence (a math competition would count for this) so there should be plenty of time but that presumes that you knew that the paper hadn’t been handed it which OP didn’t - he turned it in and thought that was the end of it.</p>
<p>Baileyj, to clear any misconceptions, I was not absent Wednesday but rather Friday and I turned in the lab on Thursday. The lab was due Wednesday and labs were handed back for corrections on Thursday which is the day I was absent. The rest of the situation ensued as described. I do not hold my teacher responsible at all but I do deem his punishment unfair. I had no idea it was a zero until this morning as suggested by cmgrayson. My teacher has a syllabus online in which all homeworks are outlined, I gave him the homework accordingly but also did email him the day before asking what would occur in class, all he said was that we would work on a separate lab. However, I assume during that class period he was grading them and gave them back to the appropriate for corrections though he probably forgot about I having missed class as has “120 students to teach”. I wasn’t aware of any of this until today. </p>
<p>Also, my teacher has a strict policy for extra credit, which is none at all for Honors. I just went to his room after school to ask for some credit, but he is not present but I’ll email or meet him tomorrow.</p>
<p>My partner did admit his mistakes but it made no difference at all to my teacher.</p>
<p>I had spent 2 hours on the lab.</p>
<p>Sorry I made typos regarding the days, it was due Wednesday when i turned it in. I missed Thursday and I was completely unaware that he had handed it back when I came back on Friday.</p>
<p>I would continue to pursue either some credit on the assignment (the credit you would have gotten without the corrections) or something else. See if your parents will assist in appealing to administration (if you want, you haven’t mentioned them so presume you want to handle this yourself which is a good thing as you’ll need this negotiating skill in college). It’s good that you asked what would happen in class and he didn’t mention returning this paper so I’d think you have a good chance of appealing this grade at the administration level.</p>
<p>I wish to go for more credit, and I will try again to sway my teacher onto my side tomorrow, and if not I’ll certainly take it up with administration. I just don’t want my physics teacher to have a grudge against me, his grading can easily put me through a lot of trouble. I just have no idea what to do, and I’m worried sick that my parents will heavily scold and punish me once they see that grade.</p>
<p>I’d talk to my math team coach and then my guidance consular or someone else in administration. That is beyond ridiculous. You turned it in on wednesday, so you should at least receive a grade for what you did without corrections. Furthermore, most schools have a policy where assignments from days where you were absent can be turned in a day or two late. I believe if you really push for your grade (the teacher may hate you for it) you will end up getting a good portion of the credit from your lab. (also I’d recommend finding a competent partner next time). Idk how you are regarded at your school, but I have a great relationship with both my math team coach and my guidance consulars. If what happened to you happened to me my math team coach or GC, depending who I talked to first, would walk to the teachers classroom and explain it to them.</p>
<p>I agree with Patton370, a 0 worth 70% of your grade is just too devastating to just quit at.</p>
<p>Hi there,</p>
<p>You really should talk to your teacher about this! I don’t think it’s fair for him to dock you like that, considering you had an excused absence, and it was your partner who was at fault anyway…</p>
<p>Something similar happened to me last year. I missed out on most of the data collection for a major lab because I was sick, but my teacher made me turn it in the day I got back. My lab wasn’t near complete and I was freaking out because this was a huge chunk of my grade. </p>
<p>What I did was I emailed her to explain the situation (that way I was articulate as possible) and cited the attendance makeup policy of our school district. Sure enough, in our agenda book it specifically stated that students who were excused for X number of days had X number of days to make up missed assignments, and I was given the extra time to gather data and complete my lab. </p>
<p>She wasn’t pleased, and I doubt your teacher will be either, but I would really try to talk to him about your lab. Even if this is a class you know you’d ace and the lab isn’t worth much to begin with, that zero will make harder than it needs to be!</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>So according to our schools policy you would have Friday and Monday to finish work and due Tuesday. I’d be interested to see the schools attendance policy on school related absence. Also get parents and math coach involved and don’t be afraid of retaliation.</p>
<p>Thank you so much coriander and grayson. My school’s late policy is that we get one day to do what we missed unless the homework/classwork was given in advance. I took the advice of coriander as well as many others and spoke in depth with my teacher yesterday after class and after some Mark Antony type persuasion, he said he would award 70% credit (I got a 100% on it) and that it would be 30% off for being late. My friend on the other hand also got the same grade. My grade in the class is now a 82%. The point of conflict now is the late factor. Is my teacher justified in telling me that I only get late credit? Should my “partner” be the only one who receives the markdown as he was the one who turned it in late or is it binding that our grades be the same as he was my “partner” who didn’t turn it in once it was given back and created this dilemma? Sorry if I come off as greedy with this statement, but I believe that I didn’t really do anything to engender this.</p>
<p>So to my understanding, you were at the competition on Thursday only? Were you at school on Friday? If so then it’s probably fair for the grade to be counted as late.</p>
<p>I would take the 70% and run (the lesson in this is that you will have better communication with lab partners as in, “Did anything happen while I was out?”)</p>
<p>Not all that fair for the lab partner to get the same grade since you have done literally ALL of the work (including pleading for consideration and getting the zero raised up to a 70%) but that unfortunately is how group work is. Be fully prepared to do all of the work in college as well.</p>
<p>@Yakisoba and @cmgrayson, I was only at the competition on Thursday, and I was at school on Friday. On -Wednesday-, we had started another lab and the syllabus for -Thursday- (I’m putting the days around dashes to emphasize them so no misconceptions are created) read “Finish _____ Lab”. I had also contacted my teacher on Wednesday and asked if I should turn the homework that was due -Thursday- today or the day after I come back (Friday) and what we would be doing the next day. He said to look at the syllabus, which I did and followed. I had NO idea the lab that I had turned in on Wednesday was handed back during class on Thursday, and thought that was the end of the deal since I had turned it in which is why I didn’t follow up with my partner (Is that a problem?). Thanks again to both of you guys, I’m usually used to doing much of the work when I’m forced to work with an inept partner, but he had one job that he could not execute.</p>
<p>I would try for the 100, but I wouldn’t expect to win if I were you. Nevertheless, you make a good point and it’s worth a shot. But you know how stubborn teachers can be.</p>