grades

As I've mentioned before, this isn't a recreational, just for fun cooking class...this is school (although it is quite fun).  And school means grades (unless you're doing some sort of Montessori thing).  Before I get into how we are graded in culinary school, let me give you a bit of history on my relationship with grades.

In high school, I got mostly A's with a few high B's here and there.  I really liked getting good grades.  It was important to me, plus good grades were expected of me.  However, these grades did not necessarily reflect how much I actually learned.  All I cared about was the grade and if I happened to learn something along the way then that was cool, but not required according to me.  So I took classes and selected teachers that would allow me to get the desired good grades with the least amount of effort (no AP or honors courses for me, thank you very much...but I will take any and all football coaches for my teachers).  Occasionally, I had a class that required a bit more effort on my part.  Thank goodness for cute boy tutors (I ended up marrying the boy who tutored me in geometry).  You see, I had way more going on in high school than just learning.  I was busy with drill team, boyfriends and best friends (that's full disclosure for my principal and parents).  But I still wanted those good grades.

In college, I took studying a bit more seriously simply because it was harder to get my desired and expected good grades without some effort on my part (and clearly I was behind the curve since I didn't take learning too seriously in high school).  I didn't really love my classes...I studied and applied effort out of obligation.  That was until I took Communication Law.  Something new and different happened in that class...I became truly interested in the subject matter...I loved the class...I wanted to learn all that I could...I studied and learned because I was genuinely interested in learning about that subject.  And the high A I received never felt so good.  I felt like I actually deserved it and it was a true reflection of what I had learned that semester.  Wow - what a cool experience.  I took that class in my last semester of college.  I wish I could have experienced that type of passion for learning sooner, but it did help set my intention that any other schooling I did in the future would come from a place of passion and not obligation.

This brings me to culinary school.  I'm here because I am thoroughly interested in learning all I can about food and cooking.  I look forward to all of it - studying, practicing, and going to class.  I also think that my age grants me a different perspective than I had when I was younger.  You see, my going to culinary school means I am taking time and financial resources away from my family.  That's a big deal and the magnitude of it isn't lost on me.  So my wanting to do well in culinary school comes from a motivation to learn about the subject, as well as a way to show respect and gratitude towards my family for their sacrifice and support.  Let me be clear...I want my final grade to be an A (and secretly, I'd like to graduate with honors as well).

Here is the breakdown of what we are graded on and how our final grade is determined:

• Weekly homework and product homework = 15%
• Weekly grade = 70%
• Final exam (written and lab) = 15%

Every week we have a reading assignment from our ginormous textbook, along with a worksheet.  The worksheets are pretty straight forward and if one has read the textbook, then getting an A is pretty easy to do.  We are also asked to turn in four products throughout the course of the semester.  As long as we turn in the products, we get a 100.  But all of this is only 15% of our grade.

Our weekly grade is the whopper.  This grade is determined by our participation in lecture, professionalism (appearance, attitude, etc.), how we work in our teams, and the products we make during class.  After each class, a numerical grade is entered into the online system for each student.  Sometimes they are ready the next day and sometimes they're not (I'm still waiting on my grade from veggie class that took place more than a week ago).  It's also important that I share the warning we received regarding our weekly grades: don't expect an A...be happy if you get a mid-B.  

I heard the warning...but it still hurt the first time I checked my grade online and saw that B...ouch!  I studied for class, participated a lot during lecture, my uniform was ironed and complete, I didn't say any bad words in class (that alone deserves some serious recognition), I worked well with my amazing team, and we tried our very best on our products....and that still equaled just a B.  And this whole scene keeps replaying itself every week.  So, I've had to adjust my perspective a bit.  I still very much care about my grade, but I don't want my slight obsession with my grade to discount from my experience.  I'm learning a ton.  I'm working hard.  I'm doing my best.  And I'm loving it.

I'll let you know at the end of the semester how this whole grade thing works out.  I also have a big final to get through.  Part of the exam is a written test and part of it is cooking.  I'm already a bit nervous about it...it feels like centuries ago since I took a final exam.  But I do remember that sweet, satisfying feeling I would get post-exam after I had studied hard and given it my best.  Maybe that feeling will be enough for me...