This is a response to the Daily Class Notes of 8/31

I really liked the flow of the conversation we had as a group in class. We went from talking about our past experiences to how we hope our future experiences within the class go. When it came to our past experiences, people made great points about leadership and how someone usually steps up to the plate so to speak.

We then talked about how there are certain leadership qualities that a person or people might have such as:

  • Keeping people on task
  • Being a “grounding” force
  • Listening to ideas
  • Having respectful discussions

Everyone who spoke agreed that working in a group (as long as everyone does their share of the work) is one of the best ways to get things done and to work towards a common goal. Our discussion highlighted how there needs to be an emergent leader for the group to function the best as well. When talking about emergent leaders one of our classmates told a story of when their friend was an emergent leader and was able to plan a trip for them.

Toward the end of the conversation, we talked about grading policies and how different ones work. Most students are used to a more standard grading system, but some interesting ones were brought up and conversations happened around them. One grading system that was mentioned was a contract system. The contract system allowed students to think about their attendance and the effort they wanted to put into a class. If you miss one class and put in a certain level of effort, you can agree to get an A. If you miss many classes and barely put in any effort you can agree to get a D. Basically you decide what your grade is, but you must agree to and meet certain criteria. Another grading system brought up was a more “secret” system. Students don’t know their grades, instead, they just know that they have to be on their best behavior and try their hardest. People agreed that it would be nerve-racking, but that it has the potential to be a good system.

Grades are something that is on everyone’s minds, especially at the University of Richmond. During the discussion today I believe that our class was able to come together once again for a great discussion where many great ideas/stories were shared. We talked about how it’s truly the mastering of skills that are reflected in grades. With this mastery in mind, I believe that this semester is going to be a learning curve for us all, but overall it will be a great learning experience.