I have never worked with a grading contract before. Overall, I think my grades from previous classes have been pretty fair. I know in order to get an A in a class, it actually involves putting effort into the class, so I do my best to give all the effort I can into each of my classes. Nothing bothers me more than a student complaining about a grade they got when they're either always late to class, never show up, or never do any of the readings/assignments. I am a firm believer that you get the grade that you deserve.
I think the grading contract is a good idea because I am huge fan of checklists. I'm a little OCD when it comes to that, but overall, they keep me organized and on track. I can physically see the things I am doing/ or need to do. There really are no surprises thrown at you with a grading contract because you are given the class' expectations right off the bat. It literally says this is what you need to do in order to get a "B", so I would think most students would take advantage of that and just go down the checklist to make sure they're up-to-part in all of those areas.
I always go into the semester shooting for an "A". I don't mind getting "B's" here and there, but there's always that little voice in the back of my head telling me I've could've done more. I sleep better at night when I know I did absolutely everything I could and gave it my all, whether it's with school or just life in general. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, which can be a little bit of a good and bad thing. Sometimes I am a little hard on myself, but I've learned that being like that will always pay in the end. I actually received straight A's last semester, and I have never been so proud of myself before. I actually have never received straight A's before in my life, so doing so in college classes was really rewarding. While, yes, I did have a lot of sleepless nights of reading and writing papers, it was all worth it when I received those grades.
I think the grading contract is a good idea because I am huge fan of checklists. I'm a little OCD when it comes to that, but overall, they keep me organized and on track. I can physically see the things I am doing/ or need to do. There really are no surprises thrown at you with a grading contract because you are given the class' expectations right off the bat. It literally says this is what you need to do in order to get a "B", so I would think most students would take advantage of that and just go down the checklist to make sure they're up-to-part in all of those areas.
I always go into the semester shooting for an "A". I don't mind getting "B's" here and there, but there's always that little voice in the back of my head telling me I've could've done more. I sleep better at night when I know I did absolutely everything I could and gave it my all, whether it's with school or just life in general. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, which can be a little bit of a good and bad thing. Sometimes I am a little hard on myself, but I've learned that being like that will always pay in the end. I actually received straight A's last semester, and I have never been so proud of myself before. I actually have never received straight A's before in my life, so doing so in college classes was really rewarding. While, yes, I did have a lot of sleepless nights of reading and writing papers, it was all worth it when I received those grades.