You do a good job conveying your tone in your writing (ha). All kidding aside, I appreciate your disgust with grading on the bell curve. I’m taking a class right now in which the average test grade (over the past 3 tests) is hovering right at 50%. Nearly a third of the class has withdrawn from the course because the professor isn’t curving grades until after the final exam. The tests are so difficult, even a “C” seems un-achievable. This discourages students from wanting to study the subject matter because the professor refuses to change his testing style. The result: the students don’t learn the subject matter yet will get a passing grade (due to the curve). Worse yet, students’ grades won’t reflect the professor’s poor teaching, and since the students receive a decent grade, they feel less compelled to give the poor SPOT evaluation the professor deserves.

So, I guess I decided to rant with you.