As part of my first day, first class meeting, I lay out my expectations for student work and class participation. I will go through what I sincerely believe to be the habits of an A student, a B student, etc. I will then ask each student to take a moment and reflect on what kind of a student he or she wants to be this term. I will then explain to my students what I believe about Cs in courses outside their core focus area. I ask them to think about the importance of an A in 20th Century Literature vs. an A in International Cuisine. Helping students to see the goals that I have set for them in my course next to their professional ambitions has reduced the number of complaints about the general education courses that I teach and the grades they earn. I also tell my students about the Cs and C-s that I received in college in fields of study outside of my major focus. This knowledge about me seems to help put perspective on their own experience. The reason that I’m interested in this subject is my experience with student who do not see a C as a C but rather as an F. Bellow is an article from the New York times on the subject. Enjoy! EDUCATION Student Expectations Seen as Causing Grade Disputes By MAX ROOSEVELT Published: February 18, 2009 College professors have observed that their students feel entitled to receive A’s and B’s for simply completing basic coursework. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/education/18college.html