In order to be able to accommodate all BSM students, multiple faculty members teach the same course. However, not all teachers are on the same page with class curriculum and grade expectations, making students have dramatically different experiences within the same subject. Many teachers at BSM have a certain teaching philosophy, one they aren’t willing to change to accommodate different groups of students.
Different teaching styles are bound to happen, and it is important for students to have experiences with all different types of teachers to make them well-rounded students. However, teaching styles should not affect course rigor or the overall layout of a class. If there are multiple teachers for one class, the expectations should be the same. One teacher should not require more work than another. For example, in a certain class here at BSM one teacher requires extensive note-taking with a very stressful end-of-unit exam, while the other teacher has no notes, homework, or exam. That is unfair to students and creates a major division between the two different classes, which are supposed to be learning the same things.
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In high school, getting good grades has become an expectation, one most students want to meet. However, sometimes receiving a good grade with certain teachers is harder than others. Your overall grade could come down to who your teacher is, which isn’t fair. Some students will have to work very hard to receive a high mark and some will receive it by just showing up. This is something many BSM students have experienced, both on the positive and negative side. This then creates stress upon students about what teacher they are going to receive, which is very valid because it is something they have no say in. Teachers should be required to have the same curriculum and very similar expectations with one another, just like how students are expected to respect each teacher and work hard in all classes.
Another aspect of grading is how teachers will grade different students in their classes. BSM has a record of having unspoken favoritism, sometimes even to the point where it can impact one’s grade. If certain students participate in a club or sport that one teacher particularly likes, they sometimes have been known to receive a better overall grade. This then impacts not only the non-favored kids’ grades but also certain students wanting a certain teacher. Knowing that your extracurriculars will help you receive a better grade is something almost every student would love, but is something teachers shouldn’t be allowed to do. All teachers, especially in the same departments and grade level, should evaluate all students on the same grading scale.