We all have, or have had, that one teacher. The one who goes the entire semester without posting grades. The one who won't calculate your grade for you. The one who doesn't tell you how to calculate your grade. The one who tells you to NOT email him/her about your grades.

That one teacher, no matter how great of a teacher he/she really is, is undoubtedly the worst. The worst of the worst! While I understand the reasoning behind why some teachers do it, it doesn't change the irritation, anxiety, and panic that I feel. No one likes not knowing. No one prefers the unknown. It's one thing as you're going through the semester week by week and you're unsure of what your grade is, but it's another thing entirely when finals week is upon us and you have no idea what score you need to pass.

Now, I'm not saying that this is an excuse for you to not try. No, definitely not. I am all about trying! I am the biggest try-hard, trust me. However, it helps exponentially to know where you stand. How close am I to failing? How close am I to dropping down a letter grade? Do I have an A- or an A? Better yet, knowing where you stand in your classes lets you know how to divide your time between the finals you have. If only college was easy and you had one final. Unfortunately, the majority of us have five finals, give or take. If I'm borderline in one class but have a high percentage in another, I know that I'm going to spend more of my time studying, and crying, over the class that I'm borderline in.

In other words, I'm choosing my battles. In the past, I've had teachers who didn't post grades because they didn't feel like it. As the semester went on, they kept track of our grades on their own private excel sheet. As we did turned in our assignments and projects, he would call us up individually after he graded them and show us our grade. Even after finals week and after the semester was over, he still did not enter any grades onto Canvas. Instead, I found out my final grade once all the grades were posted on my transcript after the semester was over.

Another one of my teachers posts grades on Canvas, thank goodness, but has the final grade option turned off. So while I am able to see what grades I got on my assignments and exams, I can't tell how it all adds up. Despite my irritation, she does so due to the fact that sometimes Canvas doesn't calculate grades correctly. Canvas, depending on the way it is set, calculates your grades only with what is entered, not counting things that still have to be put in. Therefore, whatever grade is posted would be completely inaccurate. While I understand where my teacher is coming from, I still hate it. I hate not knowing.

So as I sip (more like gulp down) my third coffee for the day during my cramming sessions, part of my brain is unable to focus on what I need to learn. I sit here, instead, worrying over what my final grade is. As I decide to focus on your class more than my others, as I don't know where I stand, I lose the ability to pick and choose my battles.

To all the teachers who don't post grades until after finals and after the semester is over and done with, I'm begging you, end my suffering. Post grades.