"What do I need to do..."

"So, I was wondering what I needed to do to pass/get an A out of your class."

There probably isn't a teacher alive today who hasn't heard this statement fall from the mouth of one of their students in the final week of class.  It may seem like an innocent question, but let me tell you why this is one of the most obnoxious questions a teacher can hear from one of their students in the final weeks.

Let's start with the "A" statement first.  First off, the criteria by which one obtains an A is quality work throughout a term or semester.  It isn't a sprint that can be accomplished in the last week of a course.  If a student wants an A out of a class that level of effort should be given from the very first day in the very first class.  By assuming that a good grade is something that can be simply "made up" in the last week of class makes the rest of the terms content seem irrelevant/inconsequential.  Learn the material.  Do your homework.  Attend class.  These are the three things one must do in order to get a good grade.  There isn't a shortcut.

In terms of passing a course?  Well, these students bother me even more than the "A" crowd, which is frustrating because often times these are the students that need me most.  BUT, these are also the students who don't show up to class, don't complete homework, sleep in class, don't participate, and only hope to "coast" through courses like mine.  Well, I tend to have bad news for these students.  The question "What do I need to do to pass?" is even worse than the "A" question because it shows an inherent disregard for the class, its material, and its instructor.  It implies that the student simply need to jump through a hoop in order to pass instead of actually finding a way to master material.

If you ever think about approaching an instructor/teacher/professor with this question, I would think twice.