Just a touchdown short…

So, we got Joel’s scores back from the BAR exam about a 2 weeks ago.  As it turns out he was so so very close to passing.

6 points.

That’s all that separated him from passing.  6 points.

Joel is encouraged by that.  He was so close, and I think it makes him feel like he doesn’t have as much ground to make up as he thought he might.  And considering all the things that happened right before the exam (all of us sick, his busted ear drum, losing 2 weeks of study time, not sleeping for several days leading up to the exam and getting only 2 hours of sleep the night before), he feels really good about that.

I am still heartbroken.  We were so close.  I was so sure we were done.  He was diligent.  He worked hard.  He did everything he could, and 6 points is all he needed to be done with this.

So we created a study schedule and got ready to start all over again.

Then we got his essays back.  He got a zero on one of them.

There was one essay that he wrote in the wrong book.  The proctor told him it would be fine to rip it out and staple it into the answer book.  If he were to get a zero on any essay, you’d think it would be that one, right?

I thought that, too.

We would both be wrong about that.

That essay, which only had 3 sentences – his conclusion – in the answer book, got him a 3.

The essay that got a 0 was one that he wrote 3 pages for.  That, when looking at the sample answers they sent back, has the same conclusion, the same rule statement, and essentially the same points as the sample answer.

Please, someone tell me how that equals a zero.  Please.  Because I cannot understand it.

To me, it seems like someone just didn’t feel like grading anymore, and gave a zero because they felt like it.

We can file a grievance, but there is no appeal to change the scores or get it re-graded.  I think we should, even if it does nothing more than get that grader removed from the grading panel.

There’s still nothing really to do, except for Joel to take the exam again.  And pray that God will show us what He is doing with this.  I can’t believe that He would let this happen for no reason.  So I can’t wait to see what He’s doing.  Why all this happened.  I know  He must have some purpose in it.  I just cannot imagine what it is.