She Was Crying Outside My Office Door

I answered the knock at my office door this morning to a visibly upset Charlotte. She had studied hard but did not understand the material and was afraid she would do poorly on today's test. I asked what it was she was not understanding. She told me it was the textbook, the concepts and the quantity of facts. I assured her that there's always an opportunity for remedial work to make up any lost ground. The tears flowed as she told me her father was a college professor who insisted that anything under 80% would be perceived by people in higher education as a lack of effort. I assured her that in my opinion she was already putting forth a lot of effort. Her 75% was a solid average. She wiped her tears and walked away, looking like she had received no comfort from me. I made sure I checked in with her during the test to answer her questions. I also asked her to be sure to ask for clarification when needed, not just an hour before the test!