what if there was an easier way to get an A?

It's 4:37 A.M. Sunday morning and I feel like a total hypocrite. I've been up since 1:26 A.M. even though I'm constantly telling everyone -- my own kids, my students, my wife -- how important sleep is. My own trainer got it through my skull that sleep is like charging my phone. Without enough sleep, we can't do anything to our full potential. Our bodies don't compromise any more than our phones do when the screen goes black and it turns into a brick.

So what's keeping me up?

You. I can't stop thinking about how to make this semester better for you. So many of you have shared feelings about your workload, your study environment, the challenges of balancing other obligations when you're not on campus.

All of this seems big and outside our control, but that just motivates me. I want to make this better. I am absolutely awful at giving up -- if you've ever had a friend that doesn't want you to tell them the answer to the riddle because they have to figure it out for themselves, you know the type.

The payoff? I think I've *finally* figured out a way to guarantee your success in this course, and maybe even all your courses. If we get this right, you will never have to worry about your grade in this course again -- it will be as hard to get a D or F as it will be to get an A. I will put the answer right here on the blog in 24 hours -- IF I see at least 30 comments to this post by 5:00 P.M. today (Sunday). Your comment can include what you think about grading, what you think should be done differently this semester in this course or in general, or what you think about the world today, or shoes, or ice cream. I actually don't care what you write, I just care that you write. Say something about what you're thinking or feeling that makes us think or feel something. This will be valuable, so it's worth course credit, so it will offset any work that you're missing so far... see where I'm going with this?

Of course, if you do have something to say about grading, please feel free to make suggestions or ask questions in your comments. I'd like this to start a conversation, because we are all going to need to agree and make commitments.  Instead of looking up at a mountain of weekly school assignments, rolling our eyes, and wishing things were different, I want us to get in the habit of making promises we can keep. Keep. Rhymes with sleep. Going to get me some before I lapse full-on into poetry. Looking forward to your thoughts.