Invasion of Privacy: A glimpse into a new type of education with Dr. Gillian Paku

It is almost guaranteed that every student has heard something like the following: “Well, I don’t like giving grades, but I have to.”

While this idea may be distributed by countless professors every year, it is rare that a student will hear a statement along the lines of: “There’s something wrong with the way we view grading, and here is how we can start to fix it.

Associate Professor of English Gillian Paku recently spoke about how she feels the education system is arranged and how she foresees its change in the future. Born in a semi-rural area in New Zealand, Dr. Paku was an avid reader from a young age. She fondly remembers admiring Jane Austen as a teen, and Austen’s novels sparked her love for literature. 

“I just read voraciously and with no discernment. I also read teenage romance and blockbuster crime novels and just anything I could get my hands on,” said Dr. Paku. 

After developing more of a passion for literature, Dr. Paku strongly considered turning her interest into a career. Thus, she completed her degree at Harvard University, pursuing both literature and education. 

She chose to work at Geneseo for several reasons. She found herself enjoying her time alongside colleagues and had great interactions with the students she met. Also, she specifically wanted to work in a state school mostly due to her views on how available education should be.

“A public liberal arts college is really important to me, because I do think education should be widely available, and I do believe that you should be able to have a quality education that doesn’t put you in debt for the rest of your life,” said Dr. Paku. 

As an involved member of the faculty, whether it be teaching courses in literary disability studies and working alongside the Office of Accessibility Services, or even becoming the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society faculty advisor, Dr. Paku believes her involvement has gradually changed her view of college education.   

This hit a boiling point in 2020 with the massive increase in conversations about racial and ethnic identity in response to Black Lives Matter and similar groups. She wanted to respond to the conversations and make some sort of change but questioned what she could do. She turned to the cycle of the grading system. 

“Grades perpetuate the cycle: graduate schools look for the higher GPAs, higher GPAs are those that fit the ‘standard’ we look for,” said Dr. Paku. “I have complete respect for people who work hard. And my respect for people who will give their studies their best shot outweighs how much I value almost anything else.”

This gave rise to what Dr. Paku has implemented in her classes this semester: LBGC, or a Labor-Based Grading Contract, is a theory and practice most commonly associated with Arizona State University professor Asao Inoue. 

The basic concept is just as Dr. Paku indicated: those who put in the time get the good grades, and it does not matter if the student does not live up to that Harvard-educated A+ student so much that it does that there is an honest attempt to improve. Students always have the option to keep revising to whatever standard they personally aim for. 

“Of course, I understand that you can cheat that system. But I care far more about helping recognize the effort that any student puts in than I do about rewarding only those people who, through privilege, are lucky enough to already have the skill set–or about regulating the people who want to figure out the work-around,” said Dr. Paku.

As of right now, Dr. Paku is one of a select few who has implemented the LBGC system in her classes. While it may seem like an English-specific idea, it seems the future is far larger than just one department.

“We’ve begun sending out information - not directives, just information - across INTD 105 and the Writing Learning Center training just to pass on the scholarship that points out the anti-racist ideas. The first step is widespread knowledge that this is something happening.”

“If we could help usher in a college-level articulated commitment to recognizing the language that you use, that would be a huge first step, and I think something like that would then open up the space to talk about grading.”

Dr. Paku provides valuable insight to students who are interested in English and literature, but who may feel afraid to take the leap. 

“When words come out of your brain and your heart, having someone who understands them and respects them and helps you see the potential is one of the really important things that English can do for students,” Dr. Paku said. “It leaves you feeling affirmed and respected as you get ready to get out into jobs and the world outside the education system.”