In which Piers ponders codes of behavior

I have a student I will call "Mr. Hat," because he wears a hat, and because by doing so I can protect his privacy.  He is taking summer classes.  One of them is our "Math 080," the "developmental" math class.  This is his third time to take the course, and for the third time he is failing it by a long shot.  Mr. Hat has complained to me ad nauseum about his performance in the course and how it's putting his college career in jeopardy.  I have repeatedly exhorted him to do whatever it takes to pass that class--go to the math lab, impose a Facebook blackout, etc.  He has taken none of my advice, and his results have been such that he is now giving up on passing the math class (there are only three days left in this term).  His solution?  He needs to get an A in my class.

Do you see what happened?  Because he has refused at every step to take responsibility for his own actions, he is left with "no option" but to "hope" that he makes an "A" in my class.  If I give him the A, there's a possibility that he can come back next term.  If he fails to earn an A, or if I don't "give" him one, then the hammer has fallen and his academic career is in ruins and he won't be able to provide for a family and so he won't be able to marry his girlfriend as soon as he'd like, etc., etc., etc.  All because I didn't see fit to give him an A (which isn't a grade I give out very often).

For pete's sake.  I try--oh, I try.  I give every student the benefit of the doubt.  I work as hard as I can to offer counsel, support, and encouragement.  I live by a code of being the best I can be, of never resting on what I've done, and of showing others respect & kindness.  I examine my life constantly to see if I'm on the right path.

I expect that others will do the same.  But here's the thing:  there are plenty of those others who won't.  They will take what I can give, and then take some more, and then take some more, and then, when the reservoir is empty, when I can do no more, I become the one who let them down.  It's the curse of being the good guy:  when you dare to assert that you too have needs, it's like the roof is caving in or something.

...can you tell that today's been kinda crappy?