Really this student deserves an A, at least by the standards we keep here. I have to give him an A- because there are imperfections in his paper and he wants these recognized. This is good and interesting work, he says, but not his best. If I give him a straight A he will not feel I have taken him seriously.
Axé.
coldhearted scientist وداد 
Wow, those are unusual to come by. I once had a student telling me she wanted to do her capstone project with me because I was the only professor in the department who did not give her an A in the course (I gave her an A-). But I haven’t encountered to many others like her.