Grading

Our department at school has been having an ongoing conversation about how to grade students. Should we rely heavily on tests or on assignments? Should students be given a list of topics they need to master and be responsible for those topics and not receive a grade at all? Should students who can show mastery of academics but do not finish or turn in assignments receive the same grade as those who do? Elementary schools in the area have begun using a report card without letter grades. Each student receives a list of what was expected to be mastered and then a rating of whether proficiency has been attained. One of the problems with that is when they arrive in junior high and begin receiving grades they do not have the same meaning. We have many 7th graders who are struggling with completing assignments on time and keeping up with grades because they have never had importance. Beginning 7th grade is always a struggle especially with changes in expectations from teachers and organization but perhaps such an extreme difference in grading is not the best for students.

Notes from Parents and Students

Last Sunday I taught a lesson on gratitude. In the lesson a story is told of an 80 year old woman who was a teacher for 50 years and only received one letter of appreciation. I told the girls in my class that that was very sad and most teachers have a file somewhere full of notes and cards from parents and students who have said they are a good teacher. I for one have that file and as we wrote thankyou notes to someone I encouraged the girls to choose a school teacher who they liked or was doing a good job and write a note to them. Those kind little notes we receive really mean a lot on days that are especially rough. Teachers can pull them out and be reminded that there are good days and that teaching is not as bad as it seems at the moment. While I have had my share of notes, emails, and calls that are very negative and I know I can't please everyone all the time it is nice to have those little reminders of the good things I am doing and that they are making a difference in the life of someone else. At this time of Thanksgiving I hope we all can share some appreciation for someone in our lives who has made a difference. It doesn't matter if that is a teacher, a friend, or a relative but it is important to recognize the blessings we have and work hard to be a blessing in the life of another person.

No Homework?

I teach junior high. At this secondary level I expect my students to receive and complete homework over the weekend. Especially when I teach advanced classes that cannot allow us to not have an assignment one day out of 5. Now, I am not an evil person and I have rarely given homework over Thanksgiving or Christmas breaks, but I have given it over spring break and nearly every weekend whether it is a long weekend or not. Lately I have been getting a lot of complaints. Sadly they are not only coming from students but from parents as well. It seems that the parents think their child needs a break from homework over the weekend and it a time to spend with family. I have no problem with that, what I struggle with is the idea that parents are complaining becuase their child is beginning homeowork at 10 p.m. on Sunday evening. This not a problem with the homework but with the student. Wouldn't it be nice for any 8th or 9th grader to get to 10 p.m. on Sunday and realize that they can go to bed without worry because the homework was done on Friday afternoon!