Grading On a Curve
So today marks the end of another six weeks of school, which means report cards will be issued next week. For whatever reason (or reasons, all of which I'm aware) this has been a choppy six weeks for Sam. Academically, he's like a pot of boiling water; you have to check in on him frequently or bad things could happen. But you have to give the kid credit, he rallied in the last couple of weeks and pulled up what could've been abysmal grades. And he was proud of himself.
But Bryon, who if I haven't mentioned it here before, can sometimes be an ass. An insensitive, uncensored ass. And instead of saying, "That's great, Sam. You worked really hard these past couple of weeks," he chose to say, "You should be getting all A's."
This upset Sam. And while I understand (and agree with) Bryon's observation, I wholeheartedly disagree with his delivery. Maybe say, "I'm so glad you were able to pull up those grades. But I also want you to think about what would happen if you would apply yourself and work as hard all semester as you have these past couple of weeks."
But then again, give the kid a break. Apply yourself? Really? So Sam, have you practiced your guitar? Have you learned all your choir songs? Did you write that poem for poetry night? Have you memorized your speech in Gaelic? What's the area of a trapezoid? Have you made any friends? What about girls? How's your confirmation study going? Be polite. Sit up. Clean your room.
I think it is unfair for us (parents, me, Bryon, adults) to expect kids to apply themselves when we don't set the same example. We expect them to be "on" 24/7. Is being a kid so full of fun and frolic we expect they'll dive into everything we put in front of them with gusto? Because most adults aren't like that. If I applied myself, I would have written that children's book I started seven years ago. I would have rock-hard abs. I would play the flute and be a dancer. I could cook.
But instead I tend to let things go, and rally when something needs to get done. And you know what, it usually does. Does it matter that our entire dinner last night was cooked in the microwave? Not really. The kids ate and liked it. Does it matter that Sam didn't get all A's. Not really. He turned in his homework, recognized when he needed to up his game and he crossed the finish line.
That gets an A in my book.
But Bryon, who if I haven't mentioned it here before, can sometimes be an ass. An insensitive, uncensored ass. And instead of saying, "That's great, Sam. You worked really hard these past couple of weeks," he chose to say, "You should be getting all A's."
This upset Sam. And while I understand (and agree with) Bryon's observation, I wholeheartedly disagree with his delivery. Maybe say, "I'm so glad you were able to pull up those grades. But I also want you to think about what would happen if you would apply yourself and work as hard all semester as you have these past couple of weeks."
But then again, give the kid a break. Apply yourself? Really? So Sam, have you practiced your guitar? Have you learned all your choir songs? Did you write that poem for poetry night? Have you memorized your speech in Gaelic? What's the area of a trapezoid? Have you made any friends? What about girls? How's your confirmation study going? Be polite. Sit up. Clean your room.
I think it is unfair for us (parents, me, Bryon, adults) to expect kids to apply themselves when we don't set the same example. We expect them to be "on" 24/7. Is being a kid so full of fun and frolic we expect they'll dive into everything we put in front of them with gusto? Because most adults aren't like that. If I applied myself, I would have written that children's book I started seven years ago. I would have rock-hard abs. I would play the flute and be a dancer. I could cook.
But instead I tend to let things go, and rally when something needs to get done. And you know what, it usually does. Does it matter that our entire dinner last night was cooked in the microwave? Not really. The kids ate and liked it. Does it matter that Sam didn't get all A's. Not really. He turned in his homework, recognized when he needed to up his game and he crossed the finish line.
That gets an A in my book.
posted by Romine Family at 12:14 PM
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