“What grade do you want?” he asked, obviously frustrated. “An A? How about an A? Everybody gets an A!” At this point he was furiously scribbling in his gradebook as that deep shade of crimson we’d grown familiar with crept across his face. We would smile and giggle to ourselves as he muttered to himself angrily for the next several minutes.
We students looked forward to Mr. H’s freakouts, so long as we weren’t the specific targets, because they were fun to watch. It was like sitting front row at a Jerry Springer taping. He’d storm back and forth, mutter under his breath, alternate between yelling and seething explanation, tear off his shirt in a rage…well, all but the last at least. You were never quite sure what was going to set him off, but I eventually noticed a common theme.
Mr. H wanted nothing more than to awaken a love for science in his students. He really seemed like a good guy to me. He had a good sense of humor and while he was a bit unpredictable he always encouraged legitimate questions. He had fun doing demonstrations for us and encouraged inquiry. I once got in an argument with a friend over how many atoms there were in the universe total (more or less than a googol…do not judge me) and he gave us some guidance on the issue. He possessed many of the qualities you’d like to see in a teacher. Grades ruined him, however. How?
Grades put the focus on the wrong thing.
Mr. H wanted us to do our experiments and accurately record the data we got, even if we ended up with messed up results. He wanted us to really learn and understand the scientific method, not plug the correct answers into our notebooks so we could get points. Most students, however, couldn’t give half a rip about the process. We wanted our grades! To get good grades we’d been taught you need to get the right answers, so that’s what we focused on. Learning didn’t matter, grades did.
Now that I’m a teacher I ‘m able to more clearly see what Mr. H’s issue was. I’m not in danger of freaking out on my students but I very quickly identified the focus students (and parents) have on grades. In most cases all a student cares about is the grade they got. If they write a paper all they want to do is look at the grade. A high enough grade makes them happy and they ignore it, a low grade either makes them feel like a failure or get angry at the teacher for the injustice (usually both).
Students learn when they are able to focus on the work they did. What did they do well? What do they need to improve on? What does a good piece of writing look like? What broader understandings are there to glean from this assignment? A student learns nothing from an A, B, C, D, or F on their paper. But that’s what they so often want to see.
One day Mr. H had a particularly magnificent meltdown and we never saw him again. We had a sub the rest of the year – one who didn’t know physics. So my honors physics class ended up trying to teach itself physics. Many of us got good grades but I can guarantee there were plenty of kids that year who earned A’s in physics that didn’t really know squat about the science. It sure would look good on our transcripts, though!
Focusing on grades as a student, teacher or parent is dangerous. What matters more than GPA is that the student’s mind is being sharpened, they’re being awakened to things bigger than themselves, that their understanding of the content and skills is growing. Sometimes grades reflect that, sometimes they don’t. I know I will expect good grades from my kids – but when they bring home report cards I will understand what those grades do and do not represent.
I didn't know I agreed with you...but I totally agree with you:) It seems like a trick bag though because I imagine most kids & parents simply aren't willing to engage with the notion of sharpening the mind and learning to learn as they perceive it as nothing more than slowing down the process involving getting good grades in order to get the good school in order to get the good job in order to get the big ring in order get the pretty wife in order to get the cute kids etc...
ReplyDeleteIn this way, I'm quite thankful I don't do what you do for a living:)
Thanks for the post man!
I’m a parent. I’ve also been an adult student at community colleges and adult ed centers for the past ten years.
ReplyDeleteI would love for my kids to be more concerned about learning the subjects than their grades. Unfortunately, until universities and colleges stop using GPA as a criterion for admissions, both my kids and I have to be concerned about their grades.
As an adult student, I have NEVER worried about my grades. (Interestingly, I’ve been a straight A student since I left college, the last time it counted……) I get to choose what classes I want to take; my kids don’t. I get to choose when to take the classes; my kids don’t. I get to decided how many classes I take for a particular quarter; my kids don’t. I get to decide when to sign up for the next class; my kids don’t. I get to chat with the instructor during class with absolutely not a care about what the rest of the knuckleheads in my class think of me (except for the cute blonde mom in the first row….); my kids don’t. I actually want to do my homework, because it’s about something that interests me; my kids don’t.
Besides getting good enough grades to get into the colleges of their choices, I want my kids to at least build a foundation for lifelong learning; learn to learn; understand that behind all the tedious tasks given by their teachers, there is a subject matter worth knowing.
Jack - I'm not necessarily harping on kids here. They are responding predictably to the way the system is set up. And one thing even a seriously flawed system can do for you is teach you that in life you will have to learn to properly navigate flawed systems.
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ReplyDeleteWhatever the case may be, my heart goes to those teachers who truly care (qualified). Looking back, I had some awesome teachers. My guess is they are no longer with us, given the number of years that have passed. There are times when I really want to find one and say "thanks!" I happened to have many friends who are teachers. I love them dearly for their dedications.
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