If you’re just joining us, we’re talking about the things that hinder us from breaking away from our notions of what school should look like. Learning can and should happen in a variety of ways and through a variety of different media. However, we seem to have it so engraved in our minds that school should look traditional.
On the contrary, many parents find, particularly those transitioning from a traditional school setting, that they must almost entirely abandon their notions and spend a year deschooling. I have now read in several sources that deschooling is definitely the way to start with special needs kids.
So with that I am challenging you to think about the purpose of grades. Do you grade your child? Perhaps you have paperwork that requires you to write something and give a grade–so you do. Have you thought about whether you really need to and how grading your child may or may not benefit him?
Traditional grades are necessary in traditional schools. It is a succinct and effective way to let a parent know how a child has done on an assignment, a test or in a class. An “F” in first grade is often a sign that your child is not developing crucial reading skills while an “F” in middle school may indicate laziness. It is also easier on the teacher than writing individual assessments for each child. While a good teacher will be able to tell you exactly where a child stands, and his strengths and weaknesses, writing that out is very time consuming especially when you‘re doing it 30 times.
You can also consider it as a universal education language. Everyone understands what an F is. (Or at least they should.) But if you write the child, “needs improvement” it can be vague. . .especially to a parent who may be working intently with a child to turn things around. Thus, we have letter grades in schools.
The Down Side of Letter Grades
However, we homeschoolers have none of these issues. We don’t have 30 kids to keep track of and even at that, they are our kids. It’s a little hard to forget that little Suzy is having trouble reading or that Billy is struggling with math. Consider some other reasons for not using grades.
1. The reward for learning should be intrinsic–a satisfaction of curiosity. A child who is not intrinsically motivated does not learn as well, and often can learn to do the minimum.
2. Grades are ambiguous. When you give your child an “A”, do you mean he did all his work? Do you mean it was neat or do you mean that his work was well above average.
3. Research shows that children learn better when they succeed. Early failures have a profound affect on the rest of child’s educational career.
Self Esteem and Getting It Wrong
About 10 years ago a report came out that showed that educationally speaking, the United States was last among industrialized nations in every subject area but we were first in self-esteem. In other words, our kids feel really good about failing.
By suggesting that you not give grades, I am definitely not suggesting that you don’t correct your child. I am suggesting however, that perhaps rather than looking at a grade for a particular subject you look at the education of your child in terms of progress made, weaknesses improved, and strengths strengthened even further. I will also admit that in high school, your evaluations will not impress any colleges. Grading does become necessary as the child is older, but hopefully by then, your student is far more interested in learning than achieving a grade. If that is the case, you are likely to have a student who easily achieves A’s and B’s in a variety of subject areas.
Wondering what to do if your state requires grading? Check back tomorrow for “How Not to Grade Your Child”
Related Articles:
IHIPS, Quarterlies, and Attendance: Annual Assessments
Preparing the Homeschool Portfolio