The elementary school grading system in our district is on a 1 - 4 rubric scale (a 1=thanks for at least showing up, and a 4=thanks for showing up, and by the way you're pretty darn good at this particular subject but if we give you an "A" it may go to your head so we'll give you an arbitrary number like "4" to keep you grounded until middle school).
By the time a kid hits middle school he realizes that the letter "A" stands for my than the first letter in the word "Awesome!" (which is then followed by a smiley face stamp and a shiny star sticker on your 3rd grade marsupial animals crossword puzzle homework.)
While I'm sure the letter grading scale creates a certain amount of mental anxiety for most middle school students, it's apparently healthy anxiety because from my observations today at the Snoqualmie Middle School Honor Roll ceremony, I was blown over by the huge number of students who had secured a 3.5 GPA or higher.
While good grades are significant (who doesn't want their kids to succeed in school?!), as a parent, what I am particularly proud of are the more honorable "grades" assigned by teachers.
When meeting with all four of my kids' teachers (which, when counting my middle school kids' teachers, adds up to approximately 16 in all) during parent/teacher conferences a few weeks ago, some of the comments that lit me up with parental pleasure were ones like these:
"He is very respectful and considerate."
He is always kind to and works well with the other students."
She has a great sense of humor; she makes me laugh almost every day."
"He has a vivid imagination and is a wonderful writer." (I love this one!)
"She is neat and organized." (This was not prescribed to Tanner :)
"She's a great team player and a natural leader."
I truly do not intend to brag about my kids here. They have plenty of shortcomings. My point is simply this: as a mother, my "Honor Roll" requirements differ from the academic variety. The comments listed above are proof that, though they occasionally bare their claws at me or thump a sibling or forget to feed the cat (or to flush!), who they really are and what I'm trying to teach them shines through.
Either that, or someone is paying off the teachers just to make me feel like a good mom. (If it's you, I thank you profusely!)
I love these not-so-little people!
6 comments:
GREAT pictures of your favorite people!
By the way, I admire you SO MUCH as a mother. You take every opportunity to have more time with your kids, having fun, teaching them to be good, kind, respectful people and enjoying their company. You have created a mutual atmosphere of love and respect between your children and you by the way you treat them and value them. I have seen Sean outside playing catch with the boys or jogging with Kate. Your family is a great example of playing together and building relationships.
Oh MY GOODNESS!!! Two posts in two days? Are you starting a new years resolution a little early? I love it! And I love reading about your smart kids. By the way, thanks for making me feel like I'm raising a bunch of dummies... HA! :)
AMEN SISTER!
One of my favorites is "She is inclusive and kind to everyone." Growing up as an ackward and shy girl-child, this one has particular meaning to me. :)
Awesome post.
Mara you are amazing and I am happy to see you blogging again. We loved your card and seeing your beautiful family. Merry Christmas and we are sending love your way.
I love those comments, too. They are much more important to me than academic grades. :)
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