Keeping up with grades has really turned me into the teacher I don't want to be. There is so much emphasis placed on this aspect of school it's ridiculous. It seems to me certain families and parents use grades to "keep up with the Jones'" where competetive nature and the need for comparison drive thought. The pressure is overwhelming. It feels like the negative feedback from the beginning of the year shaped the direction the last few months have taken. It feels like being forced into a corner where you can't move or even breath without your methods, thoughts, work, efforts, and character passing under scrupulous supervision.
The judgements passed on the school and its teachers came a lot in part from the report cards. They came from the expediency (or lack thereof) of the report cards and grades. The question "How's my son/daughter doing?" feels like a loaded question these days. It's daughnting, agitating, frustrating, and does not motivate anyone to do better or try harder while unleashing a teacher's full potential. It releases the "I don't want that to happen again so I better do just enough to not get busted" work ethic. The judgements do not build a partnership nor open up clear lines of communication. -2/12/11
