| My middle and high school students eagerly walk into class with their homework fully completed, ready to ask follow-up questions. They have no desire to earn a grade for this work. They did it for the sake of learning… and then I wake up from this lovely dream. The reality is they check their grades online constantly. They ask questions like: How many points off if I forgot units? How much will you take off for spelling? What can I do to get my average up to an A? After decades of this reality in my math classes, I began to reflect on how my behavior contributed to the grades-obsessed culture. I am embarrassed to admit that I used to praise students based on their grades rather than their effort and improvement. Conferences with parents generally focused on number grades rather than student learning. |
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