Completion No Longer Counts...

I got an email from a student toward the end of the semester. She was not happy with her final grade and believed she deserved a higher score because she "did all the work." I've also had a few email exchanges with parents who have told me to look at their students' middle school English Language Arts grades, which would reflect all A's.  Middle school and high school are two very different animals. No longer can a student just "do all the work" and get the A he/she wants.

My job as a teacher of writing is to help students develop their skills to the best of their ability, which doesn't always reflect A quality work.  I don't think it should in the first semester of Freshmen year, because if it did, my job would be unnecessary. What would I have to teach them if they knew it all?  Learning and skill development is a continual process.  I try to write something of my own every day because I know I need continue developing my own skills as a writer in order to continue helping my students develop theirs. 

I'd like to get them past this idea that just doing the work means getting an A.  Does a lawyer win his case simply because he showed up to the trial? No. Does an Olympian deserve a gold medal simply for competing? No.  Somewhere along the way, students were taught that simply completing work makes it deserving of the highest accolade. 

I would love for a C on an essay to feel like a huge accomplishment if that is the best a kid can do at that moment in time. The goal is progress and growth, regardless of how much or little that may be.  I want my students to look at their grades and say "I did my best, and that is all that matters." And if they want more, I want them to strive for it - reach for more and work hard until they get where they want to be.  Nothing worth achieving is ever easy.  I learned this lesson myself many years ago when I was a student struggling in math classes.  It wasn't until I let go of wanting the "good grade" that I was able to truly look at myself and say "I did the best I could - and that is enough."

That is my wish for these kids - that they try their absolute best and are proud of themselves for whatever that may mean for them.

As always,
-MR