D Sharon Pruitt, Flickr CC
As I was walking back to my classroom this afternoon, I passed a couple of learners in the hall talking about their grades. I don’t have either of these individuals in my class, nor do I know what class they were discussing, but that is beside the point.
What stuck in my head is when the girl said, “I’m afraid to look at my grade…I don’t even want to know.”
I began to wonder if kids talk about my class that way. How am I using grades? Are they punitive and discouraging, or is it a report of current progress in the class? I would hope that it is the latter, but I’m not sure.
Something to chew on.