HIT: ACADEMIC GRADES 4

[Roberta Ricci <RRicci4009@AOL.COM>]

                                      Simplicity

        The problem, or condition, which leaves us a temporarily failed or
dysfunctional nation, is a simple one.  We think we may not trust
ourselves, and we think this is as it should be.  The simple solution,
then, is to understand the fact that by lacking trust in ourselves we can
not possibly trust our fellows, and community fails.  Failed community is
failed society and nation--is chaos.  Chaos is hopelessness, leading either
to despair--or hope.
        The cycle of self doubt is rooted in the established and accepted
tradition that we see it as appropriate to allow ourselves to judge and to
be judged in our efforts to learn and to grow.  The basis of supposed
public education is that those of us who are empowered to teach and to
administer teaching are also graced with the power to put down others who
simply do not conform to OUR standards, and in the time frame dictated by
us.  This compares to judging as failure one who does not reach puberty by
age ten, or twelve, or fourteen--or forty!  It compares to a physician
downgrading and dismissing his patient for not healing in the physician's
(or the HMO's?) prescribed time frame.
        It equates to our punishing the very kids who once might have
trusted us;  being indulged or humored in inflicting this punishment only
while those same kids yet dare, want, and/or choose to trust in us, despite
our failings.
        We might be embarrassed at our silliness; our cowardice; our shame.
        Ask yourself: who among us would quietly acquiesce to the notion
that the responsible arresting officer could also serve fairly and
appropriately as their defense attorney?  Yet this same conflict of
interest persists through the sanctioned practice of teaching AND grading
in the institutions of learning to which we routinely relegate our kids.
To what useful purpose, or end?
        A true teacher's professional purpose and function must be to
teach, thus to facilitate learning, ONLY.  For when we add grading or
judging to the permutation we destroy all possibility of Reasoned success.
We work in contradiction of our espoused mission.  We strip the learner of
the ability or the possibility to learn to trust him or herself to decide
and to determine what is or will be necessary and good for him or her to
learn and to master, in order to thrive, personally, in their  world.  We
deny their authority--indeed their need--to know to discover and then to
trust themselves to freely and unselfishly share their personal gift of
unique and glorious SELF with their world.
        Simply.
        And somewhere in our souls we all know this fact.
        But we, ourselves, are conditioned or "taught" to doubt, to be
ashamed, and to deny what we know.  Did not our "teachers" tell--even
advise--us as to whether we are, could, or would be, successes or failures?
How could we  possibly trust ourSELVES to decide what is and should be
important for our selves?  And when might we?
        Come on.  How can we NOT trust ourselves?  Self worth may NOT be
force fed or appended from without to one's essence or being.
        That self knowledge, self discovery and self trust are necessary
conditions for our ability to share should be apparent--obvious--but we
remain afraid to trust and to embrace this basic fact, for (again) we are
afraid to trust our selves.
        What appears to be required to break this cycle is a major leap of
faith which seems to go against all "reason," as "taught" to us, and thus
apparently accepted (along with the emperor's old clothes) by our society.
Yet letting go of so-called society's faulty perspective is exactly what is
requisite to our finally achieving society, where society is defined as
people sharing in genuine trust, for their mutual benefit and edification.
        Thus, rather than a leap of faith, it is but a simple, natural step:
        We need to remember to trust ourselves and our world, simply.  We
are alive--as we dare choose to be.
        I am a teacher, by choice and by profession.  Because of this,
there are no grades in my "classroom."  There cannot be.  There are but
individually garnered standards, as there simply must be while we learners
remain unique, diverse and genuinely individual--thus true to our selves.
For I would be a teacher in deed and in fact, or not at all.  Thus, I could
never indulge myself for any vacuous reason (and all such reasons are
vacuous) to fail, downgrade, or abandon a single trusting learner, and
likewise, therefore, fail, downgrade and abandon myself and my profession.
        My world functions and life is good, because those in my world
trust to give back to our world our very best--with neither fear nor need
of coercive judgment--in equal measure, as that world freely and always
gives to us.  We waste no time fretting about how well others may appear to
be doing, in seeming opposition to us.  Instead, we prize and honor our
time and our gifts, and therefore know to trust, simply, to offer our best
and worry not about the rest.
        Welcome, please.  You are invited to share.
        Have fun, then, won't you?
        Only trust yourself.
        Take care.   In trust, I wish you well.

-I am a librarian in a K-5 school with about 480 students. In my district we
give both behavior and academic grades to fourth and fifth graders. We give
these grades in Nov., March, and June. We have a written curriculum which
gives us a continuum of skills etc. to cover with our K-5 classes. I see each
class once a week and I do find it difficult to determine the academic grade.
I grade the students on their written work as well as oral presentation and
demonstration of specific skills. I give tests every so often. The music and
P.E. teachers grade everyone; in fact, I think they give each student three
different grades, so I do feel it could be even more cumbersome. I keep a
grade book and come up with my own way to determine student grades!

In my district we are required to give academic grades and effort grades. AND
if they get a C from me and all As and Bs elsewhere they are unable to be on
honor roll. It does give more significance to our activities on a certain
level. However, I dislike intensely giving a grade when I want them to be
excited and do their best no matter what we are doing.
I award academic grades based on performance related to the objectives for my
lessons, whether it is for worksheets, or reports, or performance assessment.
I
award effort grades based on behavior and responsibility especially returning
library materials on time.
I'm very generous and forgiving in my grading policy. A C is not average. It
is
a low grade.

This is a bone of contention in our diocese for a variety of reasons.
However, I have suggested to teachers that they give a language arts mark
that includes skills that I teach/reinforce.  I haven't come up with a
formal statement, but I expect it will be something like this.
"The library mark is contained within the language arts mark.  The
librarian supports and extends what is taught in the language arts
curriculum.  We both teach parts of the book, literature, how to find a
book, reference.  My reinforcement of what the classroom teacher teaches
in a different context can only validate her work."

Roberta, In my district (Pittsburgh Public Schools), librarians give only
a citizenship grade on the report cards. However, I -- and I think at
least some of my colleagues -- DO grade student work and pass those grades
along to classroom teachers to incorporate into their students' language
arts and/or social studies grades. I see most of my classes 3-4 times a
week, so teachers really appreciate the addiitonal "academic" feedback.

I did use academic grades for Library/Media Center for 1 year and it did not
go over well.  At conference time, my parents questioned the grade.  This year
I am using Effort and Behavior evaluations, using +, S and N.  It's working
MUCH better.

Thank you for your responses. I hope this list helps some of you.  Also,
thanks to those of you who explained how to attach responses!

Roberta Ricci, LMS
R.C. LaPerche Elementary School
Smithfield, R.I.
RRicci4009@aol.com

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