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Monday, November 11, 2013

Report card madness!

The grades are in!
As we close the first quarter of this school year, I have received reports cards for both girls!
I will say that this part of school always makes me giggle a little since I honestly believe that way too much emphasis is placed on letter and number grades...
I'm not implying that grades aren't important.. yes, they are a visual way to measure a child's performance in school, but I would be lying if I said I don't think they are somewhat silly at this age...
Gaby is 4 and she got a full report card describing her math, language and writing skills!  Really? You mean to tell me my FOUR YEAR OLD is supposed to be learning math already? and she's being graded for it?  Laughable..yes.. totally laughable... (I'm sorry, teachers... I mean no disrespect to you whatsoever)...
Olivia also came home with a report card.. a very complex one by the way.. She has at least 7 subjects and multiple letter and number grades.. I got confused reading about all the areas where she is being evaluated.. she did great, by the way!..but please!?!? Does a 6 year old really need a full on report card? And if she does, where is the area where her gentleness, friendliness and kindness are graded?  What about her respect? and her manners? Does that even matter?
In today's decaying society, I believe schools should be more focused on teaching kids how to be nice, respectful and considerate... they should also put more emphasis on developing healthy relationships, understanding moral values and so on...
With the insane amounts of homework kids get every night, we get lost and neglect teaching these kids real life skills... You could say I'm challenging traditional education or that I'm one of those rebellious moms that just don't conform to norms... You can also say that I'm a concerned parent who believes there isn't a "one size fits all" when it comes to kids and I strongly feel that all teachers and parents should be aware of this so that we can overcome the challenges and develop the right tools to guide our children and help them change this world for the better!

Happy blogging! 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am glad that you are concerned and that they should be evaluated on their character. I remember when we also received grades for conduct- they don't do that?

As for Math- I really do hope they are teaching a 4 year old about math.

-Aura

Stories of a Happy Mom said...

I don't think a 4 year old needs to know any math! Honestly, there are so many years of school ahead filled with math and multiple subjects that I don't see a need for these little kids to be learning this kind of stuff...
Math is important, although rarely used in someone's daily life, but 4 years old is a little too young to start with this torture...