We recently had a meeting with Devlin's teachers, mostly about his continued behavioural problems, and partly to discuss his recent report card. The behaviour issues stem from his inability to curb his silliness during class times. Considering this is grade one, and he is a boy, we, the parents, are not overly concerned with it, but the teachers are. (But more about that topic in a later post.) Conversely, we, the parents, were concerned about the report card that was recently sent home.
It was the first report card that reflected his school work with letter grades. An array of Bs and one C+ in drama which was accompanied by generally positive comments regarding his abilities. We were not pleased by the letter grades. Aside from the fact that both of us are high achievers, we wanted to know why Devlin was only attaining Bs when his school work and test marks showed otherwise. He has no trouble with his daily homework assignments, he has made great strides in reading, and the report card comments accurately indicated he was attaining the provincial standards. So why not an A?
Well. an A, it was explained to us, would be clearly surpassing the provincial standards. Like being able to read Jane Eyre in grade one. Or calculating algorithms instead of single digit math equations. Or being able to explain Newton's three laws while the rest of the class was learning to spell gravity. Clearly, someone in the Ministry of Education has ridiculously high standards, or perhaps harbours a long-standing grudge against his or her peers who attained As easily while struggling to maintain a C level. Really - this new standard of evaluation is absolutely and utterly ridiculous! And you'll agree with me once you read the next part.
I was flabbergasted when the teacher explained the marking scheme. To get a better understanding, I inquired as to what would have been considered an A level in a recent recycling project Devlin had completed. The assignment entailed the students collecting items out of the recycling box at home and then constructing a playground structure. The students were instructed not to actually construct the items at home, but to list the recyclable materials being used, and to draw a labelled diagram of what they intended to build. I was careful to read the directions, since the last project (a diorama of a summer scene) had not been favorably graded because I failed to read the "label the picture" line. Devlin received a failing mark on the diorama because Mommy had forgotten the labelling of the picture, and because at the last minute, he decided to add play-doh and a lego boat but didn't actually list those items on the sheet. Yeah, whatever.
So, this time we carefully read the instructions. We (Devlin, Mommy and Daddy) spent the evening examining the items from our blue bin and listing them on the paper. Then, we let Devlin come up with a playground structure. He thought the toilet paper tube could be a tunnel, and the cardboard yogurt box a bouncey gym. The yogurt cups were climbing structure that led up to the tunnel. I helped cut a thick strip of cardboard for a teeter-totter, and Devlin decided to use the yellow plastic Kinder egg containers for the minions enjoying the playground. Devlin then drew a diagram of his playground and we carefully packed up the components for school. Considering the entire project was devised by our 6 year old son, I was disappointed it only merited a B.
But when I heard what earned an A, I was outraged.
Apparently one student taped together drinking straws to construct a swing set, and used thread for the swings with small pieces of cardboard. Another student folded up the cardboard accordion style to create a stair case that led to a plastic tube piping for a slide. Yet another student had glued a plastic cup to a metal spring for a bouncing ride. Right - a grade one student came up with that on their own, without any parental prompting. And since when is thread an item that goes in the blue box?
Rather than voice that particular thought, or the next one (that being "I didn't realize being a mother meant having to go to grade school all over again!") or the one after that ("Apparently Mommy is too busy at work to watch Martha Stewart's recycling class project 101."), I decided instead to direct my comment at Devlin.
I sorrowfully gazed at my son, and remarked, "I'm sorry Devlin. I guess our recycling box just isn't that exciting!"
If this is the new standard of testing, I fear that my capable son will not go far in his academic endeavours. I know my child is not only capable but has the potential to go far. He can also be lazy, and needs to be motivated. Rather than leaving his academic success at the hand so this incapable school system, we've decided to take matters into our own hands. No, we're NOT home-schooling. I'm not certifiably crazy. No, rather, we informed his teacher we do not accept Bs because we know his abilities. We requested more "homework" to be sent home so we could keep him challenged and one step ahead of the pack. It was clear to me that we parents have the ultimate responsibility in shaping our children's educational futures.
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