Month: April 2013

Why Grade?

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

why

Okay, let me ease the minds of many readers who feel a grade is a form of feedback. Yes, teachers need to give feedback on ALL assignments that is timely and specific. I for one don’t believe a letter grade (or number if that is what you use) is feedback at all. It is little more than a type of categorical ranking for a piece of work or period of time. It may be timely but is not specific at ALL. Why do schools chose to assign letter grades to work? What does the A, B, C, D, F (or now often an E) mean?

Our culture is obsessed with these grades. Grades are found everywhere, from Consumer Reports and stock ratings to ESPN and fashion magazines. Here is a quick rundown of the common understanding of letter grades:

  • A = The best can’t be better (unless +,- system used)
  • B = meeting the standards 
  • C = Average but okay
  • D = Below Average but passing
  • F/E = Failing do work or not acceptable work

So, if letter grades are used as feedback, are they specific? NO not very specific and actually quit vague by most standards. These grades might be okay for a stock rating or to judge a person’s attire for an evening but that is about it. Consumer Reports uses a great model for grading. The magazine gives a letter grade, but backs the grade up with a paragraph or two of justification. Giving specific reasons why a product receives a certain marking. I would bet that the grades came after giving reviews for awhile and readers wanted a “quick” guide to how a product compared to another. As educators or parents should we care how our student stacks up to another?

I hope not. Education is not about where a student ranks, it is about getting a student to be the best they can be. Grades hurt this growth in our students. Students need the kind of constructive feedback that Consumer Reports gives products that it is reviewing. Details about strengths and weaknesses. Remarks about how they can improve on their work. Does a student gain a desire to improve when earning an A?

Students often see the letter grade as a destination. Asking “what do I need to do to get an A?” Is this what we want in our students today? Reaching an end goal and stopping? Schools need to instill the value of improving work. Everything can be improved. I am still becoming a better teaching now, after 13 years on the job. Letter grades inhibit this growth in our students. In the many conversations I have with students, they often reflect that they are doing well enough when their grades are B and above. Many refer to this behavior as “doing” school. Are we creating learners? or something else?

Parents can actually be worse about grades. Parents will call and ask how their child can receive an A. Not worrying about the quality or the work or learning behaviors. Parents will often use these letters to compare their child to others. Should we be making comparisons? I personally would leave that up to selective colleges or employers.

This leads us to one of the major arguments for grades: those darn colleges require them. Should they? I don’t think so. Colleges should have an application process that has performance tasks. Admittance to college should not depend on arbitrary letters a collection of teachers gave a student over 4 years. Admittance should be based upon what a student can or cannot do! Colleges are currently complaining about grade inflation and student needs for remedial classes. So obviously our current K-12 grading system is not working for college admittance. Another example of where letter grades fail the students has been shared with me from high school AP teachers. Regularly they will have a student who “fails” their class but receives a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP exam. This means the student would receive college credit for the class but not high school credit.

Our culture thinks grades are great for education. Schools need to change this perception. Grades are great for the momentary comparison, for products or ranking a draft. Remember it is momentary if not,Tony Mandarich, Charles Rodgers or any other first round draft pick bust would be in the hall of fame.

Feedback is important for learning. Students need to know what they do well and what needs improvement. One way of doing this is to switch to a Standards Based Grading System. Nationally recognized author Rick Wormeli (@RickWormeli) has been working hard to explain to the world why our current grading system is not working. Below is Rick explaining why the current system doesn’t work. 

Help change grading from a ranking of students to feedback that would work to get the best out of our students. Make a system that helps students grow and become life long learns. Not striving for a letter on a piece of paper but to do their best!

Name Brand Education?

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

In class last a few weeks back, I overheard a student complain because her parents didn’t buy here a North Face fleece for her birthday. Her friend was wearing the fleece she desired so she was jealous. I tried to intervene. I explain there was nothing wrong with the fleece she had on. “But it isn’t North Face!” she exclaimed. “And Mr. Bloch you have a North Face so why shouldn’t I?” Wow! How do I counter that argument? I tried to explain that I had recently received the fleece as a present for Christmas from my wife. I always admired North Face products but resisted purchasing them due to cost. I was sure that a “store” brand would handle my needs. I don’t live in the mountains and wasn’t planing an adventure into the wilderness anytime soon. (Sound fun maybe sooner now.) These are hard concepts for teenagers to grasp. Desire of the “Name” brand fashions is a way to maintain or gain popularity. Students learn this from our product placement advertising culture. Many don’t realize their favorite actors are paid to wear the fashions to get them to purchase them. Of course adults learn to not worry about name brand eventually, right?

No,  many adults are similar to children, feeling that name brands can be important and if something cost more it must be better. Frankly some name brands are better quality products and some aren’t. Has this name brand consumer culture pasted over into education?

Sadly, yes. Many feel that the name on the school (or associated state ranking) defines what happens inside each classroom. I realized this in a recent conversation with a teacher friend. She is looking to move from her current apartment to a house. She has a young daughter and has been spending time looking at all the school rankings to decided where to live. When Amy, my wife suggested a near-by condo complex. Her reaction was “Oh, No the school is not rated well.” It just so happens the school she was referring to is where our son attends. Our school is in a stable community, located in our sub-division. Every teacher that has worked with our third grade son has been incredible in their own way. I personally feel it is a GREAT school environment for our children to attend. (We also have 4-year-old twins)

Later that evening Amy asked me what I thought about her comments. Being the ever mindful teachers I answered with a question: “What was your response?” Amy shared how she told our friend that the school was great and we had nothing but positive experiences. In the end, she pointed to the ranking and said “I don’t think it is best for my daughter.”

Rankings are going to make adults choose the brand “ranking” over their neighborhood school. Brand names and marketing will win the school of choice war. Lower ranked schools will slowly but surely disappear. The ranking will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Parents who can afford the choice will choose “The North Face” over “the store brand”, those who can’t will complain about where they are stuck. The lower ranked schools will slide down the slope  and go the way of Ben Franklin’s, Kmart’s and Circuit City’s of the world.

Educators need to change this perceptions of schools. Schools are more than any ranking. Furthermore education is what an INDIVIDUAL makes out of opportunities not what OPPORTUNITIES that come to an individual. Live in an affordable home, nice community, clean neighborhood, near a school. Attend this school and make it great. If opportunities aren’t present seek them out! Help the teachers succeed. Be involved. Ultimately schools are a true reflection of the communities around them. Parents who seek out the Name Brand School for comfort forget about all the hard work that made the brand. The more transient brand seekers that move into a school the quicker the brand will deteriorate. What school wants to be the “Members Only Jacket” of this decade?

Help build your neighborhood school into a lasting brand. Don’t worry about the ranking now, go in and make the school the way it should be: full of involved staff, parents and students who all want to succeed together. Make your school the Coca-Cola or GE, one that will have its ups and downs but be strong for the long haul!!

The Job, nobody wants…Teaching

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

Last week I was perusing Facebook and noticed a post from a friend, Jim, that I felt needed a comment. The post had a picture of his computer on a table in the sun by a pool with the caption, “I love my job!” I snidely remarked, “Why don’t we trade for a day?” Jim’s response was typical, “I can’t handle my own kids for a day, so I will be turning that offer down.”

When ever anyone finds out that I am a teacher, first inquiry is what grade: “7th grade”. After hearing that I am a middle school teacher the second comment is “You must be a saint!”or “Rough age” or “I couldn’t do that”. It doesn’t matter who I encounter, this is the typical reaction. In fact it does not matter what level taught, this is the typical response.I love teaching middle school students and most teachers Do love TEACHING. So why do so many feel this way?

Sure different people have different desires and preferences for careers. Introverts prefer jobs with littler contact with others. Extroverts do well in sales and customer service fields. Some have scientific minds and do well in medicine and engineering. Financial minds work well in business and on Wall Street. Don’t we needed all of their expertise in education, teaching and modeling learning for students? 

Our schools are filled with all types of students with diverse learning styles. Education needs teachers that are just as diverse. To create a climate where ALL students can succeed, students need a teacher to connect with. Someone that has a similar learning style and preferences. Not just educators who “love teaching students and helping them learn.” (Although this helps!!)

Media reflects a society that feels teaching is “easy” with “summers off”. If this is so then you would think all schools would have flocks of highly qualified teachers. When in fact most school have difficultly finding more that 1 qualified candidate. 

Teaching is hard. It takes a unique passion for helping others and loving youth to be successful. IF society wants to create a better education system, then we better create a way to help more be passionate about being teachers!

Parent Like a Pirate

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

Baby pirateI have been reading a wonderful book by Dave Burgess(@burgessdave), “Teach Like a Pirate.”  He talks about being daring and adventurous as a teacher. Going into “uncharted waters” and discovering what is there. Dave makes some great points about teaching. Teachers need to focus more about presentation, making learning fun and an adventure. Shouldn’t parenting be the same way?

Parenting is the single hardest job anyone can take on. Parents don’t get paid in cash, but children who grow up and become successful, caring, positive contributors to society are better payment than any sum of money. Parenting has changed greatly over the past few generations. Not too long ago most families had two parents, now many only have one or have a surrogate leading the household. It used to be expected that one parent would stay at home and raise the children while the other worked. Now many children are raising themselves as parents have to work to afford to live. When parents do have time for their children, it is often used as special time to please the children: going on trips, out to dinner or the movies. Too often it seems that parents want to appease their children’s wants and desires, instead of helping their children grow. Many parents feel that is the “job” of schools.

Sure, schools are a place for learning. Schools have trained professionals to teaching math, reading, science, social studies, writing and many more subjects. Our schools do a pretty go job at it to all things considered. But parents are the one constant in a child’s life. Parents are there to support the educational process, If parents don’t model the behaviors taught in school, do teachers have a chance? Maybe is the answer. IF parents do model behaviors taught in school, students will experience their best successes.

Parents need to be bold pirates, following the teacher pirates off into uncharted waters. Parents need to help nurture their children’s dreams and MAKE them happen. Read books, act out fantasies, sword fight with sticks in the backyard. To often US parents take the easy road, let the TV be a babysitter so we can accomplish “grownup” things. We might even order our children to “Grow-Up”.

Children sure, do want to grow up and quickly. They want to have a cell phone, stay out late, and drive a car. Children think being a grown up is SO cool. IS IT REALLY? Grown-ups have to work for a living. (Not always fun) We have to pay the bills, feed the family, clean the house, clothes etc. Shouldn’t parents encourage our children to BE CHILDREN. Not letting them worry about the adult worries.

Parents need to be Pirates, taking children on adventures in learning. Steering the ship on a path of learning. Taking our children to nature centers, zoos, cultural festivals and the library. Enjoy fantasy time in your backyard or in a fort built in the living room. Allow your children to make a mess, be creative, explore the world.

Being a pirate parent also means setting boundaries and holding children accountable. Set rules for grown-up choices. Monitor TV viewing choices, limit screen time and cell usage. Don’t let your child become an adult because the neighbors are letting their children lose the joy and pleasures of childhood. This might be hard at times, but a pirate life is never easy.

Have the courage to be a Pirate Parent, it will pay off in endless treasures of discovery with your children.