Don’t Weaponize Grades
by Jill Jenkins
Recently, I recently joined an old grade school friend for lunch. During our conversation she described how a junior high math
teacher had treated her unfairly. Being
a bright girl, my friend finished her exam earlier than many students and began
chatting with those sitting around her.
The teacher said nothing; he didn’t attempt to correct her behavior; he
didn’t chastise her; he didn’t accuse her of cheating; however, at the end of
the quarter he gave her a failing grade from the class despite the fact she had
completed all of the assigned work and performed well on all of the tests. In disbelief, her mother went to school and
confronted the teacher who explained that because she had talked in his class
after she finished a test he had failed her as he considered it cheating. After some negotiating he agreed to give her
the better of two grades on her semester grade if her behavior improved. It made me wonder about the students who looked at their grades in disbelief and no understanding as to why they received a failing
grade and whose parents would never go to school and question a teacher’s
judgement. I was one of those
students. I too had a teacher who
lowered my grade because of my behavior and I was left to my own volition to
correct the problem. The wrong was never
righted. Grades should never be used as
a weapon against a student that a teacher finds annoying. Grades should be a reflection of a child’s
learning.
A child’s
behavior in a classroom is often a reflection of his/her level of maturation.
Children from ten to eighteen are going through puberty and their brains are
flooded with hormones. Sitting still,
paying attention and being quiet are almost impossible for them. Teachers need to adapt their teaching
techniques to accommodate their biological needs and help them learn
appropriate behavior, rather than punishing them for being a child. I remember a substitute teacher complaining to
me about a student who hummed when he took a test. I told her that his engine was running. Many students nervous noises and click their
pen or hammer with a pencil on their desks when they are under the stress of
test taking. These are behaviors that
the teacher needs to accept. Students
who are particularly bright will often talk when they complete an assignment or
a test, so having alternative activities that can engage their brain can help
them maintain quiet while others finish their tests. It is also important to differentiate between
talking because a student is bored and talking to share answers. Cheating is different than socializing.
Why do students talk?
- · Most students talk because they are
social animals. When they complete a test or assignment, they are going to
talk. Some students will talk to anyone,
so when you move their seat away from their friends and next to you, they will
talk to the teacher. I know because I
was that student. I recall in sixth
grade being sent to the principal’s office for socializing. I talked so much to Mrs. MacDonald, that she
put me in an outer office to answer the telephone telling me that I was “in
charge of answering the phone.” When a
group of firemen arrived and asked to speak to someone in charge, I told them
that I was in charge. Mrs. MacDonald
rescued them laughing, “She really thinks she is.”
- · Some students talk because they don’t
understand instructions. Asking a class
if they have any questions is useless.
Adolescent brains are clicking off and on faster than a strobe light at
a disco. The solution is to have random
students throughout every corner of the room, repeat the instructions. If you offer an incentive like a piece of
candy, they are more likely to listen more closely when they are given
instructions. Otherwise, expect the
students to sound like a flock of chickens at the beginning of each
activity. They would rather ask each
other for direction than the scary, old teacher.
- · Sometimes they are exchanging answers,
but be certain before accusing a student.
When accusing a student or a pair of students take them out in the hall
away from the other classmates. Ask the
student to explain what he/she was doing.
Confront the student about what you saw and explain to the students why
that behavior is destructive to their learning and their moral behavior. Failing the student for that test is
appropriate, but not failing the student for the class. It is better to give the student a chance to
make amends. It would be more advantages
for the student to be forced to right the wrong and still accept responsibility
for his/her learning than to just draw a line in the sand. For example, you could give the child a
chance to retake a different test on the same learning material before school
or after school, but only receive 80% of credit for whatever grade he/she
earns. Both parents and administration
should be notified and the child should have to sign an official contract,
taking responsibility for his/her behavior, and the learning being tested. Make a big deal about it, because learning
moral behavior and facing consequences is also important.
Grades
should never be used as weapons by teachers to retaliate on student behavior
that he/she finds abhorrent. That is a misuse
of power. They should never be used to
punish inappropriate behavior. They
should only be use to evaluate the student’s learning. Using grades as weapons destroys a student’s
enthusiasm for learning and can reduce the child’s changes to future academic
opportunities because grades are used for acceptance to college and
qualification for scholarships. Besides,
it’s dishonest and vindictive.