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Are You Kidding Me?
Ambrosia is in grade one. Already, I’m very much concerned if I will be able to help her beyond this grade level. For example, her math category is broken down into the following subgroups:
- Number Sense and Numeration
- Measurement
- Geometry and Spacial Sense
- Patterning and Algebra
- Data Management and Probability
This is grade 1 for crying out loud! OK, so math was never my forte. But at least I wasn’t subjected to such technical terms until I was well into high school. Those of you going to school in the late 60′s probably remember the term, “New Math”. That was a fancy label meaning, “Your parents will NOT be able to help you any more.”
Well, that concept has found it’s way down to the grade one level.
It doesn’t help that school systems are now using computer-generated comments. They tend to be vague and sometimes contradictory. Here is an excerpt from Ambrosia’s strengths/weaknesses/next steps category: (red comments mine)
“Ambrosia responds and participates in a variety of learning activities, with considerable enthusiasm.” (What the hell is ‘considerable’ enthusiasm? Is ‘considerable’ a good thing? Does she need to tone it down or pick it up? What does the kid actually do to display ‘considerable’ enthusiasm?)
“She works fairly well with supervision, but requires occasional reminders to stay on task.” (Well, I’m not at all surprised here. In fact, I think this particular comment is a bit too soft and overly tactful. At home, Ambrosia requires CONSTANT reminders to stop yapping and focus on her work! Without a strong hand, the kid gets sidetracked much too easily.)
“Ambrosia usually gathers information effectively from a variety of sources and communicates clearly with class and group members.” (Now that’s a scary picture. I have images of Ambrosia flitting from desk to desk, chatting up all her classmates. She has received a couple of detentions this term because of her inability to settle down quickly.)
“She displays confidence while participating in class discussions, and demonstrates responsibility in attendance, punctuality and task completion.” (Hey, wait a minute. How did she become so responsible all of a sudden? Is this the same kid who needs ‘occasional reminders’ to complete her tasks?)
“Ambrosia willingly works with others and is supportive of fellow group members.” (Of course, it’s more fun to play with your friends than to focus on your own work!)
“She usually makes connections between different problems and solutions and is developing good study habits, as is evident in her test results.” (Yup, to her credit, Ambrosia brought home all B’s and one A. However, please note that in Canada, an A is from 80-100%. B is 70-79%. C is 60-69%. D is 50-59%. Anything below 50% is failing. Compared to the U.S. grading system, I find this to be watered down. Still, Maggie and I are very pleased with this as we realize Ambrosia is focus challenged.)
“Ambrosia is usually willing to negotiate to solve problems and resolve conflicts and perseveres to achieve goals.” (So, THAT’S where she gets it. At home we have strict boundaries and clear consequences. I usually don’t budge because I want my girls to take their responsibilities seriously. However, Ambrosia is always begging for ‘a deal’!)
“She is encouraged to maintain a focus to persist with tasks and to take on a leadership role in group activities.” (Is this another contradiction? Didn’t I read previously where she displays confidence and demonstrates responsibility? Are these not leadership traits?)
Does Anybody Else Read This Stuff?
It’s all very nice sounding fluff and rhetoric. The computer program that populates the comments section of the report card does a very nice job of filling in all the white space. I wonder if the teacher actually reads these comments to check for glaring contradictions.
I will be attending a teacher/parent meeting tomorrow to discuss Ambrosia’s report card among other things. One thing that I will bring up for sure is the fact that she only received a G (Good) instead of my anticipated E (Excellent) for homework preparation.
You see, I spend an hour with the kid every single day after school. I follow her agenda to the letter. Every assignment is completed to MY satisfaction – and I have very high standards. So when the kid brings home a G for something I KNOW is done to my exacting specifications, something is being overlooked.
During the first couple of weeks of the school year, Ambrosia brought home a spelling test paper with 1 out of 5 correct. I was livid! We had worked on those words all week and Ambrosia knew them inside out, backwards and forwards.
I suspected that the teacher may have used a different format when delivering the test. I’m sure this has happened to you before. You study like crazy but then when you get to the test, you see that the questions are worded somewhat differently. All of a sudden, you go blank. It’s as if you’ve never seen these words before.
I went right to the teacher and asked to see how she delivered the questions. At first, she tried to brush me off with, “It’s OK… it’s just the first test.”
I DEMANDED to know, “How did you ASK these spelling words? Ambrosia knew them COLD! There’s NO WAY she could have missed unless she didn’t understand the question format! I can’t help Ambrosia unless I KNOW how you present the questions.”
Well, guess what? From that day, Ambrosia has hit 5 out of 5 words every single week, plus the two bonus words.
The school newsletter is always encouraging parents to stay involved with their kids. That would be me! I support my kids! The girls tell me I have quite the reputation at school. They say that the other kids, teachers and principal perceive me as someone you don’t mess with.
WOW! You gotta Love That Feeling!
Hey Russ, Since I am still unable to stay on facebook, I have your wonderful site to entertain me, after a long day of work. Loved the whole report card blog. It does seem that canada, may be a bit more advanced, that the us. I can”t believe what first graders. are expected to learn. I was able to go on FB and send out a couple of posts. In those posts, I encouraged people to check out this site. I told them it speaks for itself. I know my mom, has already confirmed her e-mail address. I told her she will recieve her first newsletter, this next tuesday. As far as FB, I can”t answer . or comment. I can only look for a moment. Thanks for making me smile today. In case I can”t post today. I wish you a VERY HAPPY 56th birthday on friday. Love Your cousin Lisa
Two comments from former students who are now school teachers here in the Greater Toronto Area. These were sent to me via email and FaceBook:
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Just so I’m reading this correctly, it seems that these two teachers would rather write out their own comments for each individual child rather than use the standardized crap even if it means a lot of extra work. Interesting!
Here is yet another comment from Jane, a college classmate and a long-time teacher in Massachusetts:
As for the ‘G’ on Ambrosia’s report card for homework preparation, this was the teacher’s explanation:
When reviewing assignments from the previous night, the teacher will ask the students a variety of questions to check their understanding of the concepts. When it comes to Ambrosia’s turn, she will blurt out a quick, “I don’t know.” Her default is to take the easiest way out. Somehow she learned early on that if she feigns dumb and helpless, people will come to her rescue.
As I mentioned in my weekly newsletter, Ambrosia is a master at manipulating people with her charms and ‘cuteness’. But now that she is six years old, that cuteness is beginning to wear pretty thin. It’s only a matter of time before it becomes a serious detriment.
I work with Ambrosia one-on-one every day after school. I know her tactics and I don’t allow her to use them around me. Whenever she pulls the quick, “I don’t know” routine, I stop her dead in her tracks and make her THINK! She’s a bright kid. She always knows the answer. However, the teacher in school has 24 other children to tend to. She doesn’t have time to ‘play around’ Ambrosia’s little game.
Although I don’t like it, I was satisfied with the teacher’s explanation. Ambrosia has a LOT of work to do, especially in the behavior department.