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Preparing Progress Reports: No Small Matter
Featured Author:
Lisa Cooper
Lisa Cooper has taught American History to fourth and fifth graders for the past nine years in a departmentalized setting.
Using the non de plum, Elementaryhistoryteacher, she began chronicling her content knowledge, teaching strategies, and opinions online in January, 2006 at her weblog, History Is Elementary. Her article, Oh, I Love to Tell the Story best profiles Lisa’s passion for the importance of Social Studies instruction.
Lisa resides in Douglasville, Georgia with her husband, two children, and a ten-toed cat that daily exhibits allusions of grandeur.
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Lisa Cooper | TheApple.com
Today is Progress report day. I hate progress report day. My students hate progress report day. We hate it for different reasons however.
To me, it is like a new beginning. Students get a wake-up call as to just how bad an average can be when you only turn in one assignment out of 10 but the chance to turn things around looms on the horizon. To my students however, it is a death knell. No matter how many times I remind them that it is a PROGRESS REPORT, they all scream about their averages and much moaning and gnashing of teeth is heard.
No matter how many times I ask them to see me for tutoring before or after school, I am still chased around the classroom by students waving progress reports like villagers waving flaming torches at Frankenstein.
No matter how many times I tell them to take it home and get it signed for a homework grade, 40% will still throw it in the trash anyway and take another zero.
No matter that I always call parents when I don’t get the progress reports back. In everything I do as a teacher, grading papers and giving grades to 178 students is my least favorite thing.
I wish that all grades matched what my kids are capable of doing.
I wish that all students would at least attempt to do even a small bit of what we’re doing.
I wish all students could taste a little bit of success without so easily accepting a progress report full of zeros.
Because in the end, it’s actually no small matter when a fifteen year old has already given up.
trevonte7
7 months ago
4 comments
You have accurately stated the problem. What is the solution? How do we attempt to change the mindset of children? Pointing out the symptoms doesn't fix the issue. I appreciate the fact you were brave enough to point out the struggle teachers face. But what do we do about it?
Rosanna
7 months ago
94 comments
maybe children get wind of the fact taht progress reports mean nothing - only test scores matter...
hatesstarwars
7 months ago
22 comments
I am a parent to one of those kids you talking about, he hates worksheets which is what his teacher uses daily,he throws them away,he doesn't do them or he writes anything on them just to say he turned it in. It doesn't matter to him that I can check his grades on line and see when he is missing work,he has taken off 3 weeks in 3 different classes and has then spent weekends doing late work. His teacher does nothing about it. Thank You for trying to do something whether it works or not.